Romeo And Juliet: Stylistic Devices And Techniques

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William Shakespeare’s works typically entail stylistic devices and techniques to convey to the audience the theme of love and passion. The techniques used, manage to intensify the theme and help the audience to grasp the emotional aspects of the text. For example, Shakespeare is very successful in employing the use of personification, metaphors, and similes during the story. Shakespeare utilizes literary devices of which subliminally draw in the reader and keeps the audience engaged in the text.

in Romeo and Juliet Shakespeare uses personification throughout the book to express the theme of love and passion. Two examples of personification are:

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Example 1, ‘Alas that love, so gentle in his view, should be so tyrannous and rough in proof!’. Benvolio says this quote while speaking to Romeo. Love Is personified in this example as a person who appears gentle and harmless, but when he experiences love as an entity, it appears as a cold and rough dictator that worsens one’s loneliness and sadness. The personification aspect in this example is used to illustrate the argument that, love’s emotional experience serves as a strong contrast to simply seek an abstract or conceptual concept of love. Example 2, ‘By love, that first did prompt me to inquire. He lent me counsel, and I lent him eyes. This quote is said by Romeo as well, as he personifies love in this quote as a powerful example with a remarkable ability to manipulate people. the personification part is an example to illustrate love to explain the accidental choice to fall in love. He also adds that when it comes to choosing a wife, ‘one has little options’. Through mentioning that love is the one that inspires and advises Romeo to fall in love, Romeo stresses that love has a history of acting as an unselected guide when it comes to matters of the heart.

Metaphorical language is a key aspect of Shakespeare’s text. He uses it to emphasize the love and passion between Romeo and Juliet. Two examples of metaphors are:

Example 1, ‘it is too rash, too unadvised, too sudden, too like the lightning, which doth cease to be’. Juliet says this quite a quote when she uses thunder as a metaphor for love. This particular quote, it illustrates the volatile nature of life. This visual analogy presented during the iconic balcony scene serves to strengthen Juliet’s thesis on the transience, ambiguity and suddenness of love. From a dramatic perspective, this contrast of the passionate expression of Romeo’s love with the swift flicker of lightning demonstrates the wisdom of Juliet and her awareness of the fact that promises made in a moment of passion are not always of lasting. Example 2, ‘But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the East, and Juliet is the sun.’ this verse is another romantic exchange taking place during the famous balcony scene between Romeo and Juliet. Romeo contrasts Juliet with the sun in these stunning and vibrant lines. This analogy suggests that Juliet is viewed by Romeo as incredibly intelligent, beautiful, and magnificent. The analogy between the sun and Juliet reveals that Romeo sees Juliet as ‘ the life-giving that is quintessential’.

Finally, Shakespeare connects the language technique, similes throughout the theme of love and passion. Here are two examples.

Example 1, ‘O, speak again, bright angel, for thou art As glorious to this night being o’er my head, as winged messenger of heaven’. The romantic resemblance indicates Juliet’s deep appreciation and affection for Romeo. This simile is presented to Juliet during the famous balcony scene. This means that in the vision of Romeo, with her vivid appearance, Juliet lights up the night in a similar way that a celestial being animates the heavens with its unspeakable beauty. This vibrant contrast conveys the deep and unchanged passion of Romeo for Juliet. It also brings out the emotional, romantic, and poetic side of the character of Romeo in a beautiful way. Example 2, ‘Your love says like an honest gentleman, and a courteous, and a kind, and handsome…’. This resemblance also testifies to Romeo’s strong and supportive impression of the nurse. He compares Romeo with a noble gentleman who displays absolute integrity, courtesy, and kindness. He also notes that both in terms of looks and personality, he is stunning. This resemblance, from a dramatic point of view, serves to reinforce the fact that Romeo’s favorable opinion of the nurse ultimately induces her to behave as an ally to the young lovers.

Overall, Shakespeare effectively expressed the theme of love and passion in Romeo and Juliet using language techniques and stylistic devices. These are mostly used to describe the appearance of Juliet, which helps the viewer to imagine what she looks like. Additionally, the play was made fascinating and easy to understand by these techniques and the methods also allow the reader to grasp and appreciate the emotion. 

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