ACT I - Prologue Practice Quiz — Romeo and Juliet
by William Shakespeare — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: ACT I - Prologue
Where is Romeo and Juliet set, according to the Prologue?
The play is set in Verona, Italy. The Chorus says "In fair Verona, where we lay our scene."
What is the central conflict introduced in the Prologue?
An ancient grudge between two noble households of equal standing has erupted into new violence, making civil hands unclean.
What does the Prologue reveal about Romeo and Juliet’s fate?
They are "star-cross’d lovers" who will "take their life" — the Prologue reveals they will die before the play even begins.
How does the feud between the families finally end?
According to the Prologue, only the death of the two lovers can end their parents’ strife. The children’s sacrifice buries the conflict.
How long does the Chorus say the play will last?
The Chorus refers to "the two hours’ traffic of our stage," indicating the play’s approximate running time.
What poetic form is the Prologue written in?
A Shakespearean (English) sonnet: 14 lines of iambic pentameter with an ABAB CDCD EFEF GG rhyme scheme.
What is the primary literary device used in the Prologue?
Foreshadowing. The Chorus reveals the lovers’ tragic deaths before the action begins, creating dramatic irony throughout the play.
What oxymoron appears in the line "civil blood makes civil hands unclean"?
The word "civil" is used in two senses — civic (belonging to citizens) and civilized — exposing how supposedly dignified people have been corrupted by violence.
What does the compound metaphor "star-cross’d lovers" convey?
It combines astrology with destiny, suggesting the lovers are fated by the stars to meet a tragic end. Being "crossed" by the stars means being thwarted by cosmic forces.
Why is it significant that the Prologue is a sonnet?
The sonnet was the dominant form of love poetry in Shakespeare’s era. Using it signals that the play is fundamentally about love, even as the Prologue describes violence and death.
What is the central thematic tension introduced in the Prologue?
Fate versus free will. The Prologue suggests the lovers’ tragedy is predetermined by cosmic forces ("star-cross’d"), raising the question of whether their choices matter.
How does the Prologue establish the theme of love versus hate?
The lovers’ devotion is born from families defined by hatred. Their love and death are presented as the only force powerful enough to end the cycle of violence.
What does the Prologue suggest about the cost of reconciliation?
It takes the ultimate sacrifice — the death of both families’ children — to end the feud. "Naught could remove" the parents’ rage except their children’s end.
What does "mutiny" mean in the Prologue?
In Elizabethan English, "mutiny" meant a civil disturbance, riot, or outbreak of violence — broader than the modern meaning of rebellion against authority.
What does "misadventur’d" mean?
It means unfortunate or unlucky. The Chorus describes the lovers’ "misadventur’d piteous overthrows" — their ill-fated, pitiable downfall.
What does "traffic" mean in "two hours’ traffic of our stage"?
In this context, "traffic" means business, dealings, or proceedings — referring to the events and action that will take place on stage.
What key line foreshadows that the lovers will die?
"A pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life" — this line explicitly reveals both the doomed nature of their love and their ultimate fate.
What line describes the effect of the feud on Verona’s citizens?
"Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean" — the citizens’ blood is shed and their hands are stained by the violence of the family conflict.
What line reveals how the feud ends?
"Doth with their death bury their parents’ strife" — only the lovers’ deaths can finally put an end to the families’ long-standing hatred.