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How Does Shakespeare Use Juxtaposition In Romeo And Juliet

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Shakespeare was one of the best English playwrights of the Renaissance. During his lifetime he wrote 37 plays and 154 sonnets and in many these he uses paradoxes, oxymorons and puns for comedic relief and to describe characters. Shakespeare uses juxtapositions to show the details and emotions of complex characters in Romeo and juliet. Shakespeare uses juxtaposition to give the reader an insight into Juliet’s character because she hates Romeo for killing Tybalt but she loves him too. Juliet is angry at Romeo but she can not get over that she is his wife. Shakespeare writes, “O serpent heart, hid with a flowering face! / Did ever dragon keep such fair cave? / Beautiful tyrant. Fiend angelica”(3.2.1-31). Juliet still loves Romeo but she feels betrayed because Romeo killed Tybalt, but she is his wife, and he is so good looking to her. Further into the scene she continues on about how Romeo is so terrible but so great at the same time. Shakespeare writes, “Was ever book containing such vile matter / So fairly bound? O that deceit should dwell in such a gorgeous …show more content…

Friar Laurence says, “These violent delights have violent ends / And in their triumph die, like fire and powder”(2.6.9-15). Friar Laurence is trying to warm them about how fast they are going could end up in their demise. Friar Laurence then says that “Therefore love moderately; long doth so; / Too swift arrives as tardy as too slow”(2.6.9-15). Friar Laurence is continuing to try to tell them to slow down and to make careful and good decisions because the consequences could be dire. In summary, this gives a great example of Friar Laurence's character because he is thinking this is going way too fast, but he is eager to stop the constant bloodshed between the two

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