Free Essays,College Free Essays,Free College Essays at Anti Essays

Romeo and Juliet is most probably one of the best know love stories of all time. Many people do not realise, at first glance, how effectively tragic it is. William Shakespeare had to convince very early on how much Romeo and Juliet actually are in love. this essay will examine how this is achieved, with particular reference to Act 1 Scene 5, in which Romeo and Juliet first meet at the masked ball and Act2 Scene 2 during which Romeo and Juliet agree to marry each other over Juliet's balcony.

When Romeo first sees Juliet, when the audience first see both Romeo and Juliet together, act 1 scene 5, lines 44-53, Romeo immediately speaks about Juliet in a blank verse with iambic pentameter and rhyming couplets. Rhyming couplets are usually used to portray a character when they are feeling extremely emotional. This causes the reader to assume that Romeo has been suddenly shocked into love at first sight. The first line he states, “O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!” also supports the audience's assumptions. The word “O” shows exactly how taken aback Romeo first is. He is lost for words, which is often a sign of love. He, Romeo uses a metaphor to convey his feelings about Juliet. “She doth teach the torches to burn bright!” exaggerates his feelings over her. It is followed by the line “It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night”. It contains personification (“cheek of night”). This helps the audience relate to the text using objects that every member of the audience has. “Bright” and “night” are the first rhymes in this speech. They are contrasting, Bright connotes light and nights are dark. Light and dark are opposites. This shows how contrasting Romeo is in describing his love for Juliet and his love for Rosiline. Romeo comments on Rosiline using the diction “O she is rich in beauty; only poor, that when she dies, with beauty lies her store.” This tripe rhyme is extremely oftenly used by courtly lovers. It is ironic That Rome only went to...