The preface or introduction to a discourse, poem, or performance; as, the prologue of Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales;" esp., a discourse or poem spoken before a dramatic performance
To introduce with a formal preface, or prologue.
an introductory passage or speech before the main action of a novel, play, or long poem
A preliminary act, scene or lines that can be used to introduce a play, sometimes a narrator summarises the main action that will follow.
In Greek tragedy, a speech or brief scene preceding the entrance of the chorus and the main action of the play, usually spoken by a god or gods. Subsequently, the term has referred to a speech or brief scene that introduces the play, as by an actor in certain Elizabethan plays (often called the chorus) and in the Restoration. The prologue is rarely used in the modern theatre.
A device to introduce the antecedent actions and characters in a play ( SG 166-167).
an introduction to a play
preface or introduction to a dramatic work
A brief statement or introduction to a longer work (originally, the introduction to a play spoken by one of the actors).
a collection of brief lives of saints and homilies for every day of the calendar year. It includes the Synaxarion (brief lives of the saints of the day to be read after the sixth ode at matins) as well as other supplementary material.
The preface or introduction to a story.
is an introductory section of a literary work. It often contains information establishing the situation of the character s or presents information about the setting, time period, or action. In drama, the prologue is spoken by a Chorus or by one of the principal characters. Example: The prologue in Antigone summed up what had happened in Oedipus and Oedipus at Colonus.
n. introductory material to a written work [Chaucer's General Prologue to The Canterbury Tales].
Text that appears at the beginning of a story which sets the stage or introduces the story, as opposed to an epilogue, which appears at the end of a story and offers parting comments.
The introductory section of a poem or literary work. In The Canterbury Tales Chaucer employed a general prologue but also individual prologues e.g. The Franklin's Prologue and The Reeve's Prologue. See also epilogue.