“When you light a candle, you also cast a shadow.” (Ursula K. Le Guin) When there is a source of light, love, and hope in life, the exposure can also cause despair and anguish. This mood is present in Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, when Romeo displays darkness while he lives alone and depicts a lighter mood as Juliet is introduced into his life. The lovers use darkness to their advantage, exhibiting the dangers of the vulnerability caused by light. The light and dark create a defined effect on the parallelism in the play, depicting light is absent without darkness, and the two things intertwine, developing a mysteriously illuminated mood. As evidenced by their shifts in mood created by the light and dark imagery, the characters …show more content…
undergo an evolution in their reflections of life, as they develop the tragic mood of the play. Throughout the play, Romeo uses light and dark imagery to display his emotions, which goes through a major transformation as Juliet is introduced into his life. Toward the beginning, Romeo lives in darkness, consequential from the lack of love in his life. “But all so soon as the all-cheering sun / Should in the farthest East begin 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 worries about the grieving process that Romeo goes through in his time of loneliness, and uses dark imagery to express the depression that has taken ahold of Romeo. The state of depression is encapsulated by the darkness that Romeo has created for himself while he lives companionless. “Give me a torch. / I am not for this ambling; but being heavy, I will bear the light.” (I.iv.11-12) As Romeo is walking to the party, he describes light as a burden, as if the light is holding him down. The mood is still dark at this point, but the torch that Romeo agrees to hold represents Romeo opening himself up to light and happiness. The torch still gives off only weak light, but it is a dim introduction to the light that will behold Romeo as he meets Juliet. “What lady’s that, which doth enrich the hand of yonder night? … / O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright! / It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night / Like a rich jewel in Ethiop’s ear-- / Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear!” (I.v.45-52) The first time that Romeo sees Juliet, he is overcome by light. The brightness represents love and happiness, with Juliet at the source, and expresses that Romeo has been brought out of the dark hole of depression in which he had previously been living. Romeo’s entire transformation out of depression directly correlates to the introduction of Juliet into his life, which establishes Juliet as the origin of his light and happiness. This illustrates Juliet as Romeo’s savior, because her guiding light allows him to follow Juliet out of the darkness that he had previously been living, and into a state of blissfully sweet and naive love. Although the light represents love and happiness, it depicts the harshness of exposure, while darkness provides Romeo and Juliet with a safe haven to explore their love. Romeo and Juliet’s love is forbidden due to the clash between their two families, so they have to avoid the light which leaves them vulnerable to outsiders discovering their relationship. “Spread thy close curtain, love performing night… / Lovers can see to do their amorous rites / By their own beauties; or, if love be blind, It best agrees with night. / Come, civil night, Thou sober-suited matron, all in black… / Come gentle night; come, loving, black-browed night;” (III.ii.5-21) Juliet begs the night to come faster so that the darkness can provide as a cover to their illicit actions. Any time that Romeo and Juliet are together, it is under the shield of darkness, out of the fear that light will unveil their marriage. This imagery of darkness paints a mysteriously mischievous picture because the lovers are hiding their sinful actions from the world. “Yond light is not daylight; I know it, I. / It is some meteor that the sun exhales / To be to thee this night a torchbearer / And light thee on thy way the Mantua. / Therefore stay yet; thou needst not to be gone.” (III.v.12-16) Juliet tries to convince Romeo that day has not yet struck because she knows that they can’t be seen together in the harsh light of day, and now that they no longer have the comfort of darkness, she doesn’t want Romeo to leave. This light has a negative effect on the characters because it represents the false hope Juliet has in wishing Romeo won’t be banished. She hopes the light will not expose their marriage, but instead it will be a light that brings them happiness and love. Unfortunately, it is false hope because they now fear the light, knowing that it will bring death to Romeo and dishonor to Juliet if it shines on them. The light and dark imagery intertwine throughout the play, developing the theme that there cannot be light without darkness. “A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;” (I.Prologue.6) Right from the beginning the concept of star crossed lovers is introduced and it indirectly hints at the struggle between light and dark. It displays that there are two lights fighting to come together over the vast darkness of space, while contrasting light and dark by showing that stars wouldn’t be visible if it weren’t for the darkness that separates them. “Give me my Romeo; and, when he shall die, / Take him and cut him out in stars, / And he will make the face of heaven so fine / That all the world will be in love with might / And pay no worship to the garish sun.” (III.ii.22-26) In Juliet’s soliloquy, she compares Romeo to the stars, and in doing so she shows a distinction between the brightness of love Romeo has instilled in her life, and the darkness that spawns from desperation and loneliness. At this point, Romeo is the light of Juliet’s life so he is the only source that could brighten up the darkness of the entire night sky. She even goes as far as to say that Romeo would shine brighter than the sun, meaning that he is the strongest, most powerful influencer in Juliet’s life and he is her most abundant source of love and happiness. The tragedy and loss is also depicted by the light and dark imagery, developing the concept that darkness is present only in the absence of light.
