What is "prologue"

Prologue \Pro"logue\, n. [F., fr. L. prologus, fr. Gr. ?, fr. ? to say beforehand; ? before + ? to say. See Logic.]

1. 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

2. One who delivers a prologue. [R.]
   --Shak.

Prologue \Pro"logue\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Prologued; p. pr. & vb. n. Prologuing.] To introduce with a formal preface, or prologue. [R.]
--Shak.

early 14c., from Old French prologue (12c.) and directly from Latin prologus, from Greek prologos "preface to a play, speaker of a prologue," literally "a speech beforehand," from pro- "before" (see pro-) + logos "discourse, speech," from legein "to speak" (see lecture (n.)).

n. A speech or section used as an introduction, especially to a play or novel. vb. To introduce with a formal preface, or prologue.

1. n. an introduction to a play

2. [also: prologs, prologing, prologed]

A prologue or prolog ( Greek πρόλογος prólogos, from pro, "before" and lógos, "word") is an opening to a story that establishes the setting and gives background details, often some earlier story that ties into the main one, and other miscellaneous information. The Ancient Greek prólogos included the modern meaning of prologue, but was of wider significance, more like the meaning of preface. The importance, therefore, of the prologue in Greek drama was very great; it sometimes almost took the place of a romance, to which, or to an episode in which, the play itself succeeded.

It is believed that the prologue in this form was practically the invention of Euripides, and with him, as has been said, it takes the place of an explanatory first act. This may help to modify the objection which criticism has often brought against the Greek prologue, as an impertinence, a useless growth prefixed to the play, and standing as a barrier between us and our enjoyment of it. The point precisely is that, to an Athenian audience, it was useful and pertinent, as supplying just what they needed to make the succeeding scenes intelligible. But it is difficult to accept the view that Euripides invented the plan of producing a god out of a machine to justify the action of deity upon man, because it is plain that he himself disliked this interference of the supernatural and did not believe in it. He seems, in such a typical prologue as that to the Hippolytus, to be accepting a conventional formula, and employing it, almost perversely, as a medium for his ironic rationalism.

Prologue is a grey market album by Elton John featuring music publishing demonstration recordings made in the 1960s. It features four songs with Linda Peters on vocals, who would later marry musician Richard Thompson. Elton sings the remaining titles. The CD is a copy of a promotional 1970 vinyl demo album for producer Joe Boyd's Warlock label. Only 100 of these original vinyl albums are purported to have been made, of which six are known to exist today. The CD is a poor quality copy of a damaged vinyl record. Stylistically, it is very similar to Tumbleweed Connection. The songs are all written by artists signed to Warlock, including Nick Drake and John Martyn.

Prologue magazine brings readers stories based on the holdings and programs of the National Archives and Records Administration ( NARA), the regional archives, and the presidential libraries from across the United States.

Published quarterly by the NARA, the first issue of Prologue appeared in Spring 1969. The magazine was founded by James Berton “Bert” Rhoads. The headquarters is in Atlanta, Georgia.

Prologue is the third studio album by the British progressive rock band Renaissance, released in 1972.

Prologue is a 2015 British animated short film directed by Richard Williams and produced by his wife Imogen Sutton. It is the first part of a planned feature film based on the play Lysistrata by Aristophanes, in which Greek women withhold sexual privilege from their husbands and lovers in order to end a war. The film was a critical success and gained many awards and nominations, including an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Short Film.

The Prologue is the first section of four books of the Prose Edda, and consists of a euhemerized account of the origins of Norse mythology: the Norse gods are described descended from the Trojans.

The genealogy presented by Snorri begins with Priam. Priam's daughter Tróán married king Múnón or Mennón. Their son was Trór, or Thor, who was fostered in Thrace. Thor slew his foster father and married Sibil, identified with Sif. The line of descendants of Thor and Sif is given as follows:

Finally, the son of Fríallaf was "Vóden, whom we call Odin", who came to Germany (Saxland) and established the royal lines there.

In Saxland, Odin's sons Vegdeg, Beldeg ( Baldr) and Sigi founded the ruling houses of the Franks, from whom descended the Völsungs. Odin himself moved on to Jutland (Reidgothland), where he established his son Skjöldr, from whom derive the Skjöldungs, the kings of the Danes. After this, Odin went on to Sweden, where there was a king named Gylfi. Gylfi welcomed Odin and his train as "men of Asia, who were called Æsir". In Sweden, Odin founded a city called Sigtún as a Trojan colony. Later, Odin's son Yngvi became king of Sweden, founding the Yngling dynasty. Finally, Odin went on to Norway, where he established his son Sæmingr as king.

The Prologue concludes in a linguistic remark, observing that the Æsir when they came to the north, spread out until their language was the native language over all these lands.

Snorri's genealogy is obviously informed by Anglo-Saxon tradition, as preserved by Æthelweard and in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. His genealogy from Seskef to Odin directly parallels that from Sceaf to Woden in Anglo-Saxon tradition, and Snorri explicitly gives Odin's original name as Vóden, explaining that the original names of the Æsir were better preserved in England. Snorri's Skjaldun, intermediate between Seskef and Odin, corresponds to the Anglo-Saxon Scyld, but Snorri sees himself forced to duplicate this character as Skjöldr, son of Odin, as the eponymous ancestor of the Skjöldungs.

Regarding the euhemerization in the Prologue, Faulkes (1985) commented that "undoubtedly one of the motives for including the prologue, and maybe the chief reason for the use of the frame device itself, was to avoid the criticism that his stories were dangerous to [Christian] orthodoxy".

A Prologue is a prefatory piece of writing.

Prologue may also refer to:

• Prologue (magazine), published by National Archives and Records Administration, USA
• Prologue (Prose Edda), Icelandic literature
• Prologue (Renaissance album), 1972 album
• "Prologue", song by Electric Light Orchestra on their album Time
• Prologue (Elton John album), 2001 album
• Prologue: The Art of War/Cherry Blossom Epitaph, 2005 EP by Behind Crimson Eyes
• "Prologue", a song by Susumu Hirasawa on the 1995 album Sim City
• "Prologue", a song from My Arms, Your Hearse by Opeth
• "Prologue", a song from Three Friends by Gentle Giant
• "Prologue", a song by Haven
• "Prologue", a 2012 song by Lower Than Atlantis from their album Changing Tune
• A prologue time trial, a short opening stage often used in road cycling races
• The Prologue of the Gospel of John, sometimes known as the Hymn to the Word
• Function prologue, a computer programming concept
• Prologue (film), a 2015 Academy Award nominated animated short by Richard Williams.