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I will now be looking at the Prologue from Romeo and Juliet.
Because, why not, it's a Friday.
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Because, why not, it's a Friday.
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"Two households, both alike in dignity."
Ironic, of course: the households are alike in having zero dignity when it comes to civilised behaviour.
Etymology fans will enjoy the Anglo-Saxon HOUSEHOLD at the beginning of this play set in Italy. (I'm on a Norse thing atm).
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Ironic, of course: the households are alike in having zero dignity when it comes to civilised behaviour.
Etymology fans will enjoy the Anglo-Saxon HOUSEHOLD at the beginning of this play set in Italy. (I'm on a Norse thing atm).
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"In fair Verona, where we lay our scene"
FAIR as in beautiful, of course, and the word will recur 48 times in the play -- mostly to mean "beautiful" but sometimes with the sense of "just", which is interesting in the context of the Mont / Cap conflict.
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FAIR as in beautiful, of course, and the word will recur 48 times in the play -- mostly to mean "beautiful" but sometimes with the sense of "just", which is interesting in the context of the Mont / Cap conflict.
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"From ancient grudge break to new mutiny."
Nice antithesis between ANCIENT and NEW. The vault in which Juliet is put after apparently dying is also described as "ancient" -- the ANCIENT GRUDGE eventually claims her as its penultimate victim.
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Nice antithesis between ANCIENT and NEW. The vault in which Juliet is put after apparently dying is also described as "ancient" -- the ANCIENT GRUDGE eventually claims her as its penultimate victim.
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The NEW MUTINY isn't just the resurfacing of the Mont/Cap conflict but also the passion of Romeo and Juliet.
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"Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean"
Shakespeare plays with CIVIL here -- CIVIL BLOOD is ironic, since bloodshed isn't CIVIL in the sense of "mannerly" or "genteel". I think it's also a reminder that these are private (civilian) battles, not those of the state.
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Shakespeare plays with CIVIL here -- CIVIL BLOOD is ironic, since bloodshed isn't CIVIL in the sense of "mannerly" or "genteel". I think it's also a reminder that these are private (civilian) battles, not those of the state.
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Similarly, MAKES CIVIL HANDS UNCLEAN is an indictment of the two families: these high-ranking families have no civility or dignity while they spill each other's blood.
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(side-tweet: it would interesting to look into the laws and moral codes surrounding private and civilian violence in Shakespeare's time, and to what extent this was sanctioned by law or common morality, such as duels over honour, private militia etc)
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"From forth the fatal loins of these two foes"
I wonder if FATAL LOINS is meant to be funny, because come on, FATAL LOINS.
Shakespeare had both the sense of "fated" and of "deathly" in mind.
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I wonder if FATAL LOINS is meant to be funny, because come on, FATAL LOINS.
Shakespeare had both the sense of "fated" and of "deathly" in mind.
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There's some darkly comic and ironic foreshadowing here, too --
The Montague and Capulet family LOINS are FATAL in producing lovers doomed to die; but the LOINS of Romeo and Juliet, two born enemies, are also FATAL in being fatally attracted to each other.
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The Montague and Capulet family LOINS are FATAL in producing lovers doomed to die; but the LOINS of Romeo and Juliet, two born enemies, are also FATAL in being fatally attracted to each other.
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"A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life"
If STAR-CROSS'D suggests that R&J were fated not to be together, Shakespeare puts that "fate" definitely in the context of their two, warring, uncivil families. Blaming fate alone isn't enough.
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If STAR-CROSS'D suggests that R&J were fated not to be together, Shakespeare puts that "fate" definitely in the context of their two, warring, uncivil families. Blaming fate alone isn't enough.
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TAKE THEIR LIFE is excellently ambiguous. TAKE THEIR LIFE as in "are given life", and also as in "end their lives".
Nice.
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Nice.
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"Whose misadventured piteous overthrows"
I find the tone a little hard to pin down here. Shakespeare doesn't just throw around four-syllable words. He employs elaborate vocabulary with surgical precision. Is he emphasising the terrible pity of R&J's story?
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I find the tone a little hard to pin down here. Shakespeare doesn't just throw around four-syllable words. He employs elaborate vocabulary with surgical precision. Is he emphasising the terrible pity of R&J's story?
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"Do with their death bury their parents' strife."
It's very Shakespeare to follow polysyllabic words with monosyllables. After the excess of the previous line, DO WITH THEIR DEATH hits like a blunt weapon. We're not just here for melodrama, guys: this is the real thing.
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It's very Shakespeare to follow polysyllabic words with monosyllables. After the excess of the previous line, DO WITH THEIR DEATH hits like a blunt weapon. We're not just here for melodrama, guys: this is the real thing.
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And there's more grim irony in BURY THEIR PARENTS' STRIFE.
That's the great pity of the play -- peace between the Montagues and Capulets must be bought through the sacrifice of their children. It isn't just STRIFE that's buried, it's vital and passionate young lives.
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That's the great pity of the play -- peace between the Montagues and Capulets must be bought through the sacrifice of their children. It isn't just STRIFE that's buried, it's vital and passionate young lives.
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(Still thinking about FATAL LOINS. It's an ironic juxtaposition -- loins are supposed to produce life, not death).
"The fearful passage of their death-marked love"
PASSAGE seems to mean "journey" here. The word can be used (i.e. in Hamlet) to refer specifically to death.
Two senses of FEARFUL - both "afraid" and "causing fear" - were available to Shakespeare.
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PASSAGE seems to mean "journey" here. The word can be used (i.e. in Hamlet) to refer specifically to death.
Two senses of FEARFUL - both "afraid" and "causing fear" - were available to Shakespeare.
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"And the continuance of their parents' rage,
Which, but their children's end, nought could remove"
A bit redundant since we already heard this, but it continues the indictment of the parents.
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Which, but their children's end, nought could remove"
A bit redundant since we already heard this, but it continues the indictment of the parents.
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"Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage"
TRAFFIC meant "trade" or "business" in Shakespeare's day. The sense of "people / vehicles coming and going" is much later.
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TRAFFIC meant "trade" or "business" in Shakespeare's day. The sense of "people / vehicles coming and going" is much later.
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And we're done for now.
If you liked this I could be persuaded to dip into R&J more in future.
Goodnight.
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If you liked this I could be persuaded to dip into R&J more in future.
Goodnight.
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