“O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?” The famous line that everyone, literati or not, recognizes from the great tragedy, Romeo and Juliet. Romeo and Juliet, said to be the greatest love story of all time, is the archetypal star-crossed lovers story. However, there is more to this classic tale than first meets the eye. William Shakespeare intricately weaves infinite subtle details into the story, all of which have immense meaning and power. With well placed symbolism and countless metaphors, it would take years, centuries even, to unravel all of it. One of the more overarching symbolic metaphors is the incessant use of contrasts between night and day, dark and light. Based on prior research, it is known that many people have noticed this tropes, but few understand the meaning behind it. In the famous play Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare utilizes frequent metaphorical contrasts between night and day in order to convey that darkness is safety and light is danger.
As a general rule, light is identified with good and safety, while darkness is associated with evil and danger. The sun sheds light and refuge on the good, while the darkness of night cloaks the personifications of evil and creates uncertainty and fear. This idea about light versus dark has been held as principal for years and years, and can be seen in various myths and stories throughout the ages. Vampires, creatures of evil, come out at night to hunt, but are burned by the sun. In greek mythology, Helios, the god of the sun, is a strong hero while Selene, goddess of the moon, is a seductress. God and Jesus are frequently depicted with the Sun, but what is depicted with the moon, other than cackling witches? The idea has reasonable foundations. Good, honest men ar...
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...literature, has an intricately layered plot; but it is the intricate symbolism, visible through beautifully constructed figurative language, that makes it truly great. William Shakespeare uses recurrent contrasts between night and day, through which he inverts the usual perceptions of light and dark. Throughout time, night has been associated with evil and danger, while the day is associated with good and safety. Shakespeare reverses that, making night a time of safety and love, and day a time of uncertainty and fear. It is an interesting use of figurative language, and was certainly not without a purpose. Shakespeare allows Romeo to compare Juliet to the sun, sonorously insinuating that Juliet is brings peril and woe. The sun is equated to danger, and Juliet is the sun. Juliet and the sun: the juxtaposition is beautiful - and unfortunately, tragically accurate.
Akin to Laurent 's play, Romeo and Juliet occurs at night. This illustrates the way Romeo and Juliet 's love exists in a world separate from the hatred of the feud, flourishing only at night, an allusion to the forbidden nature of their relationship.
In Romeo and Juliet, it is clear that Shakespeare commonly embodies metaphors in his play to elaborate on Romeo’s love for Juliet. The use of metaphors invites the audience to develop a further understanding of the object comparing values of love. An example of a metaphor can be noticed in the balcony scene when Romeo claims that “Juliet is the sun”. When we analyse this quote we notice that Shakespeare is displaying the respect that Romeo offers to Juliet. The purpose of using this particular metaphor is to show that Juliet’s appearance will always be accepted in Romeo’s heart. When the sun is mentioned it is referred as Juliet being high in the sky; overlooking and invalidating all those beneath her control. This metaphor is referring to Juliet as being truly out of this world, Romeo’s world; conveying ideas of excitement and affection. When Juliet is compared to the sun, powerful messages are given off such as Juliet being forever existent, and forever the love of Romeo’s life; as the sun will never die out, meaning that Romeo will always have a desire towards the angelic figure in his life. To conclude, metaphors are one of the most common language techniques that Shakespeare incorporates into his highly successful play, Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare models metaphors to analyse the affection so we can determine how much love is present in Romeo and Juliet’s relationship. As a result, the messages founded by metaphors helps us connect to the jubilant, however, catastrophic
