Romeo And Juliet Figurative Language

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What is the difference between saying “yes” or “yeah”? How do these replies, though they have the same meaning, alter one’s perception of the speaker’s level of education, sophistication and personality? William Shakespeare successfully explores the effect of speaking mannerism on perception in his tragedy Romeo and Juliet as characters use differing meters, length of sentences, diction and figurative language in order to enhance characterization. Thus, it is undeniable that Shakespeare masterfully manipulates language in Romeo and Juliet in order to reveal social class and develop character. This will become indisputable through a detailed exploration of the use of language in different social classes and the effect of language on character development. In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare uses varying meters and quantities of literary devices in order to differentiate the upper class from the lower class. The higher …show more content…

This is proven when Lady Capulet raves about Paris’ beauty, stating, “Read o’er the volume of young Paris’ face,/ And find delight writ there with beauty’s pen;/ Examine every married lineament,/ And see how one another lends content;/ And what obscur’d in this fair volume lies/ Find written in the margent of his eyes./ This precious book of love, this unbound lover,/ To beautify him, only lacks a cover” (1.3.82-89). Through this quotation, the audience is made aware that Lady Capulet is of high social class as she speaks in iambic pentameter, displaying a superior level of education, which is only accessible to the upper class citizens. Furthermore, her dialogue is rich in figurative language as she uses an extended metaphor to compare Paris to a novel, consequently displaying her ability to paint vivid images in the audience’s mind, proving her to be well-educated

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