The motifs of light and dark
Light and Dark. Neither would exist without the other. In ‘Romeo and Juliet’, Shakespeare brilliantly uses metaphors to describe the brightly shining passion between the two lovers to contrast with the darkness of the family rivalry. The endless battle between light and dark, and life and death reveals the struggle that Romeo and Juliet face to overpower the hatred between the Capulet’s and the Montague’s. By the tragic ending of the play, even though death overcomes Romeo and Juliet, a whole new sense of life and peace has emerged between the two warring households. Within the entire play, Shakespeare continually refers to light using metaphorical terms to resemble it as the powerful love between Romeo and Juliet. Upon Romeos first glance at Juliet, he says, “O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!” In this scene, Shakespeare created Romeo’s line to express how Juliet’s beauty outshined the torches lighting the hallway. Near the beginning of Act II, when Romeo sees Juliet on her balcony, repeatedly compares her shining beauty light when he states “Juliet is the sun”, and “The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars”. By now Shakespeare has made it evident that anything compared to light is beautiful and magnificent, and he continues to use this metaphor to describe Romeo and Juliet’s love. Later on in the play when Juliet is anxiously waiting for the nurse to arrive she describes how slow the nurse is compared to her and Romeos love by saying “which ten times faster glide than the suns beams. Their love is like the rays of sun that are more powerful than anything. In Act III, upon being banished, Romeo exclaims how “heaven is here, where Juliet lives.” The bright and happy haven is wherever Juliet is, thus resembles how much Romeo loves and needs Juliet. Finally in Act V, as Romeo solemnly looks at Juliet lying in the tomb, he says “for here lies Juliet, and her beauty makes this vault a feasting