The use of symbolism was an effective technique to showcase both the dark and light imagery throughout the play. Shakespeare utilises the imagery of dark and light to emphasise the contrast between Romeo and Juliet. When Romeo refers Juliet as “two of the fairest stars in all the heaven” (2.2. 16) as if she was the best thing in all heavens. This evidence shows what Romeo genuinely think of Juliet.
The increasing light represents the obstacles and conflicts they face, while the darkness represents the secrecy and forbidden nature of their love. In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare flexes his diction skills to highlight the theme of love. Romeo and Juliet shape the play by expressing their emotions, thoughts, and conflicts between Romeo and Juliet. When Romeo first lays eyes on Juliet, he drops some poetic lines. In the novel Romeo and Juliet it says “O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!”
Other words that are being compared, are the words Earth and Heaven that are basically opposite of a spectrum, where Earth represents mortals and Heaven represents God. Thus, It is clear that the light vs dark is there, and there is a reason why it is in the play. The night of the party, the party that Capulet was describing as a marvellous event with the best people of the city, is the occasion where Romeo and Juliet meet, fall in love and kiss for the first time. It is a really crucial evening for the story because is where everything starts. The light vs dark archetype has been used in this quote to foreshadow the greatness of the party and how it is going to be important for the course of the story. It has been used to enhance the significance of the night and the conflicts that the party is going to bring. The last example, is in Romeo’s line, right after he met, fell in love and kissed Juliet: “Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon”(2.2.4). Before explaining the light vs dark element in this quote, is better analyse the quote itself to learn the meaning behind it. Romeo compares Juliet, to the sun and its infinite
The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is one of the greatest love stories ever told. This is evident in today’s society, with the story being retold again and again in theatre productions, books, and movie spinoffs. The story is of two lovers, whose love was doomed from the start due to their disputing families, the Capulets and Montagues, who would never see a marriage between the two. Romeo and Juliet eventually take their own lives, ceasing their families’ fighting. William Shakespeare, the playwright who wrote Romeo and Juliet and likely the most famous playwright ever, uses light and dark imagery within the story to highlight the lovers’ affection for one another against the backdrop of their lives. The motif of light and dark is used, with
As the play continues and the continues and the conflicts become more complicated, light vs. dark illustrates that love cannot be conquered by hate. “But soft! What light through yonder window breaks!/it is the East, and Juliet is the sun.” (Romeo, 2.2.3-4). This quote relates to light vs. dark because it shows that Romeo is happy when he sees Juliet and compares her beauty to the sun, which is like the light which the light is also representing that he is happy at the same time
A mentor is someone to look up to when it comes to hard or complicated times in someone's life. In William Shakespeare's play, Romeo and Juliet, two teens from rival families fall in love, and keep their love a secret from their families and friends, in fear of what would come if someone found out. While Romeo and Juliet are keeping their love a secret, they consult Friar to marry them, and later to find a plan to keep Romeo and Juliet together after Romeo gets exiled. Despite Romeo and Juliet fully entrusting Friar Lawrence to keep them together, Friar Lawrence did not think his plan fully through and it ends up getting Romeo and Juliet both killed. In this relationship, Shakespeare makes it apparent that despite that
Some examples of light and dark motifs in Romeo and Juliet are “Juliet describes Romeo as day and night whiter than snow upon a raven's back,” Contrasting love and hate, youth and age, and even when he lies apparently dead in the tomb. In Romeo and Juliet, Romeo is mostly impulsive while Mercutio is realistic, they are both enjoying each other's company and met their death in this tragedy. The contrast of light and dark in Romeo and Juliet are, at most times, the metaphors that create dramatic irony. Also, the light and dark imagery serves as a hint as to how the story would play out. Romeo and Juliet contrast images in their expressions of appreciation for each other.
Before it is day, Juliet alerts Romeo, “‘O, now be gone. More light and light it grows’”, consequently, Romeo claims, “‘More light and light--more dark and dark our woes!’” (Shakespeare 3.5.35-37). After murdering Tybalt, Romeo must leave Verona before daylight arrives. Many times, Romeo and Juliet refer to each other as light in the dark. However, in this case, Romeo reveals that light is their enemy. Unfortunately, Romeo and Juliet are forced by society to hide their love until nighttime. Therefore, when day comes, they are miserable without each other. The dark night reveals how mysterious, dangerous and emotional their love is. Finally, night is the couple’s friend, meanwhile, day is their enemy.
