payment page
The Chorus is a dramatic role that dates back to ancient Greek theater. It is not a character but a performer or group of performers who speak directly to the audience as they narrate and/or comment on the play’s unfolding plot and themes. In the case of Romeo and Juliet, the Chorus addresses the audience twice: once in a prologue before Act 1, and once in a prologue before Act 2. Both prologues take the form of fourteen-line sonnets. The first explains the premise of the play and the second reminds the audience that Romeo and Juliet’s budding love is set against the backdrop of a blood feud between their two families.
Both prologues, but especially the first one, cement the play’s thematic emphasis on fate. The Chorus describes Romeo and Juliet as “star-crossed lovers,” meaning their tragic end was predetermined by the universe. The term refers to the belief that stars control people’s destinies. The Chorus creates this sense of inevitability and fate by letting the audience know, even before our young protagonists are introduced, that they are going to die. The audience then watches the next five acts unfold with the expectation that they will fulfill the terms set by the Chorus. As a result, the structure of the play itself is the fate from which Romeo and Juliet cannot escape. Additionally, the Chorus contributes to the tragic nature of the play because it has a prophetic, omnipotent knowledge of what is about to occur without being able to warn any of the characters.
