Romeo And Juliet Sonnet 116 Analysis

Shakespeare’s play ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is set in Verona Italy. It is a tale of two teenage lovers who risk their lives in order to be united, despite the hatred existing between their families. In both sonnets 116, and the play , love is conveyed as an endless ,everlasting and eternal adventure. Throughout this essay, I aim to evaluate and examine the way the idea of romantic love is presented in Romeo and Juliet and a selection of poetry.

Within sonnet 116, Shakespeare compares true love which is indestructible and long-lasting to false love that is fickle and transient. The judgemental quote “love is not love which alters when it alteration finds, “suggests that love which is defeated by obstacles is not genuine love. The use of repetition in the verb ‘alter’ indicates that true love is invincible whereas fake love is easily manipulated and adapted. Shakespeare uses this linguistic devise in order to prove his statements accuracy and validity, that truthful and adoring love s constant.

On the other hand, Romeo’s first love with Rosaline dramatically changes once he catches a glimpse of Juliet. This suggests that Romeo’s love for Rosaline

The theme of a tempestuous storm allows the audience to imagine a conflict or argument between two lovers. The phrase “That looks on tempest and is never shaken; it is the star to every wandering bark,” suggests that despite conflict the love is able to survive because true love is persistent. The word “never” indicates that the writer is certain about his statement and perhaps has a personal experience within true love. The metaphor “star” indicates that no matter where these two lovers are, their love will always rejoice and connect. Furthermore, in the Elizabethan era, people believed that stars predicted event which would occur. Also, it was used to help people navigate in order to reach their