Imagery
Death Imagery:
Throughout the play Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare uses death imagery to help develop plot. In the play Friar Lawrence says, "These violent delights have violent ends, And in their triumph die like fire and powder" (Shakespeare II.vi.9-10). The Friar says this to Romeo while they are talking about his love for Juliet. He is explaining to Romeo that his love with Juliet may be good now, but it might not end so well. When he says, "And in their triumph die like fire and powder" (Shakespeare II.vi.10), he is telling Romeo to be careful. Fire and powder make an explosion so he is warning Romeo of the consequences of rushing into things. This quote is used to develop the plot of the play because it is foreshadowing future events. The Friar is telling Romeo not to rush into things with Juliet and he is laying out some of the consequences. Of course because Romeo does not listen to the Friar, we can all guess that things will not end well for Romeo and Juliet. Another example of death imagery in this play is, "O God, I have an ill-divining soul! Methinks I see thee now, thou art so low, As one dead in the bottom of a tomb. Either my eyesight fails, or thou look'st pale" (Shakespeare III.v.54-57). Juliet says this to Romeo just after he climbed down from her balcony. Because he is now on the ground and Juliet is still on the balcony, she says he is so low and compares him to a dead body in a tomb. This helps to develop plot because the line is forshadowing the future. Juliet compares Romeo to being dead in a tomb when in the end, that's exactly what happens. The last example of death imagery in the play is when Juliet says, "Delay this marriage for a month, a week, Or if you do not, make the bridal bed In that dim monument where Tybalt lies" (Shakespeare III.v.199-201). Juliet does not want to marry the County Paris because she is in love with Romeo. In this line she is telling her mother and father to postpone or cancel the wedding, or she might as well be dead. This line helps develop the plot, and also Juliet's character. It helps to develop plot because again, it is foreshadowing the future. She says she would rather be dead than be married to Paris, and she does end up dying before her wedding. The quote also helps to develop Juliet's character because at the beginning of the play she was quiet and reserved, and did not like Romeo very much. The quote shows the change in her character because now she is willing to die for Romeo because she is so 'in love'.
Light & Darkness Imagery:
Shakespeare also uses light and darkness imagery to help develop plot, theme, character, and setting throughout Romeo and Juliet. In the play Benvolio says, "Blind is his love, and best befits the dark" (Shakespeare II.ii.32). In this line, he is talking about Romeo's so called 'love' for Juliet. Benvolio is saying that Romeo does not know what true love is because he falls in and out of it so quickly. When he says, "and best befits the dark" (Shakespeare II.ii.32), Benvolio is saying that Romeo's love is better for the dark because in reality (light) Romeo Montegue and Juliet Capulet could never be together. This line helps develop plot because it shows that they will never truly be able to be together. It also helps develop the theme that teenagers tend to fall in and out of love quickly, because Romeo was just recently in love with Rosaline and doesn't truly know what love is. Another example of light and darkness imagery is when Romeo says, "O blessed, blessed night! I am afeard, Being in night, all this is but a dream, Too flattering-sweet to be substantial" (Shakespeare II.ii.139-141). Romeo says this to Juliet after they swear their love for eachother on Juliet's balcony. Romeo is saying that he loves the night because he can be with Juliet, but he also fears that the night may just be a dream because it seems too good to be real. This quote helps develop the setting because Romeo is saying that he loves the night because he can be with Juliet. This shows the audience that it is night when he says this, and that they will probably continue to see eachother during the nights. The quote also helps to develop the plot because Romeo is afraid that his love for Juliet is too good to be true. Even though everything may seem fine now, it is foreshadowing at the future and that maybe their love will not work out. The last example of light and darkness imagery in the play is when Juliet says, "Come, gentle Night, come, loving, black-brow'd Night, Give me my Romeo, and when I shall die, Take him and cut him out in little stars, And he will make the face of heaven so fine That all the world will be in love with night" (Shakespeare III.ii.20-24), Juliet says this line while she waits for the night to come, and Romeo along with it. She cannot wait for the night, because that is the time when she is able to see Romeo and spend time with him. When she says, "and when I shall die, Take him and cut him out in little stars, And he will make the face of heaven so fine That all the world will be in love with night" (Shakespeare III.ii.21-24), Juliet is saying that after she dies to put Romeo's face upon the stars, so that the rest of the world can be in love with the night like her. Juliet is in love with the night because that is the only time that she can see Romeo. The night is also the only time that we are able to see the stars, so by putting Romeo's face with the stars the rest of the world will love the night, because they can see Romeo too. This helps develop the plot because it shows us that Romeo and Juliet are not supposed to be together. They see eachother in the darkness so that nobody else will see them which shows that their love may not work out. It also helps to develop Juliet's character and the theme that teenagers tend to fall in and out of love quickly because Juliet barely knows Romeo, but claims to be so in love with him that she wants the world to feel it too.
