Investigating How Juliet’s Language Reflects Her Character
Juliet uses many variations of language during the play. Her use of
rhyme, imagery and irony develops her character. Her character changes
during the play and so does her mood. The different types of language,
which are used, reflect her moods and emotions.
When the audience first meets Juliet she speaks very little. Of the
107 lines in Act one Scene three, she says only six; whereas the
nurse, a relatively minor character, speaks at great length. Therefore
Juliet appears to be shy and modest. In this scene Juliet is a
well-mannered child. She’s polite when she tells the nurse to be quiet
saying, ‘stint thou too, I pray thee’. This gives the audience the
impression that Juliet is well-mannered and obedient. However in the
scene when we first meet her she doesn’t always mean what she says.
Towards the end of Act one Scene three, when Juliet replies to Lady
Capulet’s question, Shakespeare uses rhyme when she says, ‘ But no
more will I endart mine eye/ Than your consent give strength to make
it fly’. The use of rhyme is generally used to make the words less
serious. This indicates that although she means what she’s saying at
the time, she doesn’t mean she will obey he mother throughout the
play. Juliet has never thought about getting married. This quotation
also tells us that she doesn’t directly answer her mother’s question.
Juliet hasn’t dismissed the thought of getting married, but is hasn’t
crossed her mind before. Mainly Juliet appears to be shy,
well-mannered, modest and a well behaved child. Later on in the play
she behaves very differently. This scene is important beca...
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...l we met at the start of the play, to
the disobedient, mischievous young women at the end. Shakespeare uses
language to reflect the feelings and emotions of Juliet so that the
audience is well informed. Juliet’s love for Romeo grows from strength
to strength. Towards the end of the play Juliet shows absolute
devotion to Romeo. She avoids telling the truth by using irony and
rhyme. Her use of language is advanced showing how mature her
character is; her behavior portrays a different image. Her trust for
Friar Lawrence stays constant throughout most of the play. Juliet
forms a great friendship with the Friar this is why she trusts him to
give her a potion which could kill her. Her character develops during
the course of the play. As the plays goes on she is more outspoken and
decisive and this is what leads to her death.
The Language of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Gibson says that Shakespeare "brilliantly transformed whatever he worked on", through his use of language. Shakespeare was fascinated by language. Throughout the play Romeo and Juliet uses words and tools to do his work and conjure images of every different emotion.
agreed to do as she is told but has given an answer which will please
1968 was a time when many people were 'hippies' and there was a lot of
Three strongly recognised language techniques are used to highlight romance between the two main characters in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The most overwhelming techniques comprised of the poetic text have long been acknowledged as metaphors, personification and symbols. These techniques focus on the devotion and love shared between the romantic ‘Star-crossed Lovers’ throughout the dramatic tragedy.
In Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare the two main characters are Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet. Both teenagers matured and changed during the play, but Juliet’s changes stood out the most. Juliet transformed in less then a week, which says she did not change much, but there is a definite difference in her personality from before she met Romeo to after she married him. There are many events in the book that support that idea. Most of which interact with her mother. Many events towards the ending of the play suggest she is very obstinate, which is quite different from the begging of the play before Juliet even thought of marriage or defying her parents and family.
In the play Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare, the three characters who are to blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet are Friar Laurence, Lady Capulet, and Lord Capulet.
For my first scene I have chosen act 1 scene 5 in which Romeo meets
Language and Dramatic Devices in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Introduction Shakespeare’s play ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is known as a love tragedy. features many rhymed verses, especially when Romeo and Juliet first. speak.
changes as the play progresses. Early on in the play, she is full of ambition;
Juliet as a Disobedient Wretch in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. The quote that Lord Capulet said to Juliet, calling her a "disobedient" wretch" in Act III Scene 5. He enters the play delighted because he has good news that Juliet is going to marry Paris. Juliet refuses this and as soon as Juliet tells Lord Capulet this, he is furious.
In an attempt to push away from medieval love conventions and her father's authority, Shakespeare's Juliet asserts sovereignty over her sexuality. She removes it from her father's domain and uses it to capture Romeo's love. Critic Mary Bly argues that sexual puns color Juliet's language. These innuendoes were common in Renaissance literature and would have been recognized by an Elizabethan audience. Arguably, Juliet uses sexual terms when speaking to Romeo in order to make him aware of her sexuality. When he comes to her balcony, she asks him, "What satisfaction canst thou have tonight?" (2.1.167). Bly asserts that "satisfaction in her hands, becomes a demure play on the sating of desire" (108). Following this pun, Juliet proposes marriage. She teases Romeo with sexual thoughts and then stipulates that marriage must precede the consummation of their love. Juliet uses "death" in a similar sense. She asks night to "Give me my Romeo, and when I shall die / Take him and cut him out in little stars" (3.2.21-22). Death holds a double meaning in these lines. It connotes both "ceasing to be and erotic ecstasy" (Bly 98). Based upon this double meaning, one can infer that "she sweetly asks 'civil night' to teach her how to lose the game of love she is about to play for her virginity" (Wells 921). She tells her nurse, "I'll to my wedding bed, / And death, not Romeo, take my maidenhead!" (3.2.136-137). Placing death opposite Romeo highlights the irony of the situation; both death and Romeo should claim her maidenhead together. These sexual puns reveal Juliet's awareness of her sexuality. She entices Romeo, forcing her sexuality to act as emotional currency.
Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet has been modified numerous times and has been a source of inspiration for many playwrights and directors. Franco Zeffirelli and Baz Luhrmann are examples of directors that use Shakespeare’s legendary tragedy as a basis for their films.
William Shakespeare's Language in Romeo and Juliet. The language plays an important role in “Romeo and Juliet” as it. defines and characterizes the characters in the play. It is used to display which social class they are in, signals the change in the characters and reflects their mood or feelings.
One of the main catalysts in Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet' is powerful, uncontrollable emotions; love, hate, wrath, infatuation, and outrage are all apparent in the play and have a direct impact on the tragic events that unfold. In act one, scene two, the strongest emotions conveyed are those of despair, love and sincerity. Shakespeare uses imagery, figurative language and powerful vocabulary to convey these emotions to the audience.
The light and dark imagery that Shakespeare uses in this passage describes Juliet as a young and eager lover. Romeo associates Juliet with light meaning goodness. Then Romeo says that Juliet looks like the excellent night. The night that Romeo speaks of represents Rosaline. Romeo basically says through with light and dark imagery, that Juliet is as good as Rosaline to love. Romeo then compares Juliet to a "winged messenger of heaven" who filled with lightness and goodness. He says that all humans look upon this kindness as the messenger "bestrides the lazy puffing clouds" while doing his errands. Romeo explains using this imagery that everyone looks at Juliet because she gives off a stunning and intricate outlook.