Romeo loves Juliet so much that he compares her with things that are inevitably out of reach for example:
‘Juliet is the sun’
Romeo compares Juliet to the sun because Juliet is the light – the sun. Romeo has seen the light; his true destiny and only love. Shakespeare has used this because the sun makes things grow and gives us life, and for Romeo Juliet is the sun and she is making his
love grow for her. He is also trying to create the idea in the audience that the sun is giving Romeo life and that he cannot live without it.
Shakespeare also uses similes to show how much Romeo feels for Juliet:
‘My bounty is a boundless sea’
Romeos treasure is the bounty – Juliet is the treasure. This is suggesting that Shakespeare’s put a bounty on Romeo and that everything will come crashing down on Romeo if he makes a wrong move. It could also suggest that Romeos love for Juliet is as endlessly deep as the sea. Nobody knows how far the sea goes down; therefore his love is infinite for Juliet. Shakespeare uses this language to show the audience how much he loves Juliet, and how deep his love is for her.
In the play Shakespeare uses a lot of imagery to try to give a clear view of what the characters are feeling:
‘Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven’
When Shakespeare was writing (in Elizabethan times), people believed astronomy to be very important. They believed stars could tell them their future. In this case, Romeo sees his future with Juliet, and that’s the future he wants. Shakespeare uses this to show the audience Romeo’s future through his own eyes.
‘He jests at scars that never felt a wound’
Shakespeare uses this comment to show that Romeo has been permanently scared by a love arrow from cupid. Scars are for life, and Romeo has been scared because his love is permanent for Juliet. Shakespeare uses this type of language as a detail, to show love is a scar on your heart for life and does not leave you.
Between Romeo and Juliet there are discussions on the importance of names:
‘Deny my father and refuse thy name;
Or if thy wilt not, but swarm my love,
And I’ll no longer be a Capulet’
Here Shakespeare is showing that Juliet is willing to give up her family and father to be with Romeo. She could give anything up to be with Romeo because love is a strange force; she would rather betray her father and be with Romeo.
‘Call me but love, and ill be new baptised;
henceforth I never will be Romeo’
These lines show that Romeo is also willing to give up his name and be baptised with a new name just to be with the women he loves. By being baptised he means being reborn as a new person and is willing to give up his faith. He believes that he is destined to be with Juliet and is willing to give anything up just to be with her. Shakespeare uses this to show that Romeo is willing to give up his life up to be with Juliet.
Shakespeare sets Act 2, Scene 2 in the Capulet orchard for a reason. This is because Romeo and Juliet’s love is a ‘bud’.
‘What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other word would smell so sweet’
Juliet wonders what’s in a name; she wonders why it should matter. Her love is growing for Romeo, and nothing could be sweeter. She also talks about a rose; this could possibly link with orchards. Orchards are where things grow, and Romeo has come to see Juliet in hope their love will grow into a flower.
‘This bud of love, by summers ripening breath
may prove a beauteous flower when we meet’
These lines show that Juliet doesn’t want to rush their love; because it’s only a bud it is not yet a flower, and that next time they meet hopefully their love will be a flower. But Romeo still enforces what he went to the orchard to do; he doesn’t just love her and leave her – he isn’t satisfied with that. He asks for her hand in marriage. The Orchard is a perfect place to do that, because they’re marriage would grow from the bud in the Orchard.
Shakespeare also uses alliteration to add emphasis to what Romeo is saying:
‘My bounty is as boundless as the sea
My love as deep; the mare I give to thee’
Romeo’s love for Juliet is ever lasting. He explains this by saying his bounty of treasure is as boundless as the sea; bounty meaning something on his back which is bound until he gets rid of it and boundless meaning he cannot get to it. Romeo is trying to reach out for Juliet but she is hard to get, she is his treasure at the bottom of the sea which is out of reach.
In conclusion Shakespeare shows us the strength and depth of Romeo and Juliet’s love through various techniques such as Imagery, and figurative language i.e. metaphors and similes. This attracts the audience and gets them to understand the characters more. By using these techniques he made masterpieces such as Romeo and Juliet. He shows a true depth of love between Romeo and Juliet, especially in Act 2, Scene 2. I think he used a very appropriate place to set the scene (the orchard); because it is where Romeos and Juliet’s love grows. By doing this – it makes the scene show a stronger and deeper depth of Romeos and Juliet’s love for each other.