William Shakespeare is amazing at using extended metaphor in Romeo and Juliet to show love between the characters, the word choice that Shakespeare uses to write extended metaphor is very detailed. During the balcony scene, Romeo says something towards Juliet which is an extended metaphor which shows love Romeo 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” (Shakespeare 2.2.3-5). What this means is that Juliet is being compared to the sun and Romeo is telling Juliet to arise beautiful woman and kill the envious moon so Juliet is a fair sun which has to destroy the darkness which is the moon. Romeo is saying that Juliet is as beautiful as the sun which shines over the world they live in. A little later during the balcony scene, Romeo uses extended metaphor again to compare Juliet to something good. Romeo is in love with Juliet and her beauty because Romeo always complements Juliet with something lovely and he speaks of Juliet in a nice way. For example, Romeo says “O, speak again, bright angel, for thou art as glorious to this night, being o’er my head as is a winged messenger of heaven unto the white-upturned wondering eyes” (Shakespeare 2.2.29-32). This really shows the love that Romeo has for Juliet because he compares her to a bright angel and being compared to an angel shows that she’s very glorious and mighty with beautiful features. Also, Romeo complements Juliet’s eyes again saying that her eyes are awestruck and so pretty that all mortals fall back to gaze this shows that Romeo is in love with all of her beauties and all the other people are too. Romeo says a lot of extended metaphor during the play to compare Juliet to things that are of beauty and not something that is horrible thus extended metaphor is used to show the love between
“For never was a story more woe than that of Juliet and her Romeo.” “The fearful passage of their death mark’d love” has endured in the minds of the audiences for more than a century. This essay will compare the two productions of Romeo and Juliet: William Shakespeare’s Elizabethan production and Baz Luhrmann’s 1996 film production. The endurance of the story of Romeo and Juliet comes from Shakespeare’s prestige and the popularity is maintained by countless versions of Romeo and Juliet including Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation of the movie. Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation has shone light on Romeo and Juliet for different types of audiences by utilising the universal appeal of themes, language and context.
William Shakespeare is really famous for his writings, especially Romeo and Juliet. A pair of two star crossed lovers take place, on their mission to unite two houses, Capulets and Montagues, once and for all. In the play Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare presents a lot of paradoxes. This provides a lot of contrast to the text and allows readers to think harder and better understand the intricacies of this writing. In this play, there are many paradoxical themes expressed through the text for example good versus evil, love versus hate, and many more. All these paradoxes are communicated through figurative language, characterization, sound devices, and literary foils. These are literary devices that authors use to help readers to visualize
Shakespeare has many prime examples of symbolism in Romeo and Juliet that helps the audience understand the relationship love and hate have, and how it relates to the plot. One example is of the light and dark (day and night). Although the day has the sun and is brighter and happier, their love flourishes in the dark. Due to this, Romeo constantly refers to Juliet as the sun. When Romeo is observing Juliet at her deathbed, he states, “For here lies Juliet, and her beauty makes This vault a feasting presence full of light” (5.3 85-86) Even when Juliet is dead, Romeo proclaims that her beauty makes the vault full of light. Even when she is no longer alive, she is still the sun. Although people don’t consider death and beauty to be at all related, these two contradictions fit well together. Throughout all of these examples, Shakespeare represents that love and hate need each other to survive, just like the day and night, the light and dark, and the death and
Shakespeare emphasizes the optimism of the scene by using language that creates positive connotations of the dark - to contrast the depressive connotations of act one, scene two. Romeo is grateful for 'night's cloak' which allows him to visit Juliet in secret without being captured and killed by the guards. This notion is developed later in the play - Romeo and Juliet meet primarily in the night-time whilst the main acts of violence occur during the day. this manipulation of stereotypical imagery, combined with the sense of contrasting and conflicting emotions.
