Writing 101: How to Write a Prologue

A prologue is a piece of writing found at the beginning of a literary work, before the first chapter and separate from the main story. The definition of prologue introduce important information—such as background details, or characters—that have some connection to the main story, but whose relevance is not immediately obvious.

Fitting the definition of prologue, the word comes from the Greek prologos, which means “before word.” The Ancient Greeks frequently used prologue in dramatic works of theater, where it functioned more like a first act to a play.

The invention of the prologue is attributed to Euripides, an influential Greek playwright and poet who predominantly produced tragedies about the darker side of human nature. Euripides’ plots often featured passion and revenge.

For a good example of how Euripides uses this literary device, consider the prologue to one of his most famous works, “Medea.” In the play, a woman takes revenge on her unfaithful husband by murdering him, his lover, and her own children. But before we get to the action, an old nurse enters the stage and tells the audience some of the facts so far:

• Medea and her husband, Jason, are having marital problems
• Jason has run off with someone else
• Medea has been stricken by grief and has even begun to despise her own children by Jason

The nurse ends her speech by saying the whole family seems to be doomed.

Prologues serve an integral role in fiction writing, as well as playwriting. In modern literature, Geoffrey Chaucer started the tradition of using a prologue with his Canterbury Tales, a collection of 24 stories written from 1387-1400. Chaucer used his prologue as a kind of roadmap for the entire work, which tells the story of a group of pilgrims on their way to Canterbury.

A good prologue performs one of many functions in a story:

• Foreshadowing events to come
• Providing background information or backstory on the central conflict
• Establishing a point of view (either the main character’s, or that of another character who is privy to the tale)
• Setting the tone for the rest of the novel or play

While prefaces, forewords, and introductions serve a similar function of providing additional context for the content to come, they have some key differences from a prologue.

• A preface is written from the point of view of the author, not a character or narrator. It explains the origins, development, legacy, or aims of the book, and often acknowledges others who contributed. Prefaces are employed mainly in nonfiction books, but may be used in fiction as well.
• A foreword is written by a critic, subject matter expert, or other public figure who is not the author. A foreword typically introduces readers to the book by connecting its content or themes to their own experience. Forewords are used in both fiction and nonfiction.
• An introduction is written from the point of view of the author, and offers additional information to help the reader understand the subject of the book, including historical context. Prefaces are employed mainly in nonfiction books.

While it can adopt one of the forms above (as we’ll see below), a prologue is always a work of fiction.

To illustrate how a prologue can enhance a work of literature, here are three well-known examples of novels and plays with prologues.

“Romeo and Juliet,” William Shakespeare (1591-1595)

One of the most famous literary prologues of all time, this prologue takes the form of a sonnet that introduces readers to the setting and characters of the play, as well as the dire situation in which the two star-crossed lovers find themselves. The prologue begins as follows:

Two households, both alike in dignity, In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.

Shakespeare doesn’t hold back on spoilers: the sonnet also reveals the play’s tragic ending.

“Lolita,” Vladimir Nabokov (1955)

Nabokov’s prologue is designed to heighten the controversy of its subject matter. It takes the form of a fictional foreword by an academic, who has supposedly discovered the book and is warning readers of its subject matter prior to chapter one. “These are not only vivid characters in a unique story: they warn us of dangerous trends; they point out potent evils,” it reads. “‘Lolita’ should make all of us—parents, social workers, educators—apply ourselves with still greater vigilance and vision to the task of bringing up a better generation in a safer world.”

Of course, such advice, fictional though it may be, only serves to deepen reader’s anticipation of the “evils” to come.

“Jurassic Park,” Michael Crichton (1990)

Crichton actually offers two prologues, each showcasing a different style. The first reads like a legal document, outlining the seriousness of an “incident” and the “remarkable events” that followed. The second prologue is more literary: a short scene, separate to the main story, in which a man is treated for an injury by a doctor in a remote village in Costa Rica. The doctor observes that the man seems to have been mauled by an animal. While treating him, the man wakes up and says one word: “Raptor.”

Interested in adding a prologue to your book or play? Here are some tips for writing a great prologue.

1. 1. Introduce the main character(s). Some twentieth-century plays have used prologues to great effect. In Tennessee Williams’s The Glass Menagerie (1944), the prologue introduces the audience to the play’s narrator, Tom Wingfield, who explains that what the audience is about to see is drawn from his own memories. Tom tells the audience: “I am the narrator of the play, and also a character in it. The other characters are my mother Amanda, my sister Laura, and a gentleman caller who appears in the final scenes.”
2. 2. Drop hints. Crime fiction and thrillers often make use of prologues to hint at characters, locations, and the mystery that is to come. Sometimes, a prologue may be set centuries or miles apart from the book, and appear wholly unrelated; however, it will somehow tie back into the main plot later in the novel.
3. 3. Add only relevant details. A prologue should not be an “information dump”: a good prologue enhances your story, rather than explaining it. The best way to decide what to include in a prologue is to ask yourself: what does the reader absolutely need to know before starting to read the main story?

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