How Does Shakespeare Use Imagery In Romeo And Juliet

674 Words2 Pages

As stated by many doctors, love is like alcohol. It can create emotions out of thin air. It captivates us when we are young, and it intoxicates us. Love, like alcohol, convinces us that what we are experiencing is the only thing that is real, the only thing that matters (Manson). Some people are willing to go to drastic measures for love. In William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare uses imagery to portray how powerful love can be and the things people would do for it.

In this play, Shakespeare uses imagery to enforce and to showcase Romeo and Juliet’s relationship. The moment Romeo and Juliet laid eyes on each other, they instantly fell in love. Some might even say it was love at first sight. The first night they had met, Juliet immediately went to the nurse and asked her who this mysterious man was. She told the nurse “Go ask his name; if he be married, my grave is like to be my wedding bed.” Juliet was stressing that if Romeo was in a relationship, she would die alone. She did not want anyone else, only this one particular boy. The nurse later finds out that this “mysterious man” was a boy named Romeo, but she also pointed out that Romeo was a Montague, their families arch enemy. Juliet at …show more content…

Shakespeare uses religious imagery to emphasize the intense blind love Romeo and Juliet have for each other. Before they kiss, Romeo tells Juliet “O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do. They pray; grant thou, lest faith turn to despair”. Shakespeare is trying to highlight the fact that Romeo and Juliet’s love is pure. Romeo is begging for her to kiss him. He wants her to kiss him so his “faith” doesn’t turn into “despair”. Shakespeare is using faith and despair as a metaphor in this statement. He is making reference to the tragedy that will later happen to them. The prayer of their sacred kiss will ultimately lead into despair and

Open Document