Romeo And Juliet Hidden Meanings Essay

Hidden Meanings

In Romeo and Juliet written by William Shakespeare, there are multiple hidden meanings
within the text created from imagery. There are three main images that form subtextual
interpretations; stars, light and dark; and the association of sleep and dreams. With these images
the play is given depth and significance.
Dreams and sleep are an important factor to consider in Romeo and Juliet’s
“relationship.” Since they are enemies, and their entire love affair is behind their parents backs,
they often see each other in secret. With the secrecy for their love, they are generally together
when they are asleep, “Oh blessed night! I am afeard / Being in night, all this is but a dream
/ Too flattering-sweet to be

substantial” (V, ii, 139-141). In this passage said by Romeo, he says
that he is afraid that this is a dream because it is too good to be true. He is comparing his
situation to dreams because dreams are beyond our reality, always too good to be true.
Shakespeare writes, “If love be blind, / It best agrees with night” (III, ii, 9-10). Juliet beckons the
night to come because that is when everybody is asleep and dreaming. While they are dreaming
through their closed eyes, she gets to live her dream by finally seeing Romeo. Also, Romeo
thinks of dreams as a fortune teller, “If I may trust the flattering truth of sleep, / My dreams
presage some joyful news at hand” (V, I, 1-2). In this passage Romeo says he has had a good
dream therefore good news is on the way. He is using his dreams as a way to see into the future,
almost as if dreams have this control over what will happen next; like fate. Shakespeare writes,
“I dreamt my lady came and found me dead-- / Strange dream, that gives a dead man leave to
think” (V, i, 6-7). Romeo continuously relies on good dreams for good fortune. When Romeo
says this he is foreshadowing. The pattern of good dreams leads to good news and bad dreams
leads to bad news is set into play here, when he hears Juliet is dead.
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There are multiple references to stars used throughout the play. They are used to
represent fate and destiny. Stars are looked upon as something bigger than the world; like God.
This is shown in the passage, “A pair of star- cross’d lovers take their life” (I, prologue).

The
term star-crossed means two people who fall in love, but their love ends with a tragedy. For
Romeo and Juliet the tragedy they go through is the inevitable death they both suffer. Stars are
also used to foreshadow. Juliet makes two comments about death concerning her future with or
without Romeo,” If he be marrièd, / My grave is like to be my wedding bed” (I, v, 134-135). She
says this not knowing that it will soon be literal. When Romeo finds out that Juliet is “dead” he
yells out, “I defy you stars!” (v, iii, 25). At this point, Romeo denies fate. He is detaching himself
from the destiny the stars are giving him and going along his own path. He makes another
reference to fate is when he kills Tybalt. “O, I am fortunes fool” he cries out (III, i, 56). He
describes himself as fortunes fool because from this point forward, his fate was going downhill.
A reoccurring image in the play is light and dark. The light and dark portrayed in the play
is also displayed as friend and foe, love and desire, and life and death. Traditionally, light is
given a positive connotation, and dark is given a negative connotation. But in Romeo and

Juliet,
the roles of day and night are reversed. Night becomes the good because it aids Romeo and
Juliet, so they can see each other. Day becomes the bad because during the day there is death and
disaster. Light and dark are what helps the audience predict hats going to happen; it foreshadows.
The passage, "If love be blind, / It best agrees with night," shows the importance of night
concerning their relationship (III, ii, 9-10). Romeo and Juliet met at night, told each other they
loved each other at night, and agreed to marry at night. Their relationship is like, "the bird of
darkness, the nightingale, symbolizes the desire of the lovers to remain with each other, and the
bird of dawn, the lark, the need to preserve their safety" according to Northrop Frye (60).
Although they are surrounded by darkness, their love emits light, "a feasting presence full of
light" (V, iii, 86). Even in the tomb when Juliet was “dead” there is still a light to the situation,
which is their love. "The beauty and ardor of young love is seen by Shakespeare,” Caroline
writes, “as the irradiating glory of sunlight and starlight in a dark world” (Spurgeon, 73). They
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live in a world full of darkness, but they have their light-illuminating love. When Romeo was
first in love with Rosaline, he often hid from the light and stayed in the dark. He was sad until he
finds Juliet; he finds light. “But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks? / It is the east,
and Juliet is the sun,” he says “Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon” (II, ii, 3-6). When he
sees Juliet in the balcony he describes her to be fairer than the moon. He makes a short speech
and describes her with a metaphorical association with light to her beauty. The scene continues
and he makes another linkage to her beauty and light, “O, speak again, bright angel!” (II, ii, 20).
Angels are commonly known as bright beings that illuminate lots of light. So, with Juliet he is
pulled out of the darkness he was once in caused by Rosaline.
William Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet with more in mind. He gave the play many
hidden meanings within the text by using subtext. It gives the story more depth than what it
really appears to be.