Prologue Flashcards
1
Q
“ancient grudge”
A
Resentment between 2 families will burst into new violence.
1st scene is a brawl started between 2 servants
‘ancient’ been going on for so long
2
Q
“fatal loins”
A
links death and love
‘loins’ is a reproductive organ
‘fatal’ R+J are the unfortunate descendants of 2 enemy households
foreshadowing as they will die
3
Q
“Star-crossed lovers”
A
Their astrology dooms them
introduces theme of fate
stems from the inherent belief that Shakespeare’s generation had in the immense power of celestial bodies
gives the play a sort of nihilistic feel because we know from the onset that no matter what the lovers do, they cannot escape their fate
Shakespeare shows fate to be insurmountable, attributing a huge amount of power to the stars.