Throughout the play Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare uses death imagery to help develop plot. In the play Friar Lawrence says, "These violent delights have violent ends, And in their triumph die like fire and powder" (Shakespeare II.vi.9-10). The Friar says this to Romeo while they are talking about his love for Juliet. He is explaining to Romeo that his love with Juliet may be good now, but it might not end so well. When he says, "And in their triumph die like fire and powder" (Shakespeare II.vi.10), he is telling Romeo to be careful. Fire and powder make an explosion so he is warning Romeo of the consequences of rushing into things. This quote is used to develop the plot of the play because it is foreshadowing future events. The Friar is telling Romeo not to rush into things with Juliet and he is laying out some of the consequences. Of course because Romeo does not listen to the Friar, we can all guess that things will not end well for Romeo and Juliet. Another example of death imagery in this play is, "O God, I have an ill-divining soul! Methinks I see thee now, thou art so low, As one dead in the bottom of a tomb. Either my eyesight fails, or thou look'st pale" (Shakespeare III.v.54-57). Juliet says this to Romeo just after he climbed down from her balcony. Because he is now on the ground and Juliet is still on the balcony, she says he is so low and compares him to a dead body in a tomb. This helps to develop plot because the line is forshadowing the future. Juliet compares Romeo to being dead in a tomb when in the end, that's exactly what happens. The last example of death imagery in the play is when Juliet says, "Delay this marriage for a month, a week, Or if you do not, make the bridal bed In that dim monument where Tybalt lies" (Shakespeare III.v.199-201). Juliet does not want to marry the County Paris because she is in love with Romeo. In this line she is telling her mother and father to postpone or cancel the wedding, or she might as well be dead. This line helps develop the plot, and also Juliet's character. It helps to develop plot because again, it is foreshadowing the future. She says she would rather be dead than be married to Paris, and she does end up dying before her wedding. The quote also helps to develop Juliet's character because at the beginning of the play she was quiet and reserved, and did not like Romeo very much. The quote shows the change in her character because now she is willing to die for Romeo because she is so 'in love'.
Shakespeare also uses light and darkness imagery to help develop plot, theme, character, and setting throughout Romeo and Juliet. In the play Benvolio says, "Blind is his love, and best befits the dark" (Shakespeare II.ii.32). In this line, he is talking about Romeo's so called 'love' for Juliet. Benvolio is saying that Romeo does not know what true love is because he falls in and out of it so quickly. When he says, "and best befits the dark" (Shakespeare II.ii.32), Benvolio is saying that Romeo's love is better for the dark because in reality (light) Romeo Montegue and Juliet Capulet could never be together. This line helps develop plot because it shows that they will never truly be able to be together. It also helps develop the theme that teenagers tend to fall in and out of love quickly, because Romeo was just recently in love with Rosaline and doesn't truly know what love is. Another example of light and darkness imagery is when Romeo says, "O blessed, blessed night! I am afeard, Being in night, all this is but a dream, Too flattering-sweet to be substantial" (Shakespeare II.ii.139-141). Romeo says this to Juliet after they swear their love for eachother on Juliet's balcony. Romeo is saying that he loves the night because he can be with Juliet, but he also fears that the night may just be a dream because it seems too good to be real. This quote helps develop the setting because Romeo is saying that he loves the night because he can be with Juliet. This shows the audience that it is night when he says this, and that they will probably continue to see eachother during the nights. The quote also helps to develop the plot because Romeo is afraid that his love for Juliet is too good to be true. Even though everything may seem fine now, it is foreshadowing at the future and that maybe their love will not work out. The last example of light and darkness imagery in the play is when Juliet says, "Come, gentle Night, come, loving, black-brow'd Night, Give me my Romeo, and when I shall die, Take him and cut him out in little stars, And he will make the face of heaven so fine That all the world will be in love with night" (Shakespeare III.ii.20-24), Juliet says this line while she waits for the night to come, and Romeo along with it. She cannot wait for the night, because that is the time when she is able to see Romeo and spend time with him. When she says, "and when I shall die, Take him and cut him out in little stars, And he will make the face of heaven so fine That all the world will be in love with night" (Shakespeare III.ii.21-24), Juliet is saying that after she dies to put Romeo's face upon the stars, so that the rest of the world can be in love with the night like her. Juliet is in love with the night because that is the only time that she can see Romeo. The night is also the only time that we are able to see the stars, so by putting Romeo's face with the stars the rest of the world will love the night, because they can see Romeo too. This helps develop the plot because it shows us that Romeo and Juliet are not supposed to be together. They see eachother in the darkness so that nobody else will see them which shows that their love may not work out. It also helps to develop Juliet's character and the theme that teenagers tend to fall in and out of love quickly because Juliet barely knows Romeo, but claims to be so in love with him that she wants the world to feel it too.
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