Two households, both alike in dignity,
Two families are the same
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
the town where it was based
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
a hate breaks from the killing
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
clean their hands from war
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
These two enemies bore children
A pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life;
Two lovers are born from the families and take their lives
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Whose struggles and defeats should inspire our pity.
Do with their death bury their parents’ strife.
When the lovers die, the Montagues and Capulets finally stop fighting
The fearful passage of their death-mark’d love,
The thrilling story of their doomed love that will cause them to die
And the continuance of their parents’ rage,
And the anger that continues between the lovers’ parent
Which, but their children’s end, nought could remove,
The anger was so strong that, except for the death of their children, nothing could take it away.
Is now the two hours’ traffic of our stage;
Is what we will perform for you here on this stage
The which if you with patient ears attend,
This performance, if you will listen carefully and be patient
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.
The actors will work hard to perform this story and fill in any details this prologue leaves out.