Romeo And Juliet Figurative Language

“‘Romeo is banished.’ There is no end, no limit, measure, bound, in that word's death. No words can that woe sound.”– or so Juliet grieves over Romeo’s banishment, hurt with the reality that nothing will never dull its pain (3.2, 135-137). In William Shakespeare’s tragic play Romeo and Juliet, a young, tentative girl named Juliet meets the charming Romeo who, even after knowing for just a day, causes her to disregard rationale and reason in order to pursue the new feeling of desire she had yet to experience. Her heart takes her to express her love in a soliloquy on a balcony, and to craft poetic speeches about this lover whose outward presentation later proves to be a facade masking a darker side she never knew existed. Juliet first viewed

Romeo as a man superior to her as she became caught up in youthful love’s illusion; however, she is forced to acknowledge the flawed side of him when the illusion becomes disrupted. These strands suggest that when an immoral action breaks the illusion of perfection caused by a callow desire, a person must decide between their heart (emotions) or their mind (knowledge).

Initially, Juliet sees Romeo as someone who, even after just meeting, captivates her heart so much so that she views him as one superior to her, all because of the deception of quick love.

When reminiscing over the man who captured her heart at the masque, Juliet begins to speak of the many things about Romeo that cause her to be so committed to him. She thinks that she is alone on her balcony, but Romeo hides in the bushes below, hearing her when she says, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet. So Romeo would, were he not Romeo called, retained that dear perfection which he owes without that title. Romeo, doff thy name, and for thy name, which is no part of thee, take all myself” (2.2, 46-50). Within the passage, the reader can identify the many lines where Juliet repeats her lover’s name: “Romeo”. Because Juliet continuously calls out to Romeo, it begins to seem that his very name and essence remains on Juliet’s mind. This repetition indicates a pleading tone, nearly to the extent that she is praising him as a superior when she says “take all myself” and thus submitting herself to him. Juliet is willing to give herself away to a man whom she has not even known for more than a day, but the consuming illusion of “perfection” is so strong that it compels her to praise his name, over and over again. She even goes to the extreme to say “Deny thy father and refuse thy name, or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, and I’ll no

longer be a Capulet” (2.2, 37-39). Here, the audience can recognize an assertive tone, indicated by strong words such as “deny” or “refuse”. Juliet does not say “you should deny” or even “it would be best to deny”; instead, she commands that Romeo must let go of his name, showing the immensity of her love for him as her desire has now seeped into her tone. The power behind Juliet’s voice makes it even more bold that she lets go of her family name, all for Romeo. The title “Capulet” holds great significance; it ties Juliet to her social status and her family. However, she is willing to “no longer” claim that name and thus puts her devotion to Romeo over her devotion to her family or social reputation. Ultimately, Juliet views her family and Romeo as two seperate options with no hope of reconciliation between; this, then, further demonstrates the magnitude of her love for Romeo in that she would leave behind all she is expected to be in order to pursue something she is forbidden from being. While Juliet does first ask Romeo to “refuse [his] name”, she does so hoping to confirm his devotion to her since she already submit herself to him figuratively (“take all myself”) and socially (“I’ll no longer be a Capulet”). Despite this wishful thinking, she remains willing to deny her name even if “[Romeo] wilt not”. Her commitment to Romeo through submission and choice to disregard family ties suggests how Juliet sees Romeo as one superior to her and other aspects of her life, all because she fell under youthful love’s illusion.

