(πολόγος), in the Greek tragedy, a word employed to designate the introduction to the spectator of the subject of the drama, whether tragedy or comedy. The desired information could be communicated either indirectly in the course of the action itself, or by a direct account given to the audience. The former method being the more agreeable to probability, was that adopted by Æschylus and Sophocles, the latter by Euripides. In the Latin comedy the prologue (prologus) was an address of the poet to the audience. The modern prologue is a short discourse addressed to the audience, to inform them of the subject of the piece, and not unfrequently to apologise for the poet. It is generally neither composed nor spoken by the author of the drama.