Examine the language and Imagery in the Balcony Scene Act 2 Scene 2 Romeo and Juliet

Examine the Language and Imagery in the ‘Balcony Scene’ (Act II Scene II). Consider what the scene adds to the play as a whole.

In the play "Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare every page is engulfed with varieties of figurative language that bring forth a vivid perspective of the two lovers. This is especially true for act II scene II, commonly known as ‘The Balcony Scene’. In this scene Shakespeare makes excellent use of personification and similes to praise and adore certain attributes, like beauty and he also uses symbolism and hyperbole to show endless eternal love. But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?’ This line effectively commences one of the most renowned and widely recognised scenes in world wide drama. Already, there is allusion to the ‘light and dark’ imagery that comprises a large part of this scene. From the scene we learn a lot about the relationship of Romeo and Juliet, and the enormous power and strength of their love, which Romeo embodies when he says: ‘with love’s light wings did I o’erperch these walls’.

Act II Scene II illustrates the intensity of Romeo and Juliet's love. This love contrasts with the artificial 'courtly love' played out by Romeo for Rosaline earlier in the play. The scene also clearly distinguishes the stark contrast between Romeo and Juliet’s love and Mercutio’s view of it which he portrays through his bawdy humour. In the scene when the couple first met at the Capulet ball, Shakespeare employed religious language to show the significance of their love. We see this extended metaphor continued in this scene. Romeo and Juliet, come from opposing families, but they talk of the futility of their families’ feud and question the importance of a name: ‘what’s in a name?’ This scene is central to the play, as it shows us so much about the nature of Romeo and Juliet’s love.

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‘Dost thou love me?’ Love is the fundamental theme running through ‘the balcony scene’, and from this, there is a great deal to be gleaned about the strength and power of their affections. Juliet says about her feelings for Romeo, ‘I am too fond’. The love shared between Romeo and Juliet is so potent, that it is a great flaw, and regrettable, it is this that leads to their demise. Both are willing to take great risks and make large sacrifices for the other. They value their love more than their family, friends, religion or even life. In this scene, Romeo visits Juliet, despite the danger of being caught and potentially killed. As Juliet puts it ‘If any of my kinsmen find thee here … they will murder thee’. Romeo shows that he values his love for Juliet more than his life when he says ‘My life were better ended by their hate,
Than death prorogued, wanting of thy love.’ Their love is not of a sexual nature, and after reading the previous scene where we meet Mercutio’s brash character, this is made very clear by the large contrast in these attitude to love. A good example of Mercutio’s uncouth humour is when he talks and jokes about dreamers and tells us about ‘Queen Mab’, (act I scene IV) he says:

‘This is the hag, when maids lie on their backs,
That presses them and learns them first to bear,
Making them women of good carriage’

Romeo says, ‘oh that I were a glove upon that hand, that I might touch that cheek.’ This shows his infatuation, is stronger than a longing for physical love, but that his heart is truly devoted to Juliet.

In this scene there is continuous reference to ‘light and dark imagery’, often solar and lunar idioms. In lines 2-9, Romeo uses an extended metaphor, he describes Juliet as the sun, he wishes her ‘arise … and kill the envious moon’. Romeo portrayed the moon negatively, and this is an example of the ‘dark’ imagery he employs in many of his speeches in this scene. Shakespeare has used this metaphor very effectively; he describes the ‘moon as sick and pale with grief’ and says this is because ‘her maid art far more fair than she’: he is describing Juliet as a follower of the chaste goddess Diana, who was meant to be very beautiful, because Juliet, like Diana is a virgin. Romeo expresses his wish for Juliet to ‘be not her maid’, which means he would like her to cast of her virginity, saying that her ‘vestal livery is but sick and green’. This is a reference to the ‘green sickness which virgins were thought to suffer from.

