A prologue is an introductory section of a literary work, such as a novel, play, or poem. It typically appears before the main narrative begins and serves to set the stage for the story. A prologue might provide background information, establish the setting or context, introduce key characters, or hint at events to come. It’s like a teaser or a warm-up that gives readers a glimpse into the world they’re about to enter, often written in a way that hooks their interest. For example, in some novels, a prologue might describe a dramatic event that happens years before the main plot, creating intrigue or foreshadowing.
One famous example of a prologue comes from William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. It’s written as a sonnet and delivered by the Chorus. Here’s the text:
Prologue
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 joyless 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.
This prologue sets up the story by introducing the feuding families (the Montagues and Capulets), the setting (Verona), and the tragic fate of the “star-cross’d lovers,” Romeo and Juliet. It foreshadows their deaths and the resolution of the conflict, while also telling the audience what to expect from the play. It’s a classic example because it packs a lot of context and intrigue into just 14 lines, hooking the audience right from the start.
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