Emotions In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

In this short excerpt from Romeo and Juliet, Romeo expresses his feelings for Juliet, often including body parts such as eyes and hands, and celestial beings to enforce his heartfelt message. In the second line, Romeo says, “It is the East, and Juliet is the sun!” Here, he is saying that Juliet is as beautiful as a sunrise, and saying that she is, while remaining poetic as Romeo is throughout the play. In the next two lines, Romeo says, “Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, Who is already sick and pale with greif”. It is to be thought that in this segment, Romeo is telling that Juliet is the sun overshadowing the moon, Rosaline, Romeo’s former lover. The sun not only provides far more light than the moon, but it is the brightest star
in our galaxy, therefore Romeo could be implying that Juliet is the fairest he has ever seen. Towards the end of the excerpt, Romeo references Juliet’s cheek and hands to further increase the depth of connection he feels with Juliet. He says, “O that I were a glove upon that hand, That I might touch that cheek!”In this passage, Romeo expresses his desire to be close to Juliet, close enough to touch her cheek. Earlier on, Romeo also talks about Juliet’s eyes. He compares them to stars, and depicts him getting lost in them, further expressing his devotion to his newley found lover. These two means of expression help emphasize Romeo’s connection that he feels with Juliet. Using her cheek and hands to develop the idea of being closer to her, and comparing Juliet and Rosaline to the sun and moon help bring depth to Romeo’s message and both make this excerpt an important one from this historic play.