William Shakespeare s Romeo And Juliet - 1378 Words

Written in the late 14th century, William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet has copious imagery, displaying the relationship between cruelty and affection in the play. Multiple times, Romeo and Juliet’s seemingly incorruptible love for each other is conflicted by violent acts occurring around them. In their dialogue, saturated with light and dark imagery, brutality is shown dominating Romeo and Juliet’s relationship. The sensory images provide a very sharp contrast in the play. Shakespeare’s use of light and dark is versatile, emphasizing the connection between the characters and also the violence occurring in context of the scene. In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, contrasting light and dark images symbolize the acts of violence that†¦show more content†¦/ Night’s candles are burnt out, and jocund day/ Stands tiptoe on the misty mountain tops†¦Yond light is not daylight, I know it, I./ It is some meteor that the sun exhaled/ To be to thee this night a torchbearer/ And light thee on thy way to Mantua.† (Shakespeare III.v. 6-15). Romeo is grounded in reality, explaining to Juliet that he cannot stay, as day is coming, and he will meet his death by the prince. However, Juliet, wanting to savor her last moments with Romeo, calls the light a blessing, helping Romeo escape. Furthermore, Romeo and Juliet do not only leave one another physically, as their love is also broken during the scene, due to the threat of execution if they do not comply. Shakespeare uses vivid imagery to describe how they part, as his: â€Å"†¦imagination [is] functioning at its highest lyrical intensity, with interwoven symbols of nightingale and lark, darkness and light, death and love,† (Goddard 12). His use of these ideas shows the Romeo and Juliet cannot continue to be together, as violence pervades their lives, leading up to their tragic end. The copious imagery in this sentimental scene shows how violence restricts R omeo and Juliet’s love during the play. Similarly, Romeo gives a beaming soliloquy near Juliet’s balcony, praising Juliet’s beauty and pronouncing his love for her through images of light. Obviously infatuated with Juliet, Romeo compares her to the glistening sun, killing the