In and Out of the Light
Light versus dark is a controversy lasting as long as time. They are opposites, yet they can have similar interpretations. Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, is about two teenagers falling in love secretly due to their parents’ feud. In the end, they both commit suicide because of their love. Woven into the story,is the motif, light and dark imagery. These can be represented in the connotations that the words allude to. Typically, light represents happier or more joyful meanings, and darkness represents topics that are more dreary and unpleasant. However, these interpretations can be flipped depending on circumstances. Throughout Romeo and Juliet, light and dark imagery can illustrate a variety of representations.
…show more content…
For example, during the balcony scene, Romeo whispers, “But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks? / It is the east, and Juliet is the sun. / Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,” (2.2.2-4). He is referring to Juliet as the sun, expressing how beautiful she is. He also tells her to kill the moon because that alludes to the goddess of chastity. In this moment, light is used to represent beauty and desire whereas darkness is unwanted and unromantic. He later calls her a “bright angel” (2.2.26). He means she is as pure and pretty as an angel and, again, references her beauty. Later, Friar Laurence proclaims, "The grey-eyed morn smiles on the frowning night, / Chequering the eastern clouds with streaks of light, / And fleckled darkness like a drunkard reels” (2.3.1-3). The ‘frowning night’ is showing the uncertainty and danger of darkness. Also, comparing darkness to a drunkard is showing how cautionless and uncontrollable it can be. While Juliet waits for Romeo, she says,”Come, night, come, Romeo, come, thou day in night;” (3.2.17). She wants the night or darkness to come because it brings Romeo. Here, darkness represents romance, desire, and freedom. In a later scene, Romeo declares, “More light and light; more dark and dark our woes!” (3.5.36). At this time, Romeo even says with the light, their problems get worse. Light is representing them having to be separated and is less prefered than …show more content…
Throughout the story, the representations of light and dark change on several occasions. First, in the beginning, Romeo is referring to Juliet as an angel and the sun. This light is used to show her beauty and his desire. He also refers to the moon and darkness as unwanted due to its lack of romance (2.2.4). The characters, in the beginning of the story, make light seem desirable and have a positive connotation, where darkness is negative. However, as the story continues, this changes. Shakespeare writes the middle of the story where Romeo and Juliet are falling in love differently. They meet at night because of their secret love. Darkness is shown as being opportunistic and romantic. Light is viewed as a negative aspect due to the problems it brings to the surface. Romeo and Juliet highlights this change, but the transformations do not stop there. The end of the story is where Romeo and Juliet are in the tomb and are then found dead. Light, again, means beauty and pleasantness, whereas dark represents sorrow and gloom. Shakespeare uses this technique of switching to highlight the power of love and the outcomes of the feud. Before Romeo and Juliet were together, the world was as it is usually. When they are together, their worlds are, in a sense, flipped upside down. They have to make what they can out of their relationship, even if it is the
Juliet is brighter than the torches which light the whole room and that she teaches them to be as bright as she is. Romeo then goes on to talk of Juliet as "a snowy dove trooping with crows," saying that Juliet is a bright, white dove, a symbol of peace. walking among black crows; she stands out like a beacon of light in the dark. Romeo then asks. My heart loves it till now, forswear it.
William Shakespeare is amazing at using extended metaphor in Romeo and Juliet to show love between the characters, the word choice that Shakespeare uses to write extended metaphor is very detailed. During the balcony scene, Romeo says something towards Juliet which is an extended metaphor which shows love Romeo said, “Juliet is the sun. Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, who is already sick and pale with grief that thou her maid art far more fair than she” (Shakespeare 2.2.3-5). What this means is that Juliet is being compared to the sun and Romeo is telling Juliet to arise beautiful woman and kill the envious moon so Juliet is a fair sun which has to destroy the darkness which is the moon. Romeo is saying that Juliet is as beautiful as the sun which shines over the world they live in. A little later during the balcony scene, Romeo uses extended metaphor again to compare Juliet to something good. Romeo is in love with Juliet and her beauty because Romeo always complements Juliet with something lovely and he speaks of Juliet in a nice way. For example, Romeo says “O, speak again, bright angel, for thou art as glorious to this night, being o’er my head as is a winged messenger of heaven unto the white-upturned wondering eyes” (Shakespeare 2.2.29-32). This really shows the love that Romeo has for Juliet because he compares her to a bright angel and being compared to an angel shows that she’s very glorious and mighty with beautiful features. Also, Romeo complements Juliet’s eyes again saying that her eyes are awestruck and so pretty that all mortals fall back to gaze this shows that Romeo is in love with all of her beauties and all the other people are too. Romeo says a lot of extended metaphor during the play to compare Juliet to things that are of beauty and not something that is horrible thus extended metaphor is used to show the love between
An example of this is “Spread thy close curtain, love-performing night, That runaways’ eyes may wink and Romeo leap to these arms, untalk’d of an unseen”. Juliet is longing for Romeo to come and consummate their marriage at night, which is when they can be together, as their relationship is too unnatural for them to meet at day, due to the hatred of their families. It is further proven that the dark imagery represents passion. Juliet is passionate about Romeo, as she has made up her mind to give her maidenhood to him, which is something she can never undo. An additional quote is “Night's candles are burnt out, and jocund day stands tiptoe on the misty mountain tops. I must be gone and live, or stay and die… Let me be ta’en, let me be put to death; I am content, so thou wilt have it so“. Romeo has just consummated his marriage with Juliet. He says that the stars are gone, and that daylight is coming. Romeo must leave, as Verona is waking up, and he will be killed if he is seen with Juliet. Even with this risk, he considers staying with Juliet, as he enjoys being with her. Dark imagery is used to show how passionate Romeo is about Juliet. He made their marriage legal, and is even considering risking death to stay with her longer. He has permanently committed to her, and cannot go back. As the evidence presented shows, the dark imagery in Romeo and Juliet reflects the theme of passion.
