nd how are these aspects emphasised by Romeo and Juliets use of language? Romeo and Juliet is undoubtedly the most famous love story in English literary history; love is the plays dominant and most important theme. Shakespeare has focused on romanticism, specifically the intense love and passion that flourishes between the two characters after their first sighting of each other.
Love in this play has many guises; it is violent, ecstatic, and an overpowering force that disregards values such as loyalty and emotions. We discover how through their love, Romeo and Juliet become so entwined with each other that they go on to defy families, friends and ruler so they can be together. In fact the love within this play is a powerful and brutal emotion that captures Romeo and Juliet and propels them against their beliefs, their world and at times against themselves. When Romeo first sees Juliet, he is already in love, or so he thinks, as Rosaline dominates his thoughts, so much so that he has become sullen and moody in his thoughts and behaviour. His first sighting of Juliet changes his thoughts completely; he readily admits that until that moment he has never seen true beauty. All he sees in Juliet is something so beautiful and pure that he immediately forgets his love for Rosaline.
He falls instantly in love, and is transfixed by Juliets purity, it is at this moment that his adulation starts. His language becomes filled with religious reflections, and he compares Juliets being to that of saintliness. In Act I Scene V, Shakespeare uses a sonnet for the first dialogue that Romeo and Juliet share; a sonnet has fourteen lies and ten syllables in each line. The rhyme scheme is structured as follows; the first eight lines A-B-A-B-C-D-C-D The following four lines E-F-E-F, the final rhyming couplet G-G.
This is traditionally a love poem about unrequited love, but it is obvious at this early point in the play in the way that the sonnet is shared between both Romeo and Juliet, that the spell that has been cast over Romeo has been cast over Juliet as well. This sets the scene for what is to follow in the rest of the play, and that the relationship will be the main focus point within the play. When Romeo speaks to Juliet he compares her hand to a holy place a shrine which he may defile profane with his hand. He uses a simile to compare his lips to pilgrims that can smooth away the rough touch of the hand with a kiss. Gentle sin is an example of an oxymoron (a contradiction); gentle meaning noble or virtuous (in the 16th Century) while a sin is usually the opposite of noble. Juliet explains that handholding is the right kind of kiss for pilgrims, while lips are for praying.
Romeo’s witty response is to ask for permission to let his lips do what his hands are allowed to and Juliet agrees to grant this for the sake of his prayers. When Romeo kisses her, Juliet says she has received the sin he has purged from himself. Romeo insists at once that he must take it back – and kisses her again!The powerful nature of the love in this play is shown in the language Shakespeare uses to describe it, or to be more precise the way his descriptiveness fails to capture its entirety. The love they share at the end of the first act is that based on looks, beauty and idolisation, and for Romeo this is no longer an unrequited love as was his love for Rosaline. Although we are fully aware of Juliets feelings for Romeo at the end of the first act, Romeo is now totally besotted by Juliet. He idolises her, he is full of adulation and is head over heels in love with a heavenly creature.
Later that evening consumed with love and lust, he scales the Capulets wall and hides below a balconied window. What follows is the aptly named balcony scene, perhaps the most famous scene in the play. Romeo sees Juliet come through the window and starts to deliver a soliloquy. Shakespeare uses this type of monologue to inform the audience of a characters feelings and thoughts.
This helps to create a dramatic irony at the start of this scene. It also helps the audience to understand that much more is to follow in the play. Although this scene takes place late at night, Romeo imagines Juliets beauty is such that is like sunlight and transforms the darkness to daylight. Romeo uses personification in saying Arise fair sun and kill the envious moon Who is already sick and pale with grief. He is saying that the moonlight is paled into insignificance in comparison to Juliets beauty.
He then compares her to the stars, saying that she eclipses the stars as if daylight overpowering a lamp. And her eyes are so bright that she could fool the birds into thinking it was day. This is an important part of the play as it is a prime example of the light/dark and day/night motif that runs throughout the scenes between the two main characters. Juliet is now quite distraught, having found out that her true love is a member of the Montague family.
Romeo, hearing what is being said by Juliet, is keen to speak, but hesitates as to whether to make it known he is there, so he waits to see what else Juliet says. He then hears her asking him to deny his family and denounce his name or her love, she also says that if he cannot denounce these things, but he can say he loves her, she will then denounce her name and defy her family. This is the point that at which Romeo shows himself, much to Juliets surprise. During the remainder of this scene, the conversation is used to show the personal conflicts that both are suffering, it talks of their forbidden love, their mutual attraction, their fear of the consequences and the outside influences of a possible relationship. However it is clear to all the audience that at this stage they are both truly in love with each other. The next time they meet is the day of the wedding.
Although this should be a wonderful and celebrated day their wedding is held in secret. This is a short scene, but the language used when Romeo and Juliet speak to each other is filled with love and is very deep and meaningful. Shakespeare has chosen to use deep imagery in this scene, portraying fire and explosions, ownership, wealth and music. He makes the language light and airy by using musical references. Romeo at this point is nave, and he appears to throw all caution to the wind and only wants Juliet as his bride.
Juliet on the other hand is more realistic, and has restricted vision on how life will be, but they are both extremely happy that they are to be wed. The final scene in which we see Romeo and Juliet together, the roles seem reversed, Romeo is now more practical whilst Juliet appears more carefree. Although they have just spent the night together, Juliet tries to get Romeo to stay a little longer by saying the bird they both heard was in fact a nightingale, not a lark heralding the morning. Romeo however aware that if he stays and is found will be killed knows that he must leave. The scene has a certain amount of playful teasing to it, with Romeo then agreeing with Juliet and saying that he is happy now and if he were to die today he would die happy and contented. Upon hearing this Juliet realises that he must go and live so they can eventually live life together and happy.
Shakespeares use of imagery in this scene relate to the light/dark and day/night motifs used earlier in the play. These images are used to show the contrast in feelings between Romeo and Juliet, and how they both want the same thing but differ in how they feel they can obtain it. There is no doubt that from their original meeting to their final scenes together the chief aspects of the relationship are those of concern, worry, deceit and true love. This is down to the families in which they both come from and the hostility that their relationship will cause.
The language that Shakespeare uses throughout the play mixes various themes religion, light/dark, night/day, moon/sun and also saintliness. During the four scenes that Romeo and Juliet share there are numerous references to the sky, whether it is day/night or moon/sun/stars and this gives the audience the vision that this is a love that could be heaven sent. They only meet briefly but from the dialogue they share it portrays true love and a desire for eternal happiness, although they know that things will not be easy for them and they face an uphill struggle if their love is to last forever.
