How Does Shakespeare Use Figurative Language

Have you ever wondered why Shakespeare uses so many descriptive words that could really be said in one? Or why some characters speak in rhyme and sometimes not? Shakespeare writes in this way to show how the characters feel through the rhythmic and descriptive words that they use. How the characters speak also shows how sincere and loving they are. Shakespeare had a way of writing that informed us about the characters and what we needed to know about them and also makes it interesting to read.

Shakespeare uses metaphors and figures throughout his plays to give the reader and audience a further understanding of the story he is telling. In Metaphors We Live By, it is stated that “…Metaphorical expressions in everyday language can give us insight into the metaphorical nature of concepts that structure our everyday activities…” (Lakoff & Johnson 7). Through these conceits Shakespeare expands a normal idea and transforms it into

William Shakespeare, a genius of his time and author of Romeo and Juliet, created conflicting ideas between true love and courtly love throughout his play. He defines true love as clear and simple, and courtly love as complex and not legitimate. In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare uses figurative language to show the contrast between true and courtly love.

In the play, Romeo and Juliet, by Shakespeare tells of two families that have a huge grudge. A boy named Romeo and a girl named Juliet fall in love with each other and die in the end. In this play, Shakespeare uses a lot of figurative language throughout. He uses language like metaphors, similes and personification to describe the scenes and characters.

In Romeo and Juliet we learn how Shakespeare uses vivid language to build character and depth in their roles. Shakespeare was a poet, playwright and an actor with a great love for language. Shakespeare was of great importance when it came down to the moulding and developing of the English language. Shakespeare had such an immense love for language that he created neologisms that we use in everyday life. Some of these neologisms he created include words such as puke, lonely, bedroom, democracy etc. in the play he developed numerous characters that played incredibly believable roles. An example of how Shakespeare made his characters believable was Tybalt, who spoke only forty lines in the entire play. Though he

In the Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare uses many motifs to develop the main central idea. One motif he used is light versus dark. The motif of light versus dark in The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is developed by figurative language to demonstrate all of the emotions the two characters have experienced during the play. In the beginning of the play, the motif of light versus dark is displayed through figurative language.

The importance of having an audience connect with characters in literature is how the audience can understand what language the characters are using to convey what they are trying to say about someone or a general theme in an emotional way. In Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, the point of the plot in the passage is that it takes place in the time Romeo is expressing his emotions when he meets Juliet in the masquerade party for the first time. Shakespeare incorporates figurative language to portray how Romeo shows his feelings for Juliet by comparing and personifying her to other objects by using simile and personification. Shakespeare uses figurative language to enhance Romeo’s feelings for someone else by using precise word choice to convey his meaning behind how the

William Shakespeare lived and wrote over 400 years ago, but his wonderful plays continue to entertain and influence the audiences of the Twenty-First Century. Despite the outdated content and language of his works, Shakespeare’s plays remain popular with modern readers and play watchers for another reason. In all of his works, including William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, he uses countless literary devices and techniques to affect the mood of the audience and enhance their enjoyment. He utilizes puns and juxtaposition to create a comical or light hearted mood. He also uses dramatic irony and oxymorons for a dramatic or serious mood. Although Shakespeare’s work does not include modern language or modern situations, the literary devices that he uses work to keep an audience of any time feeling involved

Shakespeare has influenced the way we speak, express ourselves, and enriched the English language is many ways. “Shakespeare introduced nearly 3,000 words into the English language.” (Anderson) Our vocabulary is full of phrases or words from Shakespeare. Without Shakespeare, we would not express ourselves the way we do. “He gave us uniquely vivid ways in which to express hope and despair, sorrow and rage, love and lust.”(Kurlak) The words Shakespeare created are used everyday. “Many words and phrases from his plays and poems have become a common part of everyday speech.” (Popova) Words like addiction, amazement, generous, gloomy, gossip are all commonly used words were all created by and used in Shakespeare 's plays. The list of everyday words from Shakespeare is much larger with words like advertising, blanket, outbreak, and thousands more. “Without him, our vocabulary would be just too different.”(Harris ) As well as words, many of

“The course of true love never did run smooth,” comments Lysander of love’s complications in an exchange with Hermia (Shakespeare I.i.136). Although the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream certainly deals with the difficulty of romance, it is not considered a true love story like Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare, as he unfolds the story, intentionally distances the audience from the emotions of the characters so he can caricature the anguish and burdens endured by the lovers. Through his masterful use of figurative language, Shakespeare examines the theme of the capricious and irrational nature of love.

There are many techniques and and stylists devices that William Shakespeare used in his works. He used a lot while writing Romeo and Juliet, as well. Some of the many devices that he used are full stops, big but words, and lists. These stylistic devices help create emotion, expression, and they set the mood within the works of many authors, not just in drama. William Shakespeare used the stylistic device of bug but words the most.

Shakespeare’s work is littered with metaphors; some which require careful reading to pick up on, while others are easily detectable. Simon Palfrey states that “Shakespeare’s

He uses many terms that are unusual in our time as well as countless examples of figurative language. Shakespeare uses blank verse, oxymorons, and strong vocabulary in order to give insight and meaning to the written word..

The poets use of similes, metaphors and personification is very interesting because he uses irony with each simile, metaphor and personification to describe his mistress and his feeling towards her. Shakespeare uses similes, metaphors and personification to describe

“Each play of Shakespeare is the development of a metaphor or group of metaphors. There is a matrix out of which feeling finds words, emotions take shape and voices become characters. That which is referred to most often- in metaphors, images, allusions and statements- is usually for Shakespeare what is significant” (Rehder 1980 p56)