Prose is quite simply writing in sentences without a specific rhythm or form. It’s the way most books and plays are written now, but in Shakespeare’s time it was considered to be less sophisticated. Prose was usually reserved for characters of a low social status.

Rhyming Verse

Occasionally, Shakespeare used rhyming verse to make a particular point. Rhyming couplets (where just two consecutive lines rhyme together) are often used to signify the end of a scene – they sound final.

For never was a story of more woe

Than this of Juliet and her Romeo.

  Romeo and Juliet, Act V, Scene iii

However, sometimes Shakespeare uses sustained rhyming in a scene. Often this can be to draw attention to a particular speech, or to signify that this is taking place outside of the main action of the play. The Prologue from Romeo and Juliet, from which you have a section on your sheet, is a good example of this.

Rhyming Verse

Shakespeare sometimes uses rhyme as clue for his audience. In Romeo and Juliet, he hides a sonnet (a classic form of love poetry) inside his text. Audience members would spot this particular form of rhyme and rhythm, and take it as a sign that Romeo and Juliet are truly in love.