Duality are opposites being evil or good, love or hate, life or death. In the story of Romeo and Juliet one of the Friars makes a connection between man and a plant. The Friar states “In man as well as herbs, grace and rude will” ( Act II Scene III Line 35-6 ) this comparison is conveying how closely human's nature is related to those of plants. Both have power to be used as medicine but have enough potential to be used as something harmful. The story of Romeo and Juliet is full of opposites, including the two main families: the Montagues and the Capulets they have been sworn to hate each other. The two main characters that fall in love with each other are from different families. Romeo and Juliet are suppose to feel loathe against each other, but on the contrary they fall in love. When Juliet finds out of the devastating news that Romeo is a Montague, she states “My only love sprung from my only hate! Too early seen unknown known too late! Prodigious birth of love it is to me, that i must love a loathed enemy”(Act I Scene V Line 53-4). The hatred between the families caused the deaths of Juliet and Romeo. The deaths are a used as pathway for both families to live in peace. Prince Escalus sums it up by saying “a glooming peace this morning with it brings. The sun for shadow will not show his head (Act V Scene III Line 309-310 )”. By saying this he is trying to tell us that out of misery and woe
As Mehmet Murat İldan once quoted, “A man who refused light will remain in darkness even by the side of light.” Throughout Romeo and Juliet, light and dark imagery is used to intensify the tragedy in this story. Romeo exists in a dark, depressed state while thinking about his first love, Rosaline. Romeo doesn’t ever think he will be happy or see light again, yet Shakespeare provides light imagery that implies Romeo could have a positive future. Light imagery conveys that Juliet, a beautiful, young girl full of hope, dreams of bringing Romeo out of the artificial darkness he creates for himself. Shakespeare uses light and dark imagery in many ways, including setting the mood, capturing the characters’ personalities, and developing the characters
On first seeing Juliet, Romeo exclaims, "O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright! / It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night / Like a rich jewel in an Ethiope's ear; … So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows" (Act 1 Scene 5 Lines 44-48) Romeo describes Juliet's beauty in terms of light and dark. "She doth teach the torches to burn bright" means both that her beauty is brighter than the light of any torch and that she makes the whole room light up. The brightness of Juliet's beauty is made even brighter by the contrasts with the blackness of the "Ethiope" and the blackness of crows. The use of antithesis with the "snowy doves" and the "crows" creates a powerful opposing force showing how she stands out from the others. Another interpretation of the dove is that it is a symbol of peace and sets in place an image of Romeo and Juliet's love creating peace between the two rival families. Another moment is when Juliet is waiting for Romeo to come to her bed. In her imagination, the night will bring her love. She goes on to say, "Spread thy close curtain, love-performing night, / That runaways' eyes may wink and Romeo" (Act 3 Scene 2 Lines 5-6). Juliet is seeing things as though she is in bed, the curtains are closed, creating a dark atmosphere where they act their love. In the dark, the pair will create their own light, because "Lovers can see to do their amorous rites / By their own beauties" The use of courtly love is very common in theatres at the time of Romeo and Juliet because in those days people would dream and fantasize about courtly love and was an entertaining
Shakespeare has many prime examples of symbolism in Romeo and Juliet that helps the audience understand the relationship love and hate have, and how it relates to the plot. One example is of the light and dark (day and night). Although the day has the sun and is brighter and happier, their love flourishes in the dark. Due to this, Romeo constantly refers to Juliet as the sun. When Romeo is observing Juliet at her deathbed, he states, “For here lies Juliet, and her beauty makes This vault a feasting presence full of light” (5.3 85-86) Even when Juliet is dead, Romeo proclaims that her beauty makes the vault full of light. Even when she is no longer alive, she is still the sun. Although people don’t consider death and beauty to be at all related, these two contradictions fit well together. Throughout all of these examples, Shakespeare represents that love and hate need each other to survive, just like the day and night, the light and dark, and the death and
Romeo and Juliet is a play about two young lovers, whose love was destined for destruction from the beginning because of the hatred between the two families, Montagues and Capulets. Shakespeare juxtaposes the themes of love and hatred. He continuously puts them side by side, and even though they are opposites, when seen together you realise that they are driven from the same thing; passion. Shakespeare uses many different language and dramatic techniques to convey this idea.
