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4 July, 08:15

What is revealed about the Chorus in this excerpt from the prologue of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet?

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  1. 4 July, 08:26
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    Romeo and Juliet is one of William Shakespeare's earliest plays. Even when it was first performed around 1597, this play was a major hit. Today, it remains one of Shakespeare's most successful plays. There have been numerous film and artistic adaptations over the centuries. Romeo and Juliet differs from Shakespeare's other tragedies such as Hamlet and King Lear, which follow a classical model of tragedy. In that model, the high-ranking protagonist falls from a state of prosperity to one of misery as a result of a tragic flaw. In other words, the fall comes from within the protagonist. In Romeo and Juliet, however, the protagonists are brought down by forces largely beyond their control. The outside force of fate is one of the greatest obstacles that the two protagonists face. The theme of love, which is characteristic of Shakespeare's comedies, also sets Romeo and Juliet apart from other tragedies. In fact, the first two acts of Romeo and Juliet contain elements of comedy before the tone turns more tragic. Romeo and Juliet begins with a prologue in the form of a sonnet that the Chorus recites. The prologue describes the scene of the action (Verona, Italy) and provides some background information about the main characters. It also fills the audience in on the hatred and hostility between the Capulets and the Montagues. The prologue introduces the important themes of the play, which include love and sacrifice as well as free will and fate. The prologue gives the audience an idea about what will unfold on the stage: From forth the fatal loins of these two foes, pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life; These lines tell the audience that the star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet, can never be together because of the enmity, or hatred, between their families. This enmity bears ultimate responsibility for their tragedy. The young lovers die because they have been born into a violent and cruel world. In this way, the prologue reveals what will happen in the play. The prologue also creates an emotional intensity that ensures that the audience will feel sympathetic toward the young lovers, who they know are destined to die.
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