Romeo and Juliet, ACT II - Prologue quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. Who speaks the Act 2 Prologue of Romeo and Juliet?

   • Juliet
   • Correct answer: The Chorus
   • Friar Laurence
   • Romeo

   The Chorus delivers both the Act 1 and Act 2 Prologues, addressing the audience directly to provide narrative context.

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2. 2

   Question 2. What poetic form does the Act 2 Prologue take?

   • A blank verse soliloquy
   • A ballad
   • Correct answer: A Shakespearean sonnet
   • A dramatic monologue

   The prologue is a fourteen-line Shakespearean sonnet with an ABAB CDCD EFEF GG rhyme scheme in iambic pentameter.

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3. 3

   Question 3. What does "old desire" refer to in the opening line?

   • Correct answer: Romeo's love for Rosaline
   • Capulet's hatred of Montague
   • The Chorus's weariness
   • Romeo's love for Juliet

   Romeo's previous infatuation with Rosaline is the "old desire" that now lies on its deathbed, replaced by his love for Juliet.

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4. 4

   Question 4. According to the Prologue, what makes Romeo and Juliet "alike"?

   • They are both eager to defy their parents
   • They are both weary of their families' feud
   • They are both from noble families
   • Correct answer: They are both bewitched by the charm of looks

   The Chorus states that Romeo and Juliet are "Alike bewitched by the charm of looks," meaning both have fallen in love through physical attraction.

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5. 5

   Question 5. What obstacle does the Prologue identify for the lovers?

   • Correct answer: Their families consider them foes
   • Juliet is already betrothed to Paris
   • Romeo cannot afford to court Juliet
   • Romeo must travel to another city

   The Prologue emphasizes that Romeo is "held a foe" by Juliet's family, making it impossible for him to visit her openly.

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6. 6

   Question 6. What does the metaphor "steal love's sweet bait from fearful hooks" suggest about Juliet?

   • She must give up Romeo because the danger is too great
   • She is luring Romeo into a trap her family has set
   • Correct answer: She must take the rewards of love despite the dangers involved
   • She must hide her feelings until Romeo proves his love

   The fishing metaphor suggests Juliet must accept the "sweet bait" of love even though it comes attached to dangerous "fearful hooks" -- the risk of discovery and family wrath.

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7. 7

   Question 7. How does the Act 2 Prologue differ from the Act 1 Prologue?

   • It is written in prose rather than in rhymed verse
   • Correct answer: It recaps past events rather than foretelling the future
   • It is spoken by Friar Laurence instead of the Chorus
   • It predicts the lovers' deaths in even plainer terms than before

   The Act 1 Prologue foreshadows the tragic ending, while the Act 2 Prologue looks backward at what has already happened and builds suspense about the lovers' immediate dilemma.

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8. 8

   Question 8. Which of these events actually happened in this chapter?

   • The Act 2 Prologue reveals that Romeo's love for Rosaline has died and been replaced by love for Juliet.

     Happened

     The Chorus states that "old desire doth in his deathbed lie, / And young affection gapes to be his heir," confirming Romeo's shift from Rosaline to Juliet.

   • The Chorus predicts in the Act 2 Prologue that Romeo and Juliet will die.

     Didn't happen

     Unlike the Act 1 Prologue, the Act 2 Prologue does NOT predict the lovers' deaths. Instead, it ends hopefully, stating that "passion lends them power, time means, to meet."

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9. 9

   Question 9. In the Act 2 Prologue, what does "complain" mean in "to his foe suppos'd he must complain"?

   • To report a pain or an illness
   • To express dissatisfaction or annoyance
   • To file a formal legal grievance
   • Correct answer: To declare one's love or longing

   In Elizabethan English, "complain" meant to make a formal declaration of love or to address a love plea, not merely to grumble or protest.

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10. 10

    Question 10. What does "gapes" mean in "young affection gapes to be his heir"?

    • Stares open-mouthed in shock or wonder
    • Correct answer: Opens wide in eagerness or hunger
    • Yawns from boredom or weariness
    • Splits apart or cracks open

    "Gapes" means to open the mouth wide in desire or eagerness. Young affection is hungrily waiting to inherit the place of Romeo's old love.

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11. 11

    Question 11. What does "Temp'ring" mean in the final line of the prologue?

    • Increasing the intensity of
    • Testing or experimenting with
    • Correct answer: Moderating or softening
    • Destroying completely

    "Temp'ring" (tempering) means moderating or bringing into balance. The lovers temper their extreme hardships with the extreme sweetness of love.

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