How Does Shakespeare Use Extended Metaphors In Romeo And Juliet

Title: Romeo and Juliet and the use of Stars and Ext. Metaphor

The story between two lovers whose families are diverse and hate each other “Romeo and Juliet” written by William Shakespeare. The story which almost everyone knows about and recognizes because of the storyline and because it’s written by the well-known writer in literature Shakespeare. In the text “When in Doubt, It’s from Shakespeare” written by Thomas Foster the author tells the readers “There is a ubiquity to Shakespeare’s work that makes it rather like a sacred text: at some very deep level he is ingrained in our psyches” (Foster 37). Shakespeare’s work is an important part of history which still lives on until this day and there are many writers who incorporate Shakespeare’s

work in their own texts until this day. Shakespeare in Romeo and Juliet uses diction by using an extended metaphor to emphasize stars to show the imagery of love.

William Shakespeare uses the motif of stars in Romeo and Juliet to show the imagery of love between the two characters. In the story, stars are used often to show love, Romeo uses it in the story to describe how beautiful Juliet is. In one of the most important scenes in the story the balcony scene which is filled with compassion and love between the two characters. There’s a part of the balcony scene where they include stars and in this part, it's about love it reads “I am too bold. ‘Tis not to me she speaks. Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven, having some business, do entreat her eyes to twinkle in their spheres till they return” (Shakespeare 2.2.14-17). What this quote from the balcony scene means is that Romeo goes to meet Juliet at the nighttime when he knows that he isn’t allowed to go to the Capulets. Romeo also describes Juliet as a person who is very beautiful with eyes that twinkle this shows an image to the readers of a very pretty girl who Romeo dearly loves. Both Romeo and Juliet are really in love they talk about each other lots of times throughout the play in every act. Juliet says something too that interprets her love she says “Give me my Romeo, and when he shall die, take him and cut him out in little stars, and he will make the face of heav’n so fine” (Shakespeare 3.2.21-23). This part that Juliet speaks sounds a little gruesome but she’s saying that when Romeo dies he’s going to be the best-looking person in heaven. Also, Juliet says “my Romeo” a lot during the play this word choice shows that Juliet really does care and love Romeo as much as she talks about him because they are married. Shakespeare’s use of stars as a motif in Romeo and Juliet really shows the love behind the two characters and it shows how much they love each other’s beauty and they don’t care about their families and they only care about their love for each other.

William Shakespeare uses many extended metaphors to show a comparison of love between Romeo and Juliet.

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

characters.

The finale of Romeo and Juliet the ending in which there is a lot of love shown at the end because of everything happening so quickly and there is shown great love between the characters. When Romeo finds out that Juliet is “dead” he goes to her coffin to confess that he loved her very much. Romeo was so much in love that he then committed murder and he also committed suicide because he was in crazy love with Juliet he did everything he could to be with Juliet without letting their parents know. Romeo says, “How may I call this a lightning?-O my love! My wife! Death, that hath sucked the honey of thy breath, hath had no power yet upon thy beauty” (Shakespeare 5.3.91-93). What Romeo is saying to Juliet is that why did you have to die why did you have to die you were so beautiful but now I see you lying dead. Romeo says “My love! My wife!” these word choice shows that Romeo was truly in love to be screaming those words out loud in anger and pain.

In conclusion, Shakespeare is an amazing literature artist who can show emotion between characters very well to show love or hate and he’s very skilled at using his words correctly. In Romeo and Juliet Shakespeare uses extended metaphor and stars to show the love between the two protagonists and how their love suddenly ended. In an article “Why Read Shakespeare” the author Michael Mack wrote “Shakespeare shows how the head and the heart need each other. One of the most important things for you to come to understand is your own emotional life. Why do you feel the way you do? Have other people felt this way before? What have they done about it, and how has it turned out?” (Mack 5). This is telling us that when we read any of Shakespeare’s work it shows the readers that the head and the heart need each other to work our emotional life just like Romeo and Juliet and how their hearts were for each other.