Figurative Language In Romeo And Juliet

In William Shakespeare’s play, The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, “two star-crossed lovers” make an attempt to be with one another but a long-lasting feud stands in their way. After Romeo’s banishment, they hatched a plan to overcome it, but it only led to their ultimate demise. In the first scene, the audience is given insight about the deep-rooted and bloody feud. The audience also gets a first look at how impulsive and short-tempered the characters are, which will eventually led to the death of many said characters. The second scene of the play sets up how Romeo and Juliet meet. Without the party that it introduces, there would be no story line. The second scene also develops Romeo’s character, through the way that love consumes his thoughts,

demonstrating his commitment to love. Shakespeare’s use of celestial imagery develops the spontaneous nature of the characters and reflects the impulsive or forceful nature of young love.
In the Balcony Scene, Shakespeare uses utopian imagery to illustrate Romeo and Juliet’s love and the type of characters they are.

First, Romeo uses a series of metaphors and figurative language to describe Juliet’s beauty. For example, he said “Juliet is the sun! Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, who is already sick and pale with grief that thou her maid art far more fair than she” (2.2.ll.3-6). Romeo describes Juliet as unworldly, and that her beauty will outshine even the darkest moments. This reveals his love for her, as well as how naive and optimistic Romeo was when he first met Juliet. In addition to this imagery, the audience sees Romeo and Juliet develop as character. For instance, during the balcony scene, Juliet was rational and realistic when she talked to Romeo. She stated, “[their relationship] is too rash, too unadvised, too sudden”(2.2.ll.118) and “This bud of love, by summer’s ripening breath, may prove a beauteous flow’r when next we meet” (2.2.ll.121-122). These statements demonstrate her rationalized thinking. She believed that their relationship was moving too fast and that she wanted their relationship to be long and prosperous.Through the images of Juliet’s supernatural beauty, Shakespeare emphasizes that by Romeo idealizing Juliet’s beauty, it causes this forceful love between Romeo and Juliet. But this love eventually causes them to change and instead of being able to act rationally, they begin to react

impulsively.
Just as Shakespeare uses celestial imagery in Romeo’s expressions of Juliet’s beauty to convey his idealistic love for her, he uses this powerful love to suggest the impulsive nature of young love.

Specifically, when Romeo finds Juliet dead, he admires her beauty by idealizing her looks. He said, “Death, that hath sucked the honey of thy breath, hath had no power yet upon thy beauty. Thou art not conquered. Beauty’s ensign yet is crimson in thy lips and in thy cheeks, and death’s pale flag is not advanced there” (5.3.ll.92-96). Romeo used supernatural imagery to idealize her perfect appearance. This love that Romeo had for Juliet had its downfall; it caused Romeo and Juliet to act without thinking anything through. Romeo is death was a result of this. Before Romeo took his life he stated “Come, bitter conduct; come , unsavory guide! Thou desperate pilot, now at once run on the dashing rocks thy seasick weary bark! Here’s to my love!” (5.3.ll.116-119). This demonstrates that because of his love, he acted impulsively, leading to the death of both Romeo and Juliet. On top of that Romeo is no longer optimistic about his relationship with Juliet, This punctuates how much his love impacted his character. Within Romeo’s death scene, Shakespeare uses celestial imagery to emphasize the idealistic love between Romeo and Juliet. Which this love ultimately caused the passing of the two through their impulsive

behaviors.
In both scenes Juliet’s beauty is described to be unworldly, and the scenes later go on to show the theme of idealistic love between Romeo and Juliet. Throughout the play Romeo and Juliet’s character changes. Juliet in particular began in the balcony scene rational and realistic, but as her love strengthens, she started to act irrationally and spontaneous. Right after she realized that Romeo had taken his life, she said, “Poison, I see, hath been his timeless end. O churl! Drunk all, and left no friendly drop to help me after?” (5.3.ll.163-165). Through Juliet’s anxiousness to take her life, it underscores that Juliet could never live without Romeo again. Shakespeare’s use of imagery shows the theme of the play: the impulsive/forceful nature of young love and that ideal love is unattainable.