Romeo and Juliet Essay
A key part in reading a book is learning and understanding the characters. Some of the characters features are directly given to you; however, a larger amount of the the details are left for you to interpret. Indirect characterization is a way a writer reveals a character’s personality through its speech or action . William Shakespeare uses juxtaposition to add complexity to his characters. In the play, Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare uses juxtaposition to indirectly characterize the main characters of the play. By doing this, Shakespeare adds depth to his characters as well as foreshadow the tragic events at the conclusion of the play. Shakespeare adds complexity to his characters when he uses juxtaposition to indirectly characterize Romeo, Juliet, and Friar Laurence.
Through terms of contrast, Shakespeare adds complexity to Romeo showing how his romanticness hides his destructive actions. After Juliet was informed about the death of Tybalt, she describes Romeo as a “beautiful tyrant”( 3.2.75). By using oxymorons, Juliet was revealing that at first glance Romeo
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In his soliloquy, Romeo states that Juliet is “ a snowy dove trooping with crows”( 1.5.46). Doves are a symbol of light,peace, and beauty while crows symbolize death and darkness. Shakespeare compares Juliet’s beauty to a dove and crows to show that her beauty will overpower everyone else’s. However, Juliet’s beauty was not enough to overcome the darkness that will leave her powerless in the end. Romeo also describes Juliet as a “rich jewel in an Ethiop’s ear”(1.5.44). The comparison of Juliet to a jewel against dark skin represents how her beauty stands out compared to others. Yet, despite her beauty, tragedy still overcame Juliet in the end. In this way, Shakespeare adds complexity to Juliet by emphasizing her innocence and beauty and how this will lead to