Also the night will shield them from anyone seeing when they make love to each other. From this we can tell that darkness is one of the main themes in the story as it revolves around tragedy and misfortune because many characters die. Juliet shows us that she wants the darkness to come when she says: 'And bring in cloudy night immediately. Spread thy close curtain, love performing night' Not only does this quote indicate to us that Juliet wishes for the night to come however, it tells us that she wishes to make love to Romeo: 'So tedious is this day' Also this quote tells us that she cannot wait for the day to be over.
On first seeing Juliet, Shakespeare uses light and dark imagery to emphasise Juliet’s beauty. Romeo exclaims ‘O, she [Juliet] doth teach the torches to burn bright!’ he describes Juliet’s beauty as being brighter than the light of a torch. Light and dark imagery is used to create mood and show contrast as the light of a torch is used to show the way in darkness and is also suggested to be a beacon of hope, this proposes Romeo was in the dark and Juliet is his light to guide the way. Romeo also compares Juliet to ‘a rich jewel in an Ethiop’s ear’ the bright glare of Juliet’s looks are made even brighter as a ‘bright jewel’ contrasts against the darkness of an ‘Ethiop’s ear’, this simile is used to highlight Juliet as a rare, unique...
Juliet’s personification of night identifying the secrecy of darkness as a positive quality is also Juliet defending her own secrecy. Literally, darkness makes Romeo and Juliet’s love possible by masking it from their parents. Juliet asks in the beginning of the soliloquy, “spread thy close curtain, love-performing night, / That runaways’ eyes may wink” (3.2.4-5). The night’s darkness hides Romeo and Juliet’s love much as a curtain blocks the view of a room from curious onlookers. If anyone were to see, Juliet’s reputation would have suffered greatly, as well as her relationship with Romeo. Later on, Juliet asks the night, “Hood my unmanned blood; bating in my cheeks,” (3.2.13) Not only is Juliet thankful that night will allow her to meet Romeo in secret, she is also thankful that the night conceals her affection for him. Women in Verona were expected to be polite and moderate, yet Juliet’s affection fo...
When we look at the text closely Juliet uses the word black a lot, with thy black mantel and black-brown night. When the word black is used when we think of death, which evidently occurs a few times in the play. Juliet also uses words like 'hooded' which again. makes us think of death. In her speech she uses pathetic fallacy when she says 'cloudy night', which also suggests negative feelings.
Shakespeare used antithesis to show the love and hate of Romeo and the good and the bad that the Friar sees in the plants. When talking to Benvolio, Romeo said, “Here is much to do with hate but more with love.”(1.1.172). This is the contrast between the hate between the families along with the love they share for fighting. Even though Romeo is only talking about the fight on the street the audience knows it is bigger then that. The friar while out in his garden is setting the scene with this line, “The grey-eyed morn smiles on the frowning night,” (2.3.1). This is the difference between the night and the day. Through this the audience knows it is dawn. The friar then moves on to compare the dangerous and wonders of nature and the plants, “With baleful weeds and precious-juiced flowers.” (2.3.8). This indicates the deathly plants yet they have flowers that can be helpful to man. While he is talking about the plants, the audience if paying attention compares this to Romeo and Juliet’s relationship. This demonstrates that the antithesis is greatly used to allow the audience to see both sides of the story.
Light and darkness represent the tragedies that took place throughout the play. Light represents the good things that happen and darkness represents bad or evil things. One example of light is when Macbeth was given the thane of Gladis he was very elated and there was sunshine at that time. But for darkness its the opposite all the bad events took place during the night for example when Macbeth goes to kill king Duncan because of greed he wasn't happy with the position he received he wanted to be king so he can have more power . Another example of Darkness is when the witches come to tell him his prophecy (I, iii, 125). This is a type of tragic situation because if the witches hadn't appeared and told Macbeth that he would be king he wouldn't have so much lust. In this scene Macbeth describes the witch as an ugly old lady dressed in black. The color black represents the witch’s evil nature. Shakespeare used this traditional symbol through the play to focus on the Elizabethan concept of the Great Chain. When the chain is in order everything is good and there is light. When the chain is violated bad things happen and there is evil and darkness. When Macbeth committed the act of killing Banqu...
Shakespeare emphasizes the optimism of the scene by using language that creates positive connotations of the dark - to contrast the depressive connotations of act one, scene two. Romeo is grateful for 'night's cloak' which allows him to visit Juliet in secret without being captured and killed by the guards. This notion is developed later in the play - Romeo and Juliet meet primarily in the night-time whilst the main acts of violence occur during the day. this manipulation of stereotypical imagery, combined with the sense of contrasting and conflicting emotions.