Examples Of Allusions In Romeo And Juliet

Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet exhibits multiple allusions to Greek and Roman mythology, often referencing gods, goddesses, and other prominent figures from these cultures. He uses these allusion to create association between these figures and the events happening in the play. Furthermore, if the reader understands the references they can unlock more depth to the plot and reveal a hidden meaning to the dialogue.
In Scene 1 Act 1 Montague refers to Aurora, the Greek goddess of sunlight, when he says:
But all so soon as the all-cheering sun
Should in the furthest east begin to draw
The shady curtains from Aurora's bed,
Away from the light steals home my heavy son,
And private in his chamber pens himself (Rom 1.1.39-42)
Montague describes Romeo’s depressive mood to Benvolio by alluding to the Aurora as the sunlight he avoids. Romeo would come home early in the morning then shut himself in his room and closes his curtains to block out Aurora, the morning sun, to make it seem as if it were still nighttime. Aurora also serves as a contrast to Romeo’s mood, as the goddess of

He explains this by referring to multiple mythological characters: “Well in that hit you miss! She'll not be hit/ With Cupid's arrow. She hath Dian's wit/And in strong proof of chastity well armed,” (Rom 1.1.217-219). Cupid is known as the god of love, his notorious golden tipped arrows cause the person hit by them to fall desperately in love. Romeo refers to cupid’s arrows to say that Rosaline is avoiding being hit by them and falling in love with him or anyone. He also compares Rosaline to Diana, the goddess of chastity and hunt. Diana was known for cleverly avoiding cupid’s arrows and was one of the few goddesses who remained a virgin. Romeo says that Rosaline was as clever as Diana for avoiding love and has sworn to a life of celibacy just as Diana remained a