Fiducia TogetherPrologue and epilogue
An opening or closing section outside the main action.
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.
What it is
A prologue introduces a play or novel before the action; an epilogue closes it afterwards.
Where it applies
Drama and prose set texts.
How it works
A prologue frames how the audience reads everything after it. Romeo and Juliet's tells you the ending, which converts the whole play from suspense into dramatic irony.
How to use it in your work
Write about the framing effect, not the content. Why tell the audience first is the question.
If a text has both, compare the promise of the prologue with what the epilogue delivers.
Where to get help
Your teacher and your board's specification and mark scheme.
Revise this with a song
These are ours. We write revision songs because a lot of people remember a tune when they cannot remember a page, and because revising out loud in the kitchen beats staring at a highlighter.
- The English Exam Survival Song How to approach the English papers under time pressure.
Where to read more
Last reviewed 2026-08-28 by Fiducia Together · Next review due 2027-08-28
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.