Examples Of Figurative Language In Romeo And Juliet

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Themes in Romeo and Juliet Expressed by Figurative Language Healthy relationships are not built upon physical attraction; instead, emotional connection is more important, an idea echoed by Shakespeare more than 400 years ago. Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare in the late 16th century. Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet come from different households, with the two houses both holding a grudge towards the other; although the children of the houses develop feelings for one another and try their hardest to be able to live out in each other's company. Unfortunately for them, their familial conflict ultimately leads to not only their two deaths, but the deaths of four others, making for six in total. Nonetheless, through …show more content…

For example, upon hearing news of her cousin's death and Romeo’s banishment, Juliet enters a fit of sadness. Juliet says, “‘Come, cords; come, nurse. I’ll go to my wedding bed; /And death, not Romeo, take my maidenhead!’” (Shakespeare 3.3.136-137). This personification of death coming to take Juliet’s maidenhead indicates that Juliet was wishful that Romeo would be the one to take her virginity, but instead with his exile looming she realizes that Romeo would no longer be able to interact with her, sending her into a spiral of sadness. While this is a normal response to having one’s husband being exiled, Juliet in this moment is longing for the loss of Romeo physically, which despite being married, is all she really knew about him, meaning that their relationship was more vulnerable to this scenario for Juliet has placed a lot of emphasis on Romeo physically. Furthermore, the audience learns that Romeo is uncaring since if he really loved Juliet for what she is, he wouldn’t partake in risky behaviors that might mean that he loses her. Therefore, Shakespeare implies that physical attraction can’t be the sole definer of attraction in a …show more content…

Separation of the two lovers made Lord Capulet make a marriage between Juliet and Paris occur sooner, and the hope of being reunited with Romeo causes Juliet to seek out a way to retreat from her own family to be with the one she loves. Juliet is portrayed to be brave in this scene, which reaffirms the idea that Juliet is willing to do anything to be reunited with her husband, but she’ll be scarring her family who will be forcefully separated from her. Ultimately, forced separation can end with grim outcomes, be it isolation from those that an individual once knew, or death, forced separation hasn’t been shown to end well for any party. So as proven, Shakespeare uses similes to demonstrate the idea that forced separation of individuals can lead to unfavorable outcomes. In conclusion, Shakespeare uses personification, metaphors, and similes to convey that relationships require more than physical attraction to have a genuine connection, conflicts overall do more harm to society than good, and forced separation of individuals from ones they love can lead to grim

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