Examples Of Light And Dark Imagery In Romeo And Juliet

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Light and Dark Imagery in Romeo and Juliet
Imagery are words or phrases that create pictures in the mind of the reader. It is a vivid and descriptive language that appeals to one or more senses. In Romeo and Juliet, there are numerous occasions where imagery is used, specifically light and dark imagery. Romeo represents darkness as he is depressed and thinks negatively. Juliet represents light since her beauty is as bright as the sun. In William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet, it is quite evident that one of the most profound forms of imagery is light and dark imagery, which is shown through the darkness of Romeo and the lightness of Juliet.
To begin, light and dark imagery is shown through the darkness of Romeo. At the beginning of the play, Romeo is depressed and thinks negatively because he believes that it is the end of the world for him by not being with Rosaline. The darkness of Romeo is shown through his depression which is recognized by everyone in his family, even Lord Montague:
Many a morning hath he there been seen, / With tears augmenting the fresh morning’s dew, / Adding to clouds more clouds with his deep sighs. / But all so soon as the all-cheering sun / Should in the fairest east begin to draw / The shady curtains from Aurora’s bed, / Away from light steals home my heavy son / And private …show more content…

Romeo is depressed and after he returns home, he shuts all his windows right away. This means Romeo is preventing any lightness to come through so he can be enveloped in the darkness. This shows that Romeo is acting strange and does not want to be around other people. Romeo is feeling extremely heavy because something is weighing on his mind. Lord Montague even mentions that Romeo is making himself as dark as night and this black-like mood of his would bring something worse to come. Therefore, it is clear that William Shakespeare uses light and dark imagery as Romeo's depression represents his

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