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Essay On Light And Dark In Romeo And Juliet

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“It is often in the darkest skies that we see the brightest stars”. (Richard Evans) In William Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet, Juliet is Romeo’s “brightest star”. During his time of depression and remorse, she arrives in his life and becomes his light in the darkness. While only being together for just a few mere days, their love rapidly develops, and they soon become infatuated with one another. Because Romeo and Juliet’s love for each other increases throughout the duration of the play, Shakespeare uses light and dark imagery to express the meaning and effect of their love on the characters. Shakespeare ucses multiple references of light and dark to emphasize the powerful love of Romeo and Juliet antd the changing emotions they experience throughout their short lives. For example, when Romeo first sees Juliet at the party, he says, “O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright” (I, v, 49) , meaning Juliet’s beauty is so radiant, she must be the one who “teaches the torches how to burn”. This account of light is one of the first in which Romeo experiences …show more content…

A physical example is the frequent meetings of Romeo and Juliet during the nighttime, as to conceal their secret affair and prevent exposure. When Romeo and Juliet meet at night for the first time, they reveal their feelings for each other and use light and dark metaphors to convey their emotions. Romeo stares wonderously at Juliet and compares the brightness of her eyes to that of stars, “Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven, having some business, do entreat in her eyes to twinkle in their spheres till they return.” (II, ii, 15-17) Shortly after Romeo marvels at her beauty, Juliet explains that if the “mask of night” were not upon her face, Romeo would see her blushing. The nighttime darkness is once again aiding in the obscurity of their

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