Act I

Elements of Shakespearean Drama

Drama shares many elements with other types of genre, such as poetry and prose. However, there are also some literary elements that are unique to drama. In this interactivity, click each of the tabs to examine literary elements that you will encounter while reading a Shakespearean drama. Click the player button to begin.

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What Is a Prologue?

The play Romeo and Juliet opens with a prologue. In Renaissance dramas, a prologue takes place before the opening scene of a play and often summarizes the plot for the audience. You may be asking what is the point of summarizing the plot before the play begins. Although it may seem like the prologue gives the ending away, watching a drama is still highly enjoyable even if you know how the story ends. This is why audiences still flock to movie theaters to see films that are modern reboots of older movies or films that are adapted from novels.

The prologue was also sometimes a necessity due to the time constraints of performing before a live audience. A prologue can provide background information to a complex story so that the audience can quickly and more easily follow the plot of the play.

Shakespeare actually includes two prologues in Romeo and Juliet. The first prologue opens the play, occurring before the first scene of Act I. The second prologue appears at the beginning of Act II. So many important plot events occur in Act I that a second prologue becomes necessary to make sure the audience is following all of the action.

Take a moment to read the first prologue of Romeo and Juliet below.

Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Do with their death bury their parents' strife.
The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,
And the continuance of their parents' rage,
Which, but their children's end, nought could remove,
Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage;
The which if you with patient ears attend,
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend

Before the first scene begins, do you know the background history behind the story? Who are the main characters, and what is the conflict of the story? What will happen to the main characters, and why? In order to thoroughly understand the meaning of the prologue, take a moment to analyze it piece by piece. In this interactivity, click each section of the prologue to examine it in further detail. Click the player button to begin.

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Reading Act I of Romeo and Juliet

The first act of Romeo and Juliet will pull you in to this classic tale of young love, family feuds, and the power of destiny. Access and read Act I of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. Use this interactivity as an accompaniment to studying the first act. Before you read each scene from Act I, scroll down the parchment paper for a brief introduction to the scene. Click the player button to begin.

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Act I of Romeo and Juliet Review

Now that you have explored elements of Shakespearean drama and read the first act of Romeo and Juliet, it is time to review your knowledge and practice what you have learned. In this non-graded activity, read the set of directions associated with each question and provide your answer. Click the player button to get started.