Search results
One of the play’s most consistent visual motifs is the contrast between light and dark, often in terms of night/day imagery. This contrast is not given a particular metaphoric meaning—light is not always good, and dark is not always evil.
Summary. In the churchyard that night, Paris enters with a torch-bearing servant. He orders the page to withdraw, then begins scattering flowers on Juliet’s grave. He hears a whistle—the servant’s warning that someone is approaching. He withdraws into the darkness. Romeo, carrying a crowbar, enters with Balthasar.
People also ask
How does Shakespeare use light and dark imagery in Romeo & Juliet?
What is the theme of Romeo & Juliet?
How does darkness affect Romeo and Juliet?
How does Romeo feel about Juliet?
Darkness concealing the lovers' relationship adds to the play's urgency and drama. Romeo and Juliet are the only light in each other's life. Dreams. In the play, the idea that dreams are only fantasies is most notable in Mercutio’s "Queen Mab" speech. Romeo, the dreamer, quickly falls hopelessly in love.
Darkness. But darkness (not night) brings negativity in the play. Darkness is traditionally linked with evil and death. Lord Capulet only talks to Juliet about Paris when it is dark outside. Romeo and Juliet both commit suicide when they are in the dark tomb in Act 5. Night and Sunlight Symbolism.
- The Power of Love. But my true love is grown to such excess / I cannot sum up sum of half my wealth. – Juliet Capulet (2.6.33–34) This one is kind of a given, but it’s such a prominent theme in Romeo & Juliet that it forever warrants a place at the top of the list.
- The Inevitability of Fate. A greater power than we can contradict / Hath thwarted our intents. – Friar Laurence (5.3.153–54) If love is the strongest theme in Romeo & Juliet, fate is a close second.
- The Duality of Passion (Love and Violence) If the entire story of Romeo & Juliet could be summed up in one word, that word would be passion. Almost every scene in the play involves characters succumbing to powerful emotions that drive their actions and, consequently, the plot.
- Light and Darkness. More light and light, more dark and dark our woes. – Romeo Montague (3.5.36) A particularly prominent motif in Romeo & Juliet is the imagery of light and darkness.
How is light and dark imagery used as a motif? Click the card to flip 👆. Romeo and Juliet is filled with imagery of light and dark. But while light is traditionally connected with 'good' and dark with 'evil', in Romeo and Juliet the relationship is more complex. Romeo and Juliet constantly see each other as forms of light.
Shakespeare uses light and dark imagery as a poetic tool to illustrate the intense but doomed romance between Romeo and Juliet. This imagery serves as a metaphor, painting their love as a bright light that manages to pierce through the surrounding darkness which represents the conflict between their families.
