The Prologue shows foresight and a vision of what is to
come with its direct reference to Romeo and Juliet and the world in which they live.
Within this, Shakespeare is able to foreshadow one of his fundamental themes in the play
that love amidst a world of hatred is possible. The Prologue foreshadows violence
between both families and the conditions of violence that exist in Verona. Consider the
following line:
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands
unclean.
This foreshadows
that this drama is one where violence is present. The Shakespearean image of the bloody
hand helps to bring this out in terms of the hands that will bring about violence to
others. At the same time, Shakespeare contrasts this world of bloodshed and violence
with the tenderness of love, redemption being cast alongside
despair:
A
pair of star-cross'd lovers take their
life;
This is a significant
line because it foreshadows a couple of realities that will become clear in the play.
The first is that the couple is going against the natural order of violence and hatred
that surrounds them. It is for this reason that they are called "star- cross'd."
Additionally, the ending of the play is present in the idea of their death. To the
extent that Shakespeare "tips his hand" at the ending, he also reminds us that through
this act, there will be reconciliation and
redemption:
Doth, with their death, bury their parents’
strife.
The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,
And the
continuance of their parents’
rage,
This helps the audience
understand that the solution to this condition of bloodshed is the presence of love, a
theme that is foreshadowed here to be developed in the play. The last foreshadowing
element is actually a humorous one. The Prologue reminds the audience that the play is
two hours' "traffic" and that one needs to be ready in order to absorb that which is
about to unfold.
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