The imagery of diminishing light is used at the loss of a loved one. “When the sun sets the air doth drizzle dew, / But for the sunset of my brother’s son / It rains downright.” (III.v.142-144) Capulet mourns the death of his beloved nephew, Tybalt, by comparing his death to the dwindling of light that happens as the sun sets. This weakening light represents that not only has Tybalt’s energy been drained from the world, but the love that the Capulets felt for him has now also turned to the pain of loss and mourning and created a dismal, tragic mood. The light represents the happiness and hope that a loved one can bring into life. “It is the east, and Juliet is the sun. / Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,” (II.ii.3-4) Romeo’s love for Juliet is equal to that of the light emitted by the sun, and he loves her with such enthusiasm that she drowns out the light from the moon. This blatantly blissful love and happiness expressed by both Romeo and Juliet also contributes to the tragic mood of the play because the light and dark imagery exhibits how strongly they love each other and their eventual death demolishes the light that brightened their lives, creating the dreary
mood. The light and dark imagery throughout the plot is also a use of parallelism. From beginning to end, Romeo displays his depression and loneliness through the expression of darkness, with an absence of light and love. With Juliet at his side, he is more joyful and enthusiastic, which is depicted in his use of light imagery. Romeo constantly views Juliet as an illuminated figure, which continues from the first time he lays eyes on her, to when he thinks she is dead. “For here lies Juliet, and her beauty makes / This vault a feasting presence full of light.” (V.iii.98-99) Although Romeo believes Juliet has perished, he still indicates that she brightens up the dreariest of settings because he is so full of love for her that she emits the brightest and most powerful light in his life. The parallelism also contributes to the tragic mood, by showing that Romeo and Juliet’s love remains resilient despite all that they have been through, and even in the time of death, Romeo does not hesitate to proclaim his love because it is still as prevalent as when Juliet was alive. The characters in Romeo and Juliet use light and dark imagery in a way that develops the tragic theme of the play as they go through a transformation caused by their turbulent romance. Romeo illuminates Juliet by describing her as a light source that overpowers everything else, demonstrating his love for her, while developing the darkness that comes from the scarcity of love and happiness. The lovers establish the dangers and vulnerability that comes from the harsh exposure of light, and they acknowledge that they can only explore their love in the safety of darkness, where they can’t be discovered by others. The light and dark imagery contrast each other, while advancing the concept that there is no light without darkness, meaning that Romeo and Juliet’s love is stronger due to the struggle caused by their relationship. The parallelism throughout the play creates the tragic mood by showing that Romeo and Juliet’s love remains constantly strong in spite of the obstacles they have to face and the struggle to be together. Works Cited Shakespeare, William. “The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet.” Trans. Arthur N. Applebee. Vol. 1. The Language of Literature. Evanston, IL, 2006. 990-1102. Print.
Did you know that Romeo and Juliet was one of the biggest love story of all time. Romeo and Juliet is a story of two star-crossed lovers from two families the Capulets and the Montagues. The Capulets and the Montague had a big fight that made the families very angry at each other. Romeo and Juliet decide to get married. The two couple marry and run away. In the process both of them will die. When it comes to Romeo and Juliet who are the top three people that caused the two to die. The two people that are chosen are Friar Lawrence and Lady Capulet. Friar was chosen because he is the one that married Romeo and Juliet. Lady Capulet was chosen because she is forcing Juliet to marry Paris which is making Juliet want Romeo even more. The third thing
Juliet is brighter than the torches which light the whole room and that she teaches them to be as bright as she is. Romeo then goes on to talk of Juliet as "a snowy dove trooping with crows," saying that Juliet is a bright, white dove, a symbol of peace. walking among black crows; she stands out like a beacon of light in the dark. Romeo then asks. My heart loves it till now, forswear it.
