Metaphorical Analysis of Romeo and Juliet
Jennavieve Sullens
Honors English
1/16/14
Romeo and Juliet, two lovers are faced with a grave problem when falling in love was inevitable; however, both sides of their families are participants in an ancient feud against one another, but even their own blood wont come between the passionate love that they share. For Romeo and Juliet many choices were made for them, but the madness that drove them to be together would eventually take their lives. The playwright Shakespeare utilizes metaphors in Romeo and Juliet to help us better understand the emotionally charged and complex relationship dynamics amongst the main protagonists. Metaphors are a useful literary device that help enhance the readers interpretation of the author 's intent and they provide clarity to the context. Juliet 's love is being expressed through the use of multiple complex metaphors that intensify the comprehension of the ideas. On page 40 line 133 Juliet expresses her love for Romeo in multiple different metaphors “ My bounty is as boundless as the sea, My love as deep[...].” This tells us how much Romeo means to Juliet, she is comparing her love for Romeo to the “boundless sea”; therefore, this means that Juliet 's love is infinite-- like the horizon, it goes on forever. Also by Juliet using this certain metaphor she wanted Romeo to know that their love would be unfathomable, like not knowing how deep the sea is. The sea is also a great analogy because it represents many of the qualities of love: it has the tempestuous characteristics, the reassuring and calming qualities of the waves washing on the beach, the sea has treasure deep within it, like the heart has love deep within. When reading these metaphors it conjures up mental image in the readers mind, along with any other related experiences and personal knowledge providing the best understanding of the text. Another example is on page 68 lines 21-25 it is said that “Give me my Romeo; and when I shall die, take him and cut him
Honors English
1/16/14
Romeo and Juliet, two lovers are faced with a grave problem when falling in love was inevitable; however, both sides of their families are participants in an ancient feud against one another, but even their own blood wont come between the passionate love that they share. For Romeo and Juliet many choices were made for them, but the madness that drove them to be together would eventually take their lives. The playwright Shakespeare utilizes metaphors in Romeo and Juliet to help us better understand the emotionally charged and complex relationship dynamics amongst the main protagonists. Metaphors are a useful literary device that help enhance the readers interpretation of the author 's intent and they provide clarity to the context. Juliet 's love is being expressed through the use of multiple complex metaphors that intensify the comprehension of the ideas. On page 40 line 133 Juliet expresses her love for Romeo in multiple different metaphors “ My bounty is as boundless as the sea, My love as deep[...].” This tells us how much Romeo means to Juliet, she is comparing her love for Romeo to the “boundless sea”; therefore, this means that Juliet 's love is infinite-- like the horizon, it goes on forever. Also by Juliet using this certain metaphor she wanted Romeo to know that their love would be unfathomable, like not knowing how deep the sea is. The sea is also a great analogy because it represents many of the qualities of love: it has the tempestuous characteristics, the reassuring and calming qualities of the waves washing on the beach, the sea has treasure deep within it, like the heart has love deep within. When reading these metaphors it conjures up mental image in the readers mind, along with any other related experiences and personal knowledge providing the best understanding of the text. Another example is on page 68 lines 21-25 it is said that “Give me my Romeo; and when I shall die, take him and cut him