Romeo And Juliet Annotations

Two households, both alike in dignity (1),

In fair Verona (where we lay our scene),

From ancient grudge break to new mutiny (2),

Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.

From forth the fatal loins of these two foes

A pair of star-cross’d lovers (3) take their life;

Whose misadventur’d piteous overthrows

Doth with their death bury their parent’s strife(4).

The fearful passage of their death mark’d love,

And the continuance of their parent’s rage,

Which but their children’s end nought could remove,

Is now the two hour’s traffic of our stage;

The which if you with patient ears attend

What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.

----------------------- During the era of the play (when it was written and set), there was a lot of faith put into the stars. It was believed that they controlled people through ‘fate’. Romeo and Juliet are said to have been star cross’d lovers, meaning, fate had brought them together, that is; they were ‘ meant to be’. References to the stars occur throughout the play and are often linked to fate and destiny. A regular motif in Romeo and Juliet is the strong contrast between light and dark, as well as night and day. Stars come out at night. Many of the scenes where Romeo and Juliet are together occur at night, under the stars. This could be another way of explaining how the lovers were star cross’d. (3)

The culture at the time of Romeo and Juliet was based on the hierarchy of society and social classes. Both alike in dignity is referring to the fact the fact they were in the same social class. Both households were wealthy families; they had servants and large houses. They both belonged to the Nobles class which was the third highest class (above them was kings/princes and God). However they still disputed and argued despite having very little differences. Montague’s and Capulet’s had