Explore how Romeo and Juliet use language to communicate their feelings in Act 2 Scene 2

Authors Avatar

Jolyon Firth 10E

Explore how Romeo and Juliet use language to communicate their feelings in Act 2 Scene 2

In Act 2 Scene 2, Romeo ‘flies on loves light wings’ into the Capulet’s Orchard where, upon Juliet’s balcony under nights sky they exchange their love.  Just hours before Romeo and best friend Mercutio, went masked to the Capulet’s party where Mercutio encourages Romeo to let go of Rosaline, who he loves but does not receive back.  Instead, Romeo spots Juliet and becomes besotted by her instantly.  Later, following loves intent he risks death as a Montague and uses ‘nights cloak’ to hide and wait for Juliet to ‘Arise’.  In this essay I will explore the many ways in which Romeo and Juliet express their love through metaphors and various forms of language.

We begin Act 2 Scene 2 with Romeo below Juliet’s balcony.  However Juliet is oblivious to this as Romeo yearns for her to appear using metaphors and imagery to describe her radiance and beauty.  As Romeo is below Juliet both physically and metaphorically he relates most of his imagery to objects always above him, the sun, moon, stars and angels.  Firstly he wishes for her to ‘Arise’ as he metaphorically calls her ‘the sun’  showing how important she is to him.  He also wants her to light up the nights sky with her beauty and to ‘kill the envious moon’ also suggesting he want to ‘cast it off’ (her virginity) and to not be ‘sick and green’ as if it were an illness.  When Juliet finally does appear he is amazed by her gleaming eyes and compares them to the ‘fairest stars’ and could replace them ‘till they return’ or even ‘shame’ the stars extending his metaphor to show her amazing beauty.  Also, Romeo metaphorically speaks of that ‘I were a glove upon thy hand’ showing his longingness to touch Juliet.  He goes on to describe her as a ‘bright angel’, perhaps the highest of all compliments but she is also literally ‘o’er my head’ relative to their positions on the stage.  It could also imply Juliet, as a Capulet, is out of reach to Romeo.

Join now!

Unaware of Romeo’s close proximity, Juliet calls out for Romeo into the darkness around her and is frustrated by their different names acting as a barrier that separates them.  Their repetition of their house names throughout this scene shows how anxious they are to dispose of them.   She would like to ‘refuse thy name’, as she no longer wishes to be a Capulet, showing her willingness to be with Romeo.  Juliet questions ‘what’s in a name’ as. She makes the point that a ‘rose’ would smell as sweet by ‘any other word’.  She wishes for Romeo to ‘doff’ ...

This is a preview of the whole essay