Examples Of Oxymorons In Romeo And Juliet

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Juliet’s soliloquy in Act II, scene ii, line 74-84 of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is a significant passage as it helps to develop the theme, love is powerful, through the use of oxymoron’s, metaphors and personification. Primarily, in this passage, Juliet mentions many oxymorons after receiving the news about Romeo’s banishment and Tybalt’s death which makes it significant. This is a quotation from the passage that included the use of oxymorons in the play, “Beautiful tyrant! Fiend angelica!” (III. ii. 76), / “A Damned saint, an honorable villain!” (III. ii. 79). The use of an oxymoron’s in this passage informs the reader or the audience that Romeo is still the love of Juliet’s life even though he just killed Tybalt, her cousin, …show more content…

The use of words that are opposing to one another is what makes it an oxymoron and Shakespeare applies it in the play to show how Juliet is willing to excuse Romeo for what he did. Juliet is about to doubt her love to Romeo by yet she is praising him and based on what she is saying, she is not extremely angry or sad about what happened but yet she is questioning why and how Romeo changed, this relates to the ongoing theme love is powerful as it shows that Juliet is trying to make Romeo innocent instead of cursing him for what he did to her family. Secondary, the use of metaphor in the passage makes it significant as it shows the relationship between Romeo and Juliet after the incident.“O serpent heart hid with a flowering face!” (III. …show more content…

ii. 78). The metaphor was used in the quotation, listed above, Romeo was compared to a snake who is trying to blend into a flower and then he was compared to a raven who is cover with another bird’s fur which means he was not himself. Romeo is known as the friendly Montague who is well respected by everyone in Verona, the murder of Tybalt really made the people hate him as he was a friendly lamb who went hunting like a wolf. All of this was told to show that Romeo is innocent and what he did was not intentioned. Usually when one commits a crime, anyone surrounds them will leave them or when they want something they will never be trusted by anyone but no for Juliet, she is trying to come up of a reason of why Romeo could have killed Tybalt and that all because of her love to Romeo and it related to the theme, love is powerful, because it shows that Juliet is willing to betray her family and go against them to ensure that Romeo is a hero to her. Finally, the use of personification in this passage shows how Romeo is still the same to Juliet after what he did, which makes it significant. So fairly bound? Oh, that deceit should dwell / In such a gorgeous palace! (III. ii.

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