He does not think he will ever be happy again, he doesn’t want to be out during the day and creates an artificial night, but this changes the moment he sees Juliet. Juliet, instantly becomes the new love of Romeo, bringing him out of the darkness and becoming the light to Romeo’s darkness. Montague, concerned about his son’s behavior says, “But all so soon as the all-cheering sun should in the farthest East being to draw the shady curtains from Aurora’s bed, away from light steals home my heavy son and private in his chamber pens himself, shuts up his windows, locks fair daylight out, and makes himself an artificial night.” (I.i. 142-148) Montague saying this explains how Romeo has been acting extremely upset and depressed, shutting out all light and enveloping himself in darkness. However, when he meets Juliet, everything changes and he begins to embrace the light. Romeo muses, “But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is East, and Juliet is the sun!”(II.ii. 2-3) Here, Romeo refers to Juliet as the sun, for she has brought light into his life, bringing him out of the darkness. Due to Juliet, Romeo goes from being depressed all the time to learning to embrace the light and finding
When Romeo sees Juliet on her balcony, he is struck by her beauty and compares her radiance to the sun. In a soliloquy, as he is aware that Juliet does not hear him, he expresses love for her that outshines his love for Rosaline, the moon. Unlike the sun, the moon is cold and remote, symbolizing Rosaline’s
In the tremendous play of ‘Romeo & Juliet’, Shakespeare’s ways engages the audience straight away. The astounding methods he uses hooks the audience into the play and allows them to read on, wondering what will happen. The tragic love story of Romeo & Juliet, as mentioned in the prologue, sets a variety of themes throughout Act 1 Scene 5. Many of the recognisable themes are: youth and age, revenge, forbidden love, fate, action and hate. The main idea of the play is a feud that had been going on between two families, The ‘Montagues and Capulets’, the son of the Montagues and the daughter of the Capulets fall in love and the story tells us how tragic, death, happiness and revenge find them throughout the play.
Being one of the most debated texts in history, Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’, has the power and ability to divide audiences. Throughout the play, it is seen that Shakespeare has left the audience to contemplate the underlying cause of the Romeo and Juliet tragedy. Shakespeare begins by showing the reckless actions and choices of the lovers, illustrating one of the main contributing factors to their deaths. Friar Lawrence plays a large role in the deaths of the lovers as he is the main instigator, greatly contributing to the deaths. Also, demonstrated through the play is that the lover’s destiny is written in the stars. Without
The classic play Romeo and Juliet by the famous playwright William Shakespeare is one of the most beautiful love stories of all time and has captured and inspired readers everywhere. Regardless of the fact that it was written in the 1500’s, it is still being performed and extolled today. There is a multitude of reasons for such continuance of the play. First of all, its everlasting themes of love and hate enable people to deeply relate to the story. Secondly, its memorable characters deeply imprint on the minds of readers. And lastly, above all, is its magnificent language which many writers today regard in awe. These three elements make the acclaimed play, Romeo and Juliet, one of the most timeless stories of our lives.
Second, his impatient flaw portrays the motif during his eminent soliloquy. After encountering Juliet, Romeo decides to visit her. In Romeo’s uttermost recognizable soliloquy, he imagines Juliet to be the sun. But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east and Juliet is the sun (II,ii,!!!!!!!!!!). This quote could arguably be interpreted as foolish and impatient. Moreover, this quotation delineates Romeo’s impatience because he just met her and he insists being with her. However, the quotation could be portrayed as an illustration of Romeo’s foolishness because he’s relating Juliet to the sun. Equally important, Romeo is to blame for the tragedy for using the motif light and dark. His foolishness and impatience lead him to be beguiled by Juliet’s love. Similarly, his flaws hold a recurring theme throughout the tragedy. Given these points, Shakespeare applies the motif, light and dark, to render Romeo’s
Countless people all around the world are familiar with the idea of the famously tragic tale of two star-crossed lovers in William Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet. Their heart wrenching love story has been an inspiration for many literature pieces throughout various genres and later cinematic works of art. The young couple was not only memorable for their passionate, devoted love, but also the tragic events that ultimately lead to their death. One aspect of the play that has a strong impact on the audience is Shakespeare’s use of charismatic and compelling language seen throughout the play. The unique personality traits used to describe Romeo and Juliet allows many to relate to the young lovers. Shakespeare’s use of descriptive language, allows the audience to understand the societal expectations, beliefs, and values set out for the men and women of Verona, Italy. Romeo’s character, however, can be been seen defying these expectations and also
Also the night will shield them from anyone seeing when they make love to each other. From this we can tell that darkness is one of the main themes in the story as it revolves around tragedy and misfortune because many characters die. Juliet shows us that she wants the darkness to come when she says: 'And bring in cloudy night immediately. Spread thy close curtain, love performing night' Not only does this quote indicate to us that Juliet wishes for the night to come however, it tells us that she wishes to make love to Romeo: 'So tedious is this day' Also this quote tells us that she cannot wait for the day to be over.