Romeo and Juliet

how is the prologue the summary of the play?

prologue

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ADVERTISEMENTRomeo and Juliet Theme of Love

Romeo and Juliet are two of the most famous lovers in history, but some people doubt that their historic love lives up to its reputation. Romeo starts the play infatuated with Rosaline, a gorgeous girl with no interest in him. His "true-love-at-first-sight" encounter with Juliet seems like it could be just another case of puppy love. The two lovers come from warring families, but their love overcomes their families' hatred. Their whirlwind romance, however, ends in tragedy when each thinks the other is dead and chooses to commit suicide rather than live alone. While Romeo and Juliet never doubt the power of love, other characters criticize love and reject is as simply infatuation or lust. Some people interpret the play as a cautionary tale on the dangers of young love. Others argue that Romeo and Juliet's love develops throughout the play from a giddy flirtation to something deeper, and that the play charts the path of a relationship from infatuation to real love.

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http://www.shmoop.com/romeo-and-juliet/love-theme.html

Sorry about the last answer; I was responding to the wrong question-

Romeo and Juliet Prologue Summary

The Chorus (kind of like a narrator) appears on stage and gives us the low-down on the play we're about to watch (or read).

The setting is "fair Verona," a town in Italy where two rival upper-crust families (the Capulets and the Montagues) have been feuding for as long as anyone can remember.

We're also told how the children of these two families (that would be Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet) will fall in love, but the story's not going to be a happy one. Before the play is over, our infamous "star-crossed lovers [will] take their life" (commit suicide), which will put an end to their parents' feud.

Finally, the Chorus invites us to sit back and relax while we enjoy the "two-hours' traffic of [the] stage," which is sixteenth-century theater speak for "the two hours it's going to take for the play to be performed."

Brain Snack: In director Baz Luhrmann's 1996 film adaptation of the play (Romeo + Juliet), the Chorus is replaced by a T.V. anchorwoman who delivers the lines as an evening news story.

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shmoop