Read Act I, Scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet and answer the question

How does this monologue foreshadow future developments in the play? What element of conflict is established? In the space below, write a response analyzing this excerpt's importance and the function it serves to develop the plot. Include at least three specific references to the text in your analysis.

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Janet Mann

6 June, 08:21

Read Act I, Scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet and answer the question

How does this monologue foreshadow future developments in the play? What element of conflict is established? In the space below, write a response analyzing this excerpt's importance and the function it serves to develop the plot. Include at least three specific references to the text in your analysis.

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Nguyen · Answer 1

The opening lines in Romeo and Juliet take the form of a sonnet that anticipates the themes and actions throughout the play. We are told that "Two households", that is, two noble families, hold an ancient grudge and that "civil blood makes civil hands unclean". This tells us about the violence that will engulf the play. We also hear about "star-cross'd lovers" that will lose their lives because of their families' strife. Thus we know from the start of the play that both protagonists of this love story are doomed to die. And though this will be a tragedy, not all is lost: the death of the young lovers shall bring both families together, putting an end to the bloodshed.