Chapter: I Come no more to make you laugh, Things now,
  That beare a Weighty, and a Serious Brow,
  Sad, high, and working, full of State and Woe:
  Such Noble Scoenes, as draw the Eye to flow
  We now present. Those that can Pitty, heere
  May (if they thinke it well) let fall a Teare,
  The Subiect will deserue it. Such as giue
  Their Money out of hope they may beleeue,
  May heere finde Truth too. Those that come to see
  Onely a show or two, and so agree,
  The Play may passe: If they be still, and willing,
  Ile vndertake may see away their shilling
  Richly in two short houres. Onely they
  That come to heare a Merry, Bawdy Play,
  A noyse of Targets: Or to see a Fellow
  In a long Motley Coate, garded with Yellow,
  Will be deceyu'd. For gentle Hearers, know
  To ranke our chosen Truth with such a show
  As Foole, and Fight is, beside forfeyting
  Our owne Braines, and the Opinion that we bring
  To make that onely true, we now intend,
  Will leaue vs neuer an vnderstanding Friend.
  Therefore, for Goodnesse sake, and as you are knowne
  The First and Happiest Hearers of the Towne,
  Be sad, as we would make ye. Thinke ye see
  The very Persons of our Noble Story,
  As they were Liuing: Thinke you see them Great,
  And follow'd with the generall throng, and sweat
  Of thousand Friends: Then, in a moment, see
  How soone this Mightinesse, meets Misery:
  And if you can be merry then, Ile say,
  A Man may weepe vpon his Wedding day.

 Someone steps out on the stage and delivers a speech. Who is this mysterious figure? The truth is: we're not sure. Some scholars call him the "Chorus," while others stick with the super original name "Prologue" . Whatever his name, he comes out on stage and gives us in the audience the 411 on what they're about to see. The Prologue mentions a couple of important themes in the play like pity and truth. He also sets the genre straight for us: it's not a comedy we're about to see, so there'll be no crude jokes or slapstick anywhere to be found. If you're looking for laughter, this isn't the play for you; it's full of serious stuff. So what can we expect? Well, this play is part serious, part thriller, and all politics. And one last thing, the Prologue tells us: make sure to think of the characters as humans. Yes, yes, we know they're actors playing parts, but let's pretend that they're alive and real. That will make the whole play way more interesting. Agreed? Agreed.

