Two households, both alike in dignity,
These two homes/families have the same status
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
Verona is where the families live, therefore this is where their lives are based around
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
A old grudge is held that leads to a new mutiny
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
A war has began and the citizens of Verona join
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
Two lovers born into death
A pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life;
The enemies who were in love take their lives
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
The death of the lovers over throwed the pity
Do with their death bury their parents’ strife.
Therefore the feud is buried below
The fearful passage of their death-mark’d love,
Their deaths marked their love for each other
And the continuance of their parents’ rage,
Although the parents continued to fight
Which, but their children’s end, nought could remove,
The childrens death could not remove the strife
Is now the two hours’ traffic of our stage;
The play will be 2 hours
The which if you with patient ears attend,
In which you will have to be patient and listen
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.
We shall miss the hard work and strive to repair