In William Shakespeare’s most familiar work, Romeo and Juliet, the age old tale of star crossed lovers is explored for the first time. The young teenagers are battling against their families’ hate in an attempt to experience love for the first time. They struggle between light and dark forces, pulling at them from either side. However, they themselves are also symbolized by brightness and gloom. Their love is shown as a powerful influence, both light and dark. Destructive and favorable. Deadly and beneficial. Love is a force that can change the world through the slightest gesture or glance and Shakespeare’s use of light and dark imagery in Romeo and Juliet showcases the changes that love can bring upon lovers, family, and friends, for better
Within the play, Shakespeare uses metaphors and imagery to show the contrasting nature of Romeo’s sadness and how Juliet is his light inside his dark depression. In Act 2 Scene 2 Romeo uses the metaphor of “It is the east and Juliet is the sun / Arise fair sun, and kill the envious moon,”(16). This is important because it shows how Romeo views Juliet. When we first meet Romeo in the play he is downcast and miserable, mainly because of the unrequited love he has for Rosaline. It puts him in a dark depression of which he sees no way out of. Thus, when he says “O she doth teach the torches to burn bright!”(13). He is saying that she is his only light in his darkness and he feels that without her light he cannot possibly continue on living. She means that much to him. Juliet is very similar in this regard, however she compares him to something else,
In the play Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare uses the motif of light and darkness to represent newly found love and depression to enhance the characterization of Romeo and Juliet. In the beginning of the play, Shakespeare immediately uses to motif of daylight to represent Romeos’ emotion towards Juliet. “But Juliet's light shows best against the darkness; she "hangs upon the cheek of night / as a rich jewel in an Ethiop's ear"”
The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is one of Shakespeare’s landmark works. In this perilous story of two “star crossed lovers”, he explores the deepest meanings of love and how we perceive it- it’s wonders and delights, as well as its trickery and misfortunes. Throughout the play, Shakespeare uses different symbols to enrich the content of the play. One of the most prevalent of the different symbols that Shakespeare uses to show the contrasting, baffling path that love can take is the concept of lightness and darkness.
William Shakespeare wrote The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, the play of which was so elaborated that it could have infinite central ideas. The author’s great use of word choices and literary terms helps readers better understand the play. The play utilized many different motifs but light vs. dark stuck out to me the most. The things that people you care about the most do, can affect you a lot. Love can put you in serious situations that require serious decisions. The motif light vs. dark in The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is developed by figurative language and imagery to prove how love can make people do crazy things.
Romeo and Juliet, a classic play by William Shakespeare, is known to many as a tragedy. But what makes this play tragic? Audiences favor this story because of the emotions evoked from a tale of love that sees two young souls torn apart. However, Romeo and Juliet when under my own definition of tragedy, does not resemble a tragic play. While the death of Mercutio and the deaths of Romeo and Juliet seem tragic, the story does not show one failing when trying to reach their full potential, instead the audience sees a forbidden love and death as a result, which does not demonstrate tragedy. Instead, Romeo and Juliet face flaws from within their families and society, forcing them to stay apart due to conflict. While both Romeo and Juliet try to reach the goal of being together and fail, the flaws of others cause the conflict, not the flaws of themselves. My definition surrounds the idea that the flaws of oneself leads to his or her demise, meaning that the play misses a key characteristic of the definition of tragedy. Both characters seem to die a “tragic death,” however, their death can only be considered sad or upsetting, especially to the audience. This play instead consists of somber scenes that show aspects of a tragedy, but not enough to place this play in a tragic category in the classic definition or in my own definition because the flaws of the main characters do not cause the fall of the characters as they try to reach their full potential. If a character who fell as a
In William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, light initially portrays positive feelings in the young lovers’ lives and interactions, but later brings sadness and despair, which reinforces an overarching theme in the play that all things have good and bad sides to them, including Romeo and Juliet’s love.
Therefor Shakespeare does often suggests the topic of Light and Dark in relation to the characters of Romeo and Juliet in ways of love, hate, life and death.