Romeo, who only three scenes ago declared that he was in love with Rosaline, now for the time sees Juliet and contemplates her beauty as “rich as a jewel” and bright as the sun.
“O she doth teach the torches to burn bright.”
Romeo describes Juliet as a light in darkness. It makes Juliet sound more beautiful, and shows how to Romeo she stands out from everything else. Juliet is so beautiful that she seems to shine more brightly than the torches set out to light the party.
“Like a rich jewel in an Ethiop’s ear;”
(Act 1, Scene 5, line 46)
It again symbolises the beauty of Juliet by comparing a rich jewel with a black Africans ear this probably signifying the purity and the splendour of Juliet. Shakespeare describes Juliet as a white dove among black crows. This is mentioned between the words,
“So shows…rude hand”.
This was very helpful for Shakespeare’s spectators because imagery helps the audience imagine the feelings and emotions of the characters in the play. Modern instruments which help develop the play were not available i.e. lights and sounds, so it was important for Shakespeare to use special key features of language to help the audience feel the emotions and assist the drama to create emphasis on a particular scene which also helped to give excitement. The audience want Juliet to fulfil her dreams by marrying Romeo and ending the ancient feud.
Shakespeare used similes and metaphors; this helped the audience to imagine a scene and to exaggerate language to describe the actions acted in the play.
“But old folks, many feign as they were dead,
Unwieldy, slow, heavy, and pale as lead.”
(Act 2, Scene 5, line 16-17)
“Where on a sudden one hath wounded me,
That’s by me wounded;”
(Act 2, Scene 3, line 50-51)
Shakespeare also uses other language skills to make imagery. Sea images are presented throughout the play, the main point of this in my opinion is to liven up the language, and make the themes prominent. Sea images are used to describe how people feel.
“In one little body … The tempest - tossed body.”
(Act 3, Scene 5, line 130 – 137)
Capulet describes how upset Juliet is. He says her eyes are like the sea pouring out salt water, her body’s like a boat tossed around by her emotions, and her sighs are like the wind in a terrible storm. She’s so upset she could capsize. Images like this have more impact on the audiences; they give the audiences more time and detail to help them form a picture in their minds. Shakespeare used flower images as well, usually about Juliet. Here is an image of death – saying it’s like frost on a flower.
“Death lies on her like an untimely frost
Upon the sweetest flower of all the field.”
(Act 4, Scene 5, line 28 – 29)
Juliet’s death is untimely because she has accidentally died, the death has a connection with nature because flowers in a field which are growing under normal circumstances could die if there is a sudden change in weather i.e. frost. The “sweetest flower of all the field” will most defiantly die, and in the play Juliet is described as the “sweetest flower”. This imagery is helpful for the audience because of the simplicity of nature.
Repetition is commonly used throughout the play. In Act 1 Scene 5 in Capulet’s speech he mentions “Welcome Gentlemen” thrice. This shows that men were respected more than women seen as Capulet greets the gentlemen personally not with the modern term “Welcome Ladies and Gentlemen”. To comment on the original Elizabethan times when the play was performed, the repetition created emphasis and power. This was very helpful for Shakespeare’s audience; the importance of the gentlemen’s esteem in comparison with women would not be achievable without the use of a tool which was not present in Elizabethan times.
Since, Shakespeare didn’t have access to modern technology he used language and different settings to create atmosphere. An example of this Verona, in Italy, this setting would have seemed pretty faraway to Elizabethan audiences, perhaps making it easier to imagine such a story happening.
The play is a bit of a rollercoaster ride through different types of scenes, such as comic, romantic violence, melodramatic and tragic. The setting helps give each scene the right type of atmosphere and the language helps to express what’s going on in the character’s mind. For example, the poetic language in the balcony scene helps to create a romantic atmosphere which helps to convince the audiences that they are witnessing true love.
“My bounty is as boundless as the sea,
my love as deep; the more I give to thee
the more I love, for both are infinite.”
(Act 2, Scene 2, line 133 – 135)
This enables original audiences to become part of the play and acknowledge what the true symbolic or moral definitions of the play are.
Key terms especially imagery helped to create a dramatic play and to help the audiences peruse the minds of characters. In my opinion the play is magnificently structured to emphasise and create atmosphere so that audiences can develop reflection on the character’s and the scenes. This shows how important language was in Elizabethan times to entertain audiences with not only actions but also words.
