Read the prologue for act II of William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet:
CHORUS: Now old desire doth in his death-bed lie,
And young affection gapes to be his heir;
That fair for which love groan'd for and would die,
With tender Juliet match'd, is now not fair.
Now Romeo is beloved and loves again,
Alike betwitched by the charm of looks,
But to his foe supposed he must complain,
And she steal love's sweet bait from fearful hooks:
Being held a foe, he may not have access
To breathe such vows as lovers use to swear;
And she as much in love, her means much less
To meet her new-beloved any where:
But passion lends them power, time means, to meet
Tempering extremities with extreme sweet.
In the previous act, Romeo and Juliet have fallen in love, even though their families despise one another. Based on the excerpt, what are the two main purposes of this prologue?
It foreshadows what is yet to happen to the main characters in the play.
It creates an ominous mood that hints at the conflicts of the play.
It recaps past events that happened in the play or offstage.
It describes the setting where the play takes place.
It gives instructions about the stage props and the stage layout.
