At the time when Romeo and Juliet meet they both fall helplessly in love with each other and the language Shakespeare uses takes on both of the power and beauty for which this is that the play “Romeo and Juliet” is remembered very well. At the Capulet party Romeo has to dress in disguise as all Montague’s are not welcomed at the Capulet party, Romeo catches a sight of Juliet in the corner of his eye and very instantly forgets about Rosaline and falls in love instantly with Juliet, “O she doth teach the torches to burn so bright! … I ne’er saw true beauty till this night.”. Later on it is this speech that is over heard by Tibalt who is Juliet’s cousin, who then is later to challenge Romeo to a duel, he asks for this as this is for revenge at being humiliated at the party because Lord Capulet denied him the chance to fight him at the party.
The language previously used compared to the language when Romeo and Juliet first exchange words compares very vividly. Lines 92 – 105 are written as a sonnet which is very unlike the rhyming that Shakespeare used earlier in the play when both Romeo and Juliet spoke of love.
In the play Romeo seems to referrer to Juliet as a shrine, this is showing the religious imagery which leads on to show the power of the love the couple have for each other.
Again we can see the power and love of Romeo and Juliet, as Romeo sneaks back to Juliet’s balcony, once the party has ended, “but soft, what light through yonder window breaks? … It is the east and Juliet is the sun.”.
This scene is widely famous around the world as Romeo’s language is comparing Juliet to be as beautiful as the sun, the stars and the heavens. He is expressing that to him Juliet is the world he calls her his “Bright Angel”. Whilst Juliet is expressing the love she has to give Romeo by talking about the vastness of the sea, “My bounty is as boundless as the sea, My love is as deep”, This all shows the religion and purity of there powerful bonding love.
Soon Juliet asks Romeo to decide when they are to be married, but this marriage arrangement has to be kept a very deep secret as the families have an ancient feud. Later on Juliet vows that after the marriage server, she is to “follow my lord throughout the world”, this might be a slight hint that they are going to leave Verona. Juliet shows more powerful love as she accepts Romeo her husband to be “lord”, also Juliet showed that she would be very unwilling to have a relationship based on upon anything but marriage. The power which they both feel for each other is intended upon that they have a very good swift marriage.
Another way to show that they show the power and beauty between Romeo and Juliet’s love is to contrast other characters opinions on it. Later when Romeo asks Frair Lawrence to perform the service in which Romeo and Juliet are to marry, the Friar is very amazed that how quickly Romeos feelings have changed and replaced Rosaline for Juliet, “..What a change is here!”, he declared, although he knew that Romeo was just playing at being a lover with Rosaline. The nurse often described the words Love and Sex in crude terms as also Mercutio and all his friends whose language was very realistic of which when young men are together the way that they are to talk, these words strongly contrast with the words of Romeo, when believing himself to be in love and when he is actually in love. Lord Capulet and Lady Capulet also are showing their views on love as when he protects her from early marriage, he is to abuse her when she goes against him with real shocking language and physical contact, but Lady Capulet thought that it would never hurt her to marry young.
The power in the love showed for Romeo and Juliet is conveyed in the language use when they hear that the verdict is for Romeo to be banished. Now that Juliet has heard Tybalt has been killed by Romeo in a duel and is to be banished, Juliet’s feelings become very desperate as she is wanting to cry for Tybalt but is unable to cope with Romeo being banished, “….Romeo Banished! .. There is no end, no limit measure bound … In that word’s death…”.
Meanwhile, the words Romeo words echo hers, by not seeing that banishment is better than death, “Tis torture and not mercy. Heaven is here, where Juliet Lives, and every cat and dog and little mouse, every unworthy thing, live here in heaven and may look on here”.
There is one stolen wedding night of love as this is all they have before the dawn of summons, which is meaning when Romeo is to be banished, Romeo to mantua. In the current state there language has lots of highs and lows of light and darkness also with contrasts of death and deep foreboding, “O God, I have an ill-diving soul! Me thinks I see thee now, thou are so low! As one dead in the bottom of a tomb”.
As we can now see later Juliet would rather have die that to wed Paris, “O bid me leap, rather than marry Paris, From of the battlements of any tower, or walk in thievish way, or bid me lurk, Where serpents are..”.
Then we look at final part of the story where Romeo and Juliet would rather have death as one than to live life apart. Juliet played trickery on her family as she took a potion to make her family believe she was dead so that she would skip the marriage between her and Paris. Now that Romeo believes Juliet is dead he takes his own life next to her, as he is dieing the body of Juliet awakens, so then Juliet decides to take death with him rather than live life without him, this shows what techniques and devices Shakespeare uses to show to power and beauty of the love between Romeo and Juliet.
This essay was written to try and explore the way that Shakespeare uses to entice power and beauty in different language devices and techniques in the story of Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare does not only succeed in the above, he also turns this tragedy into a powerful, beautiful play.
James Deer
