Examples Of Figurative Language In Romeo And Juliet

Romeo and Juliet is quite possibly the most well known play of all time. It was written by William Shakespeare during the Elizabethan Era of England. The story is about two star-crossed lovers whose relationship was doomed from the start. This play contains five acts that take place over the course of three days in their time. In act two, scene two, otherwise known as the balcony scene, Shakespeare writes using literary devices like similes, metaphors, and hyperboles to give each line a deeper understanding of the emotion between the characters. Throughout the scene, Juliet uses similes to emphasize the love she feels toward Romeo. Explaining her feelings about her and Romeo getting married, Juliet states “It is too rash too unadvised, too sudden, Too like the lightning, which doth cease to be Ere one can say ‘It lightens’ (2.2.122-126).” She compares their

For instance, Romeo says about Juliet's beauty “Her eye in heaven would through the airy region stream so bright that birds would sing and think it were not night (2.2.20-22).” What he is saying is that Juliet is so beautiful and bright that birds, instead of waking up during the day, would wake up to her presence. This is an over exaggeration, though, because that cannot actually happen, but Romeo was saying that to emphasize how beautiful she is. another example of a hyperbole used in the scene is when Juliet leaves the balcony for a minute, and when she returns, she says "Else would I tear the cave where Echo lies, And make her airy tongue more hoarse than mine with repetition of ‘My Romeo!’ (2.2.172-174).” She exclaims that the mythical nymph, Echo, who was cursed to only repeat words, would lose her voice after she repeats Juliet's cries for Romeo. That is unrealistic, though, because that wouldn't be possible for both Juliet and Echo, since they wouldn’t be capable of repeating his name for that