In Romeo and Juliet a significantly horrendous ending takes place, but with Shakespeare's use of foreshadowing he is able to keep the reader from being overly traumatized. For example, when Juliet and Romeo are discussing plans Juliet says, "O God, I have an ill-divining soul! / Methinks I see thee, now thou art so low, / As one dead in the bottom of the tomb"(lll,v,14-56). Juliet has mixed feelings about the arrangement devised by the Friar so that the two of them can be together. Juliet thinks disaster will come of previous tactics developed to allow Romeo and her to be together. In addition, when Romeo is speaking of his love for Juliet he says, "And but thou love me, let them find me here. / My life were better ended by there hate / Then death prorogued, wanting of thy love"(ll,ii,75-77). Romeo's immense love for Juliet will eventually lead to the fall of himself. Death lingers throughout the play between Romeo and his love, Juliet. In conclusion, when Juliet is thinking about Romeo she says, "Give me Romeo; and when he shall die / Take him and cut him out in little stars, / And he will make the face of heaven so fine / That all the world will be in love with night," (lll,ii,21-25). This suggests that in the play Romeo will end up dying and Juliet will be there to see it. Juliet prophesizes over many topics in the play and in the end they become true. Foreshadowing is used in this play to help the audience trounce the dreadful outcome.
Self-awareness or a ‘dawning moment’ is important to understand the relationship between Romeo and Juliet because the scene has the underlying notion that the relationship between them will be revealed as the night begins to fade and the light of the dawn begins to rise. If they continue their relationship at the pace that it is going, they will have the fall out and it will lead to tragic disasters for everyone in their life as the people in their life are now self-aware of the marriage between the two of them. The play The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is written by William Shakespeare in the late 1500s. The playwright uses subtext to add a underlying factor that their relationship is waiting to be revealed. Romeo explains to Juliet, “I must be gone and live, or stay and die (Romeo and Juliet. 3. 5. 11).” Romeo tries to
On first seeing Juliet, Romeo exclaims, "O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright! / It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night / Like a rich jewel in an Ethiope's ear; … So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows" (Act 1 Scene 5 Lines 44-48) Romeo describes Juliet's beauty in terms of light and dark. "She doth teach the torches to burn bright" means both that her beauty is brighter than the light of any torch and that she makes the whole room light up. The brightness of Juliet's beauty is made even brighter by the contrasts with the blackness of the "Ethiope" and the blackness of crows. The use of antithesis with the "snowy doves" and the "crows" creates a powerful opposing force showing how she stands out from the others. Another interpretation of the dove is that it is a symbol of peace and sets in place an image of Romeo and Juliet's love creating peace between the two rival families. Another moment is when Juliet is waiting for Romeo to come to her bed. In her imagination, the night will bring her love. She goes on to say, "Spread thy close curtain, love-performing night, / That runaways' eyes may wink and Romeo" (Act 3 Scene 2 Lines 5-6). Juliet is seeing things as though she is in bed, the curtains are closed, creating a dark atmosphere where they act their love. In the dark, the pair will create their own light, because "Lovers can see to do their amorous rites / By their own beauties" The use of courtly love is very common in theatres at the time of Romeo and Juliet because in those days people would dream and fantasize about courtly love and was an entertaining
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
An example of this is “Spread thy close curtain, love-performing night, That runaways’ eyes may wink and Romeo leap to these arms, untalk’d of an unseen”. Juliet is longing for Romeo to come and consummate their marriage at night, which is when they can be together, as their relationship is too unnatural for them to meet at day, due to the hatred of their families. It is further proven that the dark imagery represents passion. Juliet is passionate about Romeo, as she has made up her mind to give her maidenhood to him, which is something she can never undo. An additional quote is “Night's candles are burnt out, and jocund day stands tiptoe on the misty mountain tops. I must be gone and live, or stay and die… Let me be ta’en, let me be put to death; I am content, so thou wilt have it so“. Romeo has just consummated his marriage with Juliet. He says that the stars are gone, and that daylight is coming. Romeo must leave, as Verona is waking up, and he will be killed if he is seen with Juliet. Even with this risk, he considers staying with Juliet, as he enjoys being with her. Dark imagery is used to show how passionate Romeo is about Juliet. He made their marriage legal, and is even considering risking death to stay with her longer. He has permanently committed to her, and cannot go back. As the evidence presented shows, the dark imagery in Romeo and Juliet reflects the theme of passion.
