Use Of Light And Dark Imagery In Romeo And Juliet By William Shakespeare

Shakespeares’s use of light and dark imagery contributes to the longing tone of the play, giving the audience insight to Romeo’s thoughts that justify his actions. Romeo uses light and dark imagery in his reaction to Juliet’s beauty when he says;

“The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars
As daylight doth a lamp; her eyes in heaven
Would through the region stream so bright
That birds would sing and think it were not night (II. ii. 9-12).”

By this point in the play, Romeo knows that Juliet is a Capulet, but the more he is in the presence of Juliet’s beauty, the less he can stand the idea of being away from her. This ideology is presented to the audience when Romeo associates Juliet with lighting up the night. Romeo’s happiness

is represented by light, and his sadness is represented by darkness/night. This creates a longing tone in Romeo’s words, and the association of Juliet with light emphasizes his desperation to be with her despite the family feud that drives them apart.

Romeo also uses light imagery and a longing tone when he says “A thousand times the worse, to want thy light!(II. ii. 172)” Since Romeo’s mind is clouded with thoughts of Juliet, he has no room for reasoning. The association of Juliet with light tells the audience that she is the source of Romeo’s happiness. The darkness would be associated with the depression that Romeo would feel if he lost Juliet. This shows that Romeo is willing do anything to be with Juliet, justifying his impulsive actions throughout the play such as being married after such a short relationship, or killing himself when he thought Juliet had died, creating the theme of impulsiveness throughout the play. In addition to the theme of impulsiveness, the theme of haste plays an important role in the audience’s understanding of events. Instinctively, Romeo wants to be with Juliet because she makes him happy when nothing else does. Being without her causes Romeo pain, so he makes hasty decisions to alleviate that pain. For example, when someone touches a hot pan, their brain sends signals to their hand, letting the person know that they need to get away from the pan as quickly as possible. This was why Romeo needs to marry Juliet so early in their relationship, and kill himself

when he thinks Juliet is dead. The pain that Romeo feels when he is not around Juliet was so severe that his mind makes him act hasteful. Even if dire consequences result from these actions, nothing matters at that moment other than being with Juliet. The light and dark imagery used throughout the play provides insightful comparisons that strengthen the audience’s understanding of Romeo’s emotions, and the impulsive and hasty actions that result from them.