When Romeo and Juliet meet at lord Capulet’s ball (act I scene V) and share their first kiss, Shakespeare uses a lot of religious imagery: ‘Good pilgrim’; ‘this holy shrine’; ‘saints have hands that pilgrims hands do touch’; ‘my sin is purged’ are some examples from that scene. Shakespeare further develops this when Romeo and Juliet address and describe each other with phrases such as ‘bright angel’, ‘winged messenger of heaven’, and ‘dear saint’. Romeo and Juliet is set in a time where religion is exceedingly important to everyone. Therefore, when Shakespeare uses religious language, we see how the love of Romeo and Juliet governs their lives, and religion is ‘cast aside’ as it seems insignificant in the face of their feelings.

There is an element of danger in this scene and both parties are aware of the suddenness of their passion. Juliet makes several references to names and unlike Romeo, seems very aware of the precariousness of their situation. Both Juliet and Romeo have misgivings - he says, 'all this is but a dream’ and she that, 'It is too rash, too unadvised, too sudden....’. Juliet also shows that she is slightly tentative, probably due to her age, innocence and inexperience in love. She is unsure whether Romeo shares her feelings and shares this with us when she says, ‘dost thou love me … thou mayst prove false’. Shakespeare uses dramatic irony to remind us of the events to come: 'Alack, there lies more peril in thine eye...’.

When Juliet first speaks, she talks of her frustration at the barrier between Romeo and herself. She speaks of how she wishes Romeo could ‘doff thy name’ and says that it ‘is but thy name which is my enemy’. We become very aware of her frustration at the only thing keeping her from Romeo when she says ‘what’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other word would be as sweet’. Romeo too, is aware that there are difficulties surrounding their relationship. When he first speaks directly to Juliet, he says; ‘my name dear saint is hateful to myself’, showing us how he no longer cares for the feud and is heedless to his family ties, choosing Juliet over everything he has valued up until this point. This shows again when Romeo says ‘I’ll be new baptised’, demonstrating that he is willing to do anything for Juliet. He is also frustrated and portrays his anger by saying of his name of Montague: ‘had I it written, I would tear the word’.

Shakespeare uses figurative language to great effect. There are countless examples of similes and metaphors, and as I have already discussed, several extended metaphors and themes running through this scene. Romeo likens his departure from Juliet as schoolboys going ‘towards school with heavy looks’. This is an efficient use of a simile, to show Romeo’s sadness at leaving Juliet to the night. Juliet calls Romeo a ‘tassel-gentle’, a bird of prey which princes often used for falconry. Falconry birds were well trained and always returned to the falconer when called, as though they had an invisible tie. This is an effective metaphor to use when talking of Romeo and Juliet, because the strength of their love always brought them back together. Romeo refers to Juliet as his ‘niësse, a young unfledged hawk, this reflects Juliet’s age and her naivety in love. The theme of birds continues nearer the end of the scene when Juliet remarks that Romeo has spent the whole night beneath her balcony and yet not gone any ‘further than a wanton bird’. This was a type of bird, often kept as a pet and held captive by a length of string tied to its leg. Juliet goes on to describe the cruelty of keeping such a pet but Romeo replies ‘I would I were thy bird’ which is another phrase that illustrates the strength of feeling that Romeo has for Juliet: he shows that he would be willing to sacrifice his freedom and in effect his life. It also demonstrates Romeo’s romantic nature.

In this scene, for the first time, Romeo and Juliet have time to talk. They learn about each other, and fully realise the extent of their mutual adoration. Juliet talks of marriage, although this was a very radical idea for a girl to propose. I think she does this because she wants to make the relationship more stable and assure herself that she will spend the rest of her life with Romeo. She also wants their relationship to be legitimate, and she does not want to be a mistress. I also assume that she is thinking of her earlier conversation with her mother about marriage to one of her suitors, Paris, and is trying to elude this commitment. In this scene, the power of their love is endlessly portrayed to us. Shakespeare mainly does this by showing its magnitude in the lives of Romeo and Juliet, and how it overrides everything they have previously believed in. To Romeo and Juliet this love matters more than their family, their religion, and more than life itself, an allusion to the tragic conclusion of this great play.