Motifs Of Death In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

Throughout the play Romeo and Juliet, there are numerous literary or poetic techniques applied to describe a larger effect by revealing a particular element, such as character, conflict or theme. One particular technique Shakespeare incorporated are various motifs to illustrate the theme of death, a common theme illustrated in several acts and scenes of the play. To begin with, motifs are recurring themes and ideas described in literary work. Although there are multiple motifs present in the play, the most crucial motifs are astronomical figures/references, poison and potions, in which both describes the theme of death. First and foremost, the motif of astronomical figures illustrated the theme of death. These figures usually refer to the stars, the Earth, the sun, or any celestial object. Through the very beginning of the play, Shakespeare developed these

The play Romeo and Juliet is considered a classical love story, which is mainly due to the various techniques and elements Shakespeare utilized. Besides love, the play also centered around other themes, most notably death. Again, he used numerous motifs to show this theme. Although there are many motifs described in the play, the two most essential motifs were astronomical figures as well as the recurrence of poison and potions. Of course, Shakespeare also described the theme of death through other techniques, however, various motifs revealed the most about death. With this technique, Shakespeare revealed how death is an event that occurs in everyone’s life. Whether controlled by fate or destiny, death will take place in one’s life, and certain actions and decision making will lead to this outcome. To highlight, the figures of stars compared to Romeo and Juliet described two events, which are how they met and how they will die. Additionally, the presence of poison, especially from Friar Laurence, ultimately ruled the decision making both Romeo and Juliet made, eventually leading to the end of their