Act 2 Scene 5 is when the nurse returns with Romeos message, Juliet uses repetitive language. She uses the word news five time and says, speak, tell and good is used many times this shows the audience that she anxious to find out what’s Romeo has replied with. Her language is simple and direct, Juliet’s language is entirely monosyllabic such as “good sweet nurse” this is because she wants to be understood and get her word across to the nurse.
Juliet uses poetic words in Act 2 Scene 3 particularly. As she for waits for Romeo she says “come civil night/thou sober-matron all in black”, Juliet describes night as a woman dressed in black. This personification - verb ‘connotes’ how patient she is. Juliet uses a simile also when talking of her love for Romeo she says “For thou upon the wings of night/ whiter than new snow upon a raven back”. Juliet is saying that he is such a pure person and will stand out in the pitch black night. Juliet uses metaphor to describe her love e.g. “when I shall die take Romeo and cut him out in little stars and make the face look so fine, that the entire world will be in love with night and pay no worship to the garish sun”. She says that her love is so beautiful and strong that she doesn’t deserve him being by himself; he should be cut into stars and put on the sky. Her words her prophetic.
Act three scene one, is when the nurse first returns with news of Tybalt, Juliet thinks she is talking about Romeo. Juliet then uses words connected with death such as: “Slain, woe, dismal, and death, slaughtered, tormented and poison”. These words reflect that she is upset, in a terrible state, she wants to kill hers self, and she is in distress. When Juliet is about to take the Friar’s potion she starts to imagine everything that might happen to her. She starts imagine that the Friar might poison her, and she could suffocate if Romeo didn’t come in time, Tybalt’s festering and her great ancestors in their shroud. The audience will build up a picture of Juliet as having a vivid imagination as she is describing things that she has never seen e.g. dead bodies in shroud etc.
When Romeo and Juliet first meet they speak in rhyme. Romeo speaks four lines that rhyme, Juliet then replies in the same rhyme scheme. They also share rhyming couplets. Shakespeare has done this to show that they are in love; today people copy each others language when they are in love.
Juliet uses rhyming couplets when her mother asks her if she can love Paris, Juliet replies to her mother’s question “but no more deep will I end-art mine eye then your consent give to”. This is a promise that a young girl cannot keep, this is very unrealistic. Juliet uses a series of rhyming couplets when she hers that Romeo has been banished. “There is no limit, measure, bound in the word death; no words that can woe sound”. Shakespeare is giving her the language to make her very immature, childish and overreacting. When Juliet is about to leave the stage she also uses rhyming couplets she leaves the stage twice during the balcony scene. She says “goodnight, goodnight, parting is such sweet sorrow that I should say goodnight till it be tomorrow”. She is unhappy that they are leaving each other but she knows they will see each other the next day.
In act three scene five, act four scene one and act four scene two Juliet uses verbal irony when the nurse tells her that she should go ahead and marry Paris. Juliet turns to her for help and Juliet says “well thou has comforted me marvellous much”. Juliet means that your no help to me and you’ve made me feel worse. She uses verbal irony with her mother she says “……….O how my heart abhors to hear his name and cannot come to him to wreak the love I bour my cousin upon his body that slaughtered him”. I want to see Romeo and make love to him but mother think she wants to hurt Romeo. Juliet sometimes uses both dramatic and verbal irony when she wants to deceive other characters. What she says is “hence forward I am ever ruled by you”. She means from no that she will be obedient to him but she is using verbal irony. She’s is forced to say this because she is being threatened by her father. The aspect of her character is enforced by the fact that she is gradually isolated from everyone she knows and loves. This, indeed, happens to Romeo to, but he is away in Mantua and it is Juliet we actually see struggling alone with circumstances. She is without Romeo; she is cut of from her parents because they don’t know of her marriage; even the nurse lets her down by suggesting bigamy when Juliet turns to her for help. We notice that Juliet is thus abounded from everyone in the scene where is banished to Mantua.
In act 3 scene 2 Juliet uses sexually explicit language as she waits for Romeo she says
“Spread thy close curtain love performing night”. “Romeo leaps to these arms”. “Lovers can see to do their amorous rites (night-time is when people do love). “I have bought the mansion of love (but yet not possessed it). That she’s gone from innocent, naïve, mature and articulate lady.
She is being a young dependent female into an independent mature woman. She uses flattery when she wants information from the nurse; she uses imagery to describe her love for Romeo. She is also able to imagine the horrors of the vault even though she has never seen it before.
