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How Does Shakespeare Use Figurative Language In Romeo And Juliet

Decent Essays

Just as Mozart was passionate about composing music, Gandhi for advocating non-violence, and Mother Teresa for serving the poor, William Shakespeare’s character of Romeo in The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, also displays the personality trait of being passionate. To be passionate, one must show intense feelings of love for someone or something. In Act II, scene ii of the play, Romeo expresses this passion for Juliet in the form of a soliloquy. This scene ensues in the dark of night while Romeo is observing Juliet from afar. The literary elements and diction in Romeo’s “But soft!” speech in Act II, scene ii, reveal that through his idealized views of Juliet, Romeo can be described as a passionate character. Shakespeare uses figurative language …show more content…

Romeo describes Juliet’s eyes as “two of the fairest stars in all the heaven/ Having some business, do entreat her eyes/ To twinkle in their spheres till they return” (II.ii.15-17). From Romeo’s perspective, Juliet’s eyes are even more beautiful than the stars in the sky. By using the phrase “two of the fairest stars”, Shakespeare illustrates the concept of how Romeo views Juliet with the utmost perfection. Romeo is equating the sparkle and shine in her eyes to that of which a star exudes from light years away. Using words such as “entreat” in the soliloquy, Shakespeare conveys the idea that Romeo believes even the stars are pleading Juliet’s eyes to twinkle in their place if they were to go away. Romeo’s passion later resurfaces in the phrase, “as daylight doth a lamp; her eyes in heaven” (II.ii.20). Romeo is comparing Juliet’s eyes to the way the brightness of daylight overpowers a lamp. The vast difference between the words “lamp” and “daylight” help readers comprehend just how overwhelming and powerful Juliet’s eyes are to Romeo. Daylight, or Juliet’s eyes, are seen as pure, glowing, and radiant while a lamp is perceived as a dull and an artificial form of

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