ACT II - Prologue Practice Quiz — Romeo and Juliet
by William Shakespeare — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: ACT II - Prologue
What is the purpose of the Act 2 Prologue in Romeo and Juliet?
It serves as a transition between Acts 1 and 2, recapping Romeo's shift from Rosaline to Juliet and introducing the obstacle of the family feud.
Who speaks the Act 2 Prologue?
The Chorus, a single figure who addresses the audience directly to provide commentary and context, just as in the Act 1 Prologue.
What has changed in Romeo's love life by the Act 2 Prologue?
Romeo's love for Rosaline has died ("old desire doth in his deathbed lie") and has been replaced by mutual love between Romeo and Juliet.
What obstacle does the Chorus identify for Romeo and Juliet?
Because their families are enemies, Romeo cannot easily visit Juliet, and she has even fewer means to meet him. They are "held a foe" to each other's families.
How does the Act 2 Prologue end?
On a hopeful note: "passion lends them power, time means, to meet, / Temp'ring extremities with extreme sweet" — suggesting love will help them overcome obstacles.
How does Shakespeare use personification in the opening lines of the Act 2 Prologue?
He personifies Romeo's old love as a dying man on his deathbed and his new love as a young heir eager to inherit, turning abstract emotions into characters.
What is the significance of the sonnet form in the Act 2 Prologue?
The Shakespearean sonnet (ABAB CDCD EFEF GG) mirrors the play's love theme, since sonnets were the quintessential love poem form of the Elizabethan era.
How does antithesis function in the Act 2 Prologue?
Shakespeare pairs opposites throughout — old/young, fair/not fair, foe/beloved, extremities/sweet — reflecting the central tensions between love and enmity in the play.
What paradox appears in the final line of the Act 2 Prologue?
"Temp'ring extremities with extreme sweet" is paradoxical because it suggests that extreme danger can be softened by extreme sweetness — love and peril are inseparable.
How does the Act 2 Prologue differ from the Act 1 Prologue in its function?
The Act 1 Prologue foreshadows the tragic ending and introduces the feud. The Act 2 Prologue recaps what has already happened and builds suspense about the lovers' immediate obstacles.
How does the Act 2 Prologue develop the theme of love versus enmity?
It explicitly states that Romeo and Juliet are "bewitched" by each other but "held a foe," establishing that their love must contend directly with their families' hatred.
What does the Act 2 Prologue suggest about the transformative power of love?
It suggests love is powerful enough to overcome seemingly impossible obstacles: "passion lends them power, time means, to meet," making love an active, almost supernatural force.
How does the Act 2 Prologue explore the fickleness of desire?
By describing Romeo's love for Rosaline dying so quickly and being replaced by Juliet, it raises questions about whether intense romantic passion is lasting or fleeting.
What does "gapes" mean in "young affection gapes to be his heir"?
Here "gapes" means to open the mouth wide in eagerness or desire — young affection is hungrily waiting to take over from Romeo's dying love for Rosaline.
What does "complain" mean in the context of the Act 2 Prologue?
In Elizabethan usage, "complain" means to express love or longing — specifically, to address a love plea. Romeo must "complain" (declare his love) to someone he is supposed to consider an enemy.
What does "Temp'ring" mean in the final line of the prologue?
"Temp'ring" (tempering) means moderating or softening. The lovers temper their extreme hardships with the extreme sweetness of their love.
Complete and explain this quote: "Now old desire doth in his deathbed lie..."
"Now old desire doth in his deathbed lie, / And young affection gapes to be his heir." Romeo's love for Rosaline is dying, personified as an old man, while his new love for Juliet eagerly waits to replace it.
Complete and explain: "But passion lends them power..."
"But passion lends them power, time means, to meet, / Temp'ring extremities with extreme sweet." Despite every obstacle, love gives Romeo and Juliet the strength and opportunity to find each other.