Next, opposed to Juliet’s initial view of Romeo as a superior, she later faces confliction when looking past the side he presents to the world in order to view a more, frankly, human side to him. After hearing the news that Romeo killed Tybalt, Juliet is torn between her desire to love the idealistic and perfected version of Romeo, or the scarred and flawed version he has become. In a poetic rant, she speaks, “O serpent heart hid with a flow’ring face! Beautiful tyrant, fiend angelic! Dove-feathered raven, wolvish-ravening lamb! Despiséd substance of divinest show! Just opposite to what thou justly seem’st, a damnéd saint, an honorable villain… O, that deceit should dwell in such a gorgeous palace!” (3.2, 79-91). Throughout this speech, Juliet’s anguish is clear, as the man she initially praised to the extent of almost worshipping has become comparable to that of a monster. Juliet has much more force behind her words than when she did longing for Romeo; here, it is like she is pleading with desperation that Romeo isn’t this murderous man that his actions suggest, because, ultimately, this reality scares her. After each phrase, Shakespeare included explanation points in order to first convey a message of urgency, and to secondly show how Juliet is putting her emotions behind her words. The simple punctuation demonstrates conflict, as it is emphasizing two things she is torn between. Out of every speech in the play, this specific one has the most explanation points, demonstrating how even with feuds between families, murders, and secret marriages, Juliet’s reaction to Romeo holds even more conflict then those aforementioned. This inner clash blossomed from being forced to accept her initial view of Romeo and this new side of Romeo she never knew existed as the same person. In the passage, she repeatedly contrasts good things with bad things, such as “damnéd” with “saint”, or “honorable” with “villian”. This unsteady road Juliet rides verifies her ultimate commitment to Romeo so much so that even after he murdered a man, she still cannot decide whether he is that of an “angel” or a “serpent”. By comparing Romeo to inanimate objects, it strengthens the reader’s perception on how she now views Romeo, as someone who initially presented himself as that of a god, but now shows flaws hidden by his desirable facade. Shakespeare’s use of oxymorons presents these realistic human imperfections side by side with her initial view of Romeo, the one who she pleaded about and whose essence controlled her every thought. This new view is a far cry from how she used to see him, as a man who carried confidence and a “dear perfection”, but whose unforgivable acts have contaminated his “angelic” reputation in her eyes. Her speech furthers this idea when she says, “Upon this brow shame is ashamed to sit for ‘tis a throne where honor may be crowned sole monarch of the universal earth” (3.2, 99-102). Shakespeare’s use of metaphors and word choice helps to unveil a deeper truth behind Juliet’s perception of Romeo. There is a shift present, as she is able to recognize that with unforgivable actions comes “shame”; however, she still clings onto that old identity- the one of a “saint”- by pairing the fact that he should be ashamed along with her personal, idealistic hope that he should be “crowned…monarch”. She is able to comprehend that Romeo’s actions are truly despicable in their entirety, yet she still refers to him as her “sole” king and lover even when understanding that he cannot hold the “god-like” reputation because of his impulsive choices. Moreover, she is so consumed by the illusion of youthful love that facts and reality do not matter, as she would rather acknowledge his “honor” as opposed to his undeniable “shame”. Ergo, Juliet’s old view of Romeo conflicts with her new view of him, as she is forced to acknowledge that love’s illusion of “perfection” has become disrupted and, in doing so, has also disrupted Juliet’s ability to truly love the perfected version of Romeo alongside such undeniable facts.

In sum, Juliet initially saw Romeo as superior to her but, as his actions disrupted youthful love’s facade, Juliet was forced to recognize his flaws and the new identity he hid away.

From these ideas, a theme emerges: When someone has committed an immoral act that disturbs the deception of quick love, a person becomes torn between their feelings and their intellect. In this case, Juliet has to choose between two different factors: her heart, meaning her feelings that fuel her initial view of Romeo; or her mind, specifically the reality of Romeo’s killing of Tybalt that creates her adjusted view of him. Often enough, people take sides not out of sensibility, but out of a overpowering desire for the other side to be true, even when facts directly contradict it. Here, while Juliet can acknowledge the facts of immorality behind the situation, her attachment to her lover proves dominant. Despite the reality presented to her, Juliet lets her heart steer her, which ultimately results in their deaths. The audience can first recognize Juliet’s understanding of the severity of the situation, especially when she opens on the speech filled to the brim with oxymorons. She is able to pick out adjectives to describe Romeo’s initial character (such as “beautiful”, “angelic”, or “honorable”). However, she demonstrates her intellectual understanding of the extremity behind Romeo’s actions by adding nouns to describe Romeo’s flawed character (such as “tyrant”, “fiend”, or “villain”). While

Juliet does comprehend the murder’s immensity, she cannot help but allow her feelings to overpower logic, which can especially be noted when she instantly reprimands the Nurse for disrespecting Romeo. “‘There’s not trust, no faith, no honesty in men...Shame come to Romeo’”, the Nurse spits, only to be followed by Juliet saying, “‘Blistered be thy tongue for such a wish! He was not born to shame’” (3.2, 92-100). At this point, the Nurse represents logic, as she places labels such as unreliable, disloyal, and shameful on him, since the Nurse only sees him by what his actions indicate: a murderer. Even though the Nurse is only pointing out a societal reality, Juliet’s relationship with Romeo influences her perception of him, as she remains conflicted between what his actions suggest and what his charming facade suggests. This results in her immediate response to the Nurse’s comment, introducing her inability to decide between the mind and the heart, solely because she disregards obvious labels that the Nurse tagged onto Romeo with the only justification being that “he was not born to shame”. She feels a need to vindicate Romeo’s reputation due to the simple illusion caused by quick love; the extent of her devotion is caused by her heart’s attraction towards Romeo, leading her to pursue him. But, when Juliet first heard of his banishment, she could not comprehend its entirety, as she said “there is no end, no limit, measure, bound, in that word [banishment]’s death”. Maybe, then, the illusion of love she is under is more than just love at first sight; perhaps, it is the fear of losing that love as well.