Foreshadowing In Romeo And Juliet Act 1 Scene 5

William Shakespeare introduces the reader to one of the main characters, who is describing their love at a banquet. Shakespeare’s passage in Act 1 Scene 5 conveys a foreshadow of death, that affects the way Romeo thinks about love, in order to understand its divineness.
In the first four lines, Shakespeare conveys a foreshadow of death that affects the way Romeo thinks about love. Shakespeare starts with the singular letter “O” (1), connoting dreamlike thoughts and wishes. It could also be a sigh in which Romeo, who is a dreamer and gets easily attracted to women, understands that he will never be with his true love forever. Furthermore, the “she” (1) in the same line, hints that Romeo has taken a liking to a particular girl, and that he will

probably try to win her heart. As Romeo continues to think about the girl, he states that she “teach[es] the torches” (1), which could suggest that she is so beautiful, pretty, and has such great authority that she could teach and or control the elements, if she wanted to. The alliteration in the line could also have a negative connotation, as the girl could only useful for teaching and/or making torches, in the male-dominated society. The alliteration of the consonant ‘b’ is used in the following words in the line, to indicate a dependence or helplessness to death. “Burn bright” (1), is an oxymoron between the negative connotation of the words “burn” (1) and the positive connotation of the word “bright” (1). When one thinks of the words ‘burn’, it usually gives a foreshadow of death, as the burning of a torch, means that the torch going to be ‘dead’ sometime soon. It could also hint that life is slowly running out and it is time to die, as one has fulfilled one’s purpose. However, by contrasting this negative word with a more positive word, one may feel that death is necessary, as new people are born to replace the old. This industrial imagery could also change the way Romeo is thinking about how love was more about economical advantage than passion and feelings. The following line starts with the suppositional thought “it seems she” (2), which could connote that love is just metaphysical, and one can be blinded by love, which forms an unreal lover in one’s mind. Nevertheless, Shakespeare continues his contrasting structure when he adds the cacophonous word “hangs” (2) to create a violent image of death.

The continuous contrast between love and death is greatly expressed through the use of iambic pentameter in the passage’s structure. The unstressed, stressed, beats of the passage is used as a reinforcement of death versus love. On the other hand, the rhyming couplets, create a connection between love and death in this dramatic monologue, conveying that Juliet is divine or godly. Shakespeare also hints that after death one can also love “like a rich jewel in an Ethiope’s ear” (3). In heaven everybody loves each other and is equal, unlike in the 1600s when black and white people were treated differently. However, Romeo is conveying that love is rare, as a “jewel in an Ethiope's ear” (3), as when Africans were forced into slavery, one in England rarely saw a jewel on a black slave. The constant use of visual imagery hints that Romeo, when looking for love, first looks at beauty, then the personality. He states that “[b]eauty [is] too rich for use” (4), suggesting that the girl he fancies is too pretty to die, which also foreshadows an upcoming death. Additionally, the repetition of the

word ‘rich’ connotes that in the 1600s, money determined one’s whole life, thereby if one married a rich person, one’s life would be great. Thereby, Shakespeare conveys a foreshadow of death, that affects the way Romeo thinks about love over time, creating a godly image.
Shakespeare conveys that a foreshadow of death can create a diveness to the idea of love.

As the alliteration of the consonant ‘b’ was used to show dependence, the sibilance of “[s]o shows a snowy dove” (5) creates a emblem of independence, juxtaposing the two separate ideas. Additionally, a “snowy dove trooping with crows” (5) allows the audience to see the connection between good versus bad, death versus love, etc. The contrasting image of a ‘snowy dove’ and ‘crows’ creates a sense of diveness that only one who loves truly will see. The metaphor of the snowy dove could also convey a pureness to true love. On the other hand, the cacophonous “trooping” (5), of the crows is like being in an arranged and/or political marriage. Furthermore, the girl Romeo likes, stands out to him, “o’er her fellows shows” (6), or all the other women he meets, confirming the diviness of love. Additionally, the ‘dove’ is also symbolic of peace and heaven, as love could be with the right person. However, to go to heaven, one has to die first and/or deserve to be in heaven. The religious or divine motif in this passage is consistent throughout the dreamlike ponderings of Romeo, when he says “make blessed my rude hand” (8) juxtaposing ‘blessed’ and ‘rude’. As Romeo loves the girl, who is probably Juliet, he wants to apologize to heaven or purify his intentions towards Juliet, as lust is a deadly sin in the Bible. This sin is called ‘deadly’, and could convey a foreshadow of death, as the sin Romeo

is doing is lethal. In the last line of the passage Romeo cries out “Forswear it, sight!” (9) hinting that Romeo is exasperated at his sins and his divine love for Juliet. Additionally, the use the word “[f]orswear” (9) means that Romeo would give up anything for his love, in this case his sight. This is a modern view of love, as in the 1600s, many people relied on sight to chose their lover, not by their personality. Moreover, love is said to make you blind, and Romeo is being blinded by not only the beauty of Juliet, but also by her personality. Perhaps, Shakespeare wants the audience to leave with a connection between a foreshadow of death and the diviness of love.