Romeo and Juliet

Firstly, Romeo and Juliet should stay on the Preliminary English reading list because of its wide range of language techniques. Through the effective use of metaphor, oxymoron and hyperbole, Shakespeare is able to expose to us to the use of literary techniques to educate us through the practice of reading Shakespearean language. The use of oxymoron is shown when Romeo boasts out “O heavy lightness! serious vanity! Mis - shapen chaos of well - seeming forms. Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health!” This is from Act 1, Scene 1 and lines 175-178. As you can see Romeo is clearly contradicting his own words from fire which is hot not ‘cold’ and contradicts health to being ‘sick’, as well as smoke from being ‘bright’. An example of the use of hyperbole is used when Romeo over exaggerates his obsession of Juliet, he quotes.. “See, how she leans her cheek upon her hand! O, that I were a glove upon that hand, That I might touch that cheek!” This is from Act 2, Scene 1 and lines 23-25. Romeo is explaining that if he was Juliet’s glove he could touch her cheek. This is obviously stating exaggeration to the point where he would like to be the glove on her hand. The expression of metaphor through Juliet’s exact words of “My bounty is as boundless as the sea, My love as deep, the more I give thee”. This is from Act 2, Scene 1 and lines 33-34. Juliet is expressing how deep her love is, she’s giving the impression that the more love she gives the deeper her love grows for her dearest Romeo. These are only a few of many examples of literary techniques that Shakespeare educates us through Shakespearean language.

Another factor that Romeo and Juliet should stay on the Preliminary English reading list is because of the universal theme of “love”. Love is an intense feeling of deep affection and romantic connection with someone. Without a doubt it is a fact that at least once in a persons life they experience the feeling of love, fall in love, know what love is or