Prologue

The prologue is the introductory part of a work that precedes the main plot and does not enter directly into the development of the action; it may reveal the prehistory of events, the authorial design, or a philosophical or ideational orientation, and attune the reader to the required mode of perception. The prologue descends from ancient Greek drama, where, before the entry of the chorus, an actor explained to the spectators the content and premises of the tragedy. In lyric-epic and epic works the prologue often has a programmatic, generalizing character. A classic example is the philosophical prologue to Ivan Franko's poem Moses, in which sounds an impassioned address to the Ukrainian people with faith in its future ('My people, tormented, broken...'); this prologue became an independent poetic masterpiece. The introduction to Taras Shevchenko's poem Haidamaky, in which the poet declares his ideational design, likewise has a programmatic character.