To begin, light and dark imagery is shown through the darkness of Romeo. At the beginning of the play, Romeo is depressed and thinks negatively because he believes that it is the end of the world for him by not being with Rosaline. The darkness of Romeo is shown through his depression which is recognized by everyone in his family, even Lord Montague:
middle of paper ... ...peaceful; the only light we can see is coming from the pool and the fairy lights which are near the balcony, this sets a very romantic mood for Romeo and Juliet. The lighting in Franco Zeffirelli’s film is very subtle; the only source of light that has been used is coming from inside the Capulet. residents from other rooms. Again the lighting is very important and it is dim and you cannot see a lot, which makes it more interesting. and romantic for Romeo and Juliet.
Shakespeare uses dark and light imagery throughout the play to stand for death, violence, sadness and secrecy. In act one, scene two, Shakespeare uses dark imagery to convey Romeo's sadness. Montague describes romeo as creating an 'artificial night' which seems to reflect his dark, depressed mood.
As Mehmet Murat İldan once quoted, “A man who refused light will remain in darkness even by the side of light.” Throughout Romeo and Juliet, light and dark imagery is used to intensify the tragedy in this story. Romeo exists in a dark, depressed state while thinking about his first love, Rosaline. Romeo doesn’t ever think he will be happy or see light again, yet Shakespeare provides light imagery that implies Romeo could have a positive future. Light imagery conveys that Juliet, a beautiful, young girl full of hope, dreams of bringing Romeo out of the artificial darkness he creates for himself. Shakespeare uses light and dark imagery in many ways, including setting the mood, capturing the characters’ personalities, and developing the characters
Many people think that society has changed so much over the years. That the way that children act, has taken a turn for the worst, but in reality children are learning from their ancestors. Children are lying to their parents, they are sneaking out at night to be with a boy that is “the one”, children are going back into the age of Shakespeare. In the play “Romeo and Juliet” which was written by William Shakespeare in 1597, there are two teenagers, Romeo and Juliet, who fall in love with each other. These two teenagers try to do everything that they can to live the rest of their lives together, except their families despise each other, so there is no way that they can live the rest of their lives together. So, many people believe that the way that our children are growing up today is taking away the fun parts of their childhood. However in this play Juliet did many of the things that teenagers are trying to do now. Children and sometimes adults now need to realize how your actions not only affect you but also the people around you, you also need to think about the consequences of the actions you make. At first Juliet falls in love at first sight with Romeo, then she takes a potion, which causes her family to think she is dead, and then how Friar Lawrence helps Juliet with the scheming, which shows how adults have to think about others as well.
The imagery used gives color to the language and there are certain images, which reappear more often in the play, so called iterative imageries, one of. these are light and darkness. This image gives a strong contrast used. to describe Romeo’s and Juliet’s love for one another. The less important characters, which most of the time are the lower class, such. as servants or musicians, do not have such richness in their word.
Everyone is to blame for the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. Romeo, Juliet, Friar Laurence, and Romeo and Juliet’s parents all played their own role in causing the four deaths of Romeo, Juliet, Tybalt, and Paris. It is not just one of them to blame, every one of them did something to cause the tragedy. Some of them played a bigger role than others, but everyone contributed. Fate had nothing to do with it and it was all the different characters faults. Romeo, Juliet, and Friar Lawrence’s rash decisions where the main cause of the tragedy.
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.