Read the Prologue to 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
Doth 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.
- Romeo and Juliet, Act I, Prologue,

Read the prologue a few times, remembering to use the stressed/unstressed syllable pattern that Shakespeare utilized. This will help you to get a feel for the expressions that Shakespeare was using in the prologue.

Write out a short summary of what is being said in the prologue. Consider translating the passage into modern language to help you understand the full meaning. Use a dictionary to check on what any unfamiliar words might mean. (Summary should be 5-8 sentences)