Examples Of Diction In Romeo And Juliet

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In “Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare, the author uses rhetorical questions and diction to portray Romeo’s grief and despair in which he feels like death is his only option. Romeo’s repetitive use of rhetorical questions display how vigorously he is trying to stall himself from the truth, but ultimately, he comes to terms with what is already done with Juliet. Romeo asks, (5. 3. 89-90)” Which their keepers call a lightning before death. O, how may I call this a lightning?”. This implies Romeo’s thoughts that he cannot find anything relieving or positive about his current situation which highlights the dread he feels about Juliet’s supposed death. By questioning how he may see light, he further institutes the thought of not being able …show more content…

Romeo says, (5.3.113-115)”O you the doors of breath, seal with a righteous kiss. A dateless bargain to engrossing death!”. The phrase “A dateless bargain to engrossing death” used to describe his upcoming death, conveys a sense of dread and gloom because “engrossing, means taking up completely, so an infinite death. Instead of using words like “eternal” or “long”, the author purposefully uses this diction to emphasize the extreme lengths Romeo is willing to go through in order to get out of his state of grief. Additionally, (5.3.109-110)”O, here will I set up my everlasting rest,”. The author uses the word “everlasting”, which relates to never-ending, to accentuate Romeos inevitable death. He could have used “endless” or “infinite”, but Shakespeare included this touching diction to describe the huge decision Romeo is making as he felt deep and gloomy, which eventually pushed him over the edge. Also, (5.3.92)”Death, that hath suck’d the honey of thy breath,”. The author’s choice of the word “suck’d”, which is describing the sweetness being taken out of Juliet, displays a sense of forcefulness and desperation because something being “sucked” out usually means it is forcefully or absolutely needs to be removed. The author could’ve alternatively used “taken” or “pulled”, but the author chose to convey the feeling of neediness or anguish that Romeo felt in that moment, when he had no power to save Juliet. To conclude, Romeo accentuates his words due to the fact he couldn’t be there for Juliet and he had no choices to change what was already done, causing him to rely on what he felt was best, and that was