ipl-logo

Literary Analysis Of Oxymoron In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

931 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Metaphors in shakespeare

Literary Terms Journal
Oxymoron: two words put together with opposite meanings.
Romeo: O brawling love! O loving hate! Love that comes from nothing! Sad happiness! Serious foolishness! Beautiful things muddled together into an ugly mess! Love is heavy and light, bright and dark, hot and cold, sick and healthy, asleep and awake—it’s everything except what it is! (1.1.166-171).
A wide variety of oxymorons appear within this detailed quote from the compelling love story of Romeo and Juliet which compare opposite (better word for things) such as love and hate, sad happiness, and serious foolishness.
Shakespeare utilizes this piece of dialogue to help the reader comprehend the mixed emotions going on within young Romeo’s head at this point in the …show more content…

Mercutio: My invocation is fair and honest. In his mistress' name I conjure only but to raise up him. (2.1.27-29)
Mercutio’s witty statement provides an exquisite example of dramatic irony because he and Benvolio reference Romeo’s mistress, with Rosaline in mind, and they are oblivious to the fact that Romeo now loves Juliet.
Shakespeare incorporates dramatic irony at this specific point in the rising action as a discrete message to the audience that even those who remain super close to Romeo and Juliet are not aware of their secret romantic relationships. Two of Romeo’s best friends remain ou of the loop and are not informed when the love-srtricken Romeo find love and gets married. The importance of this irony appears because the driving antagonistic force behind the tales presents itself as the lack of hate between the two families and how the two enemies fall in love, but the idea of enemies falling in love seems so ridiculous to Romeo’s closest friends that they still believe he yearns for Rosaline.
Symbolism: the use of objects or facts to represent ideas or …show more content…

Shakespeare shows a subtle display of symbolism with the poison Romeo buys from the Apothecary, which represents the toxic feud between the Capulets and the Montagues and how their feud just leads to death and destruction.
The symbolic representation demonstrates much importance because the main antagonist of the tragic love tale takes the form of the star-crossed lovers’ family and the feud between them. The specific use of the Apothecary’s poison shows that hate brings nothing except for death and sorrow, similar to how poison does nothing but kill and cause sadness. By tactfully hinting at the symbolism, Shakespeare implies a message, which also comes across as a popular theme of the story, hate accomplishes nothing except causing pain to those surrounded by it.
Foreshadowing: a warning or indication of a future

Show More
Related

Situational Irony In Romeo And Juliet

781 Words | 4 Pages

Shakespeare uses situational irony throughout the play to progress the story, develop the theme of fate, and create conflicts between the Capulets and Montagues. First, the prologue of Romeo and Juliet uses situational irony

Read More

Examples Of Dramatic Irony In Romeo And Juliet

816 Words | 4 Pages

In this essay, we will explore how dramatic irony is used in "Romeo and Juliet" to heighten the drama and create a sense of immense

Read More

Romeo And Juliet Figurative Language

682 Words | 3 Pages

First, Shakespeare uses oxymoron to show that love leads to vulnerability. Because Romeo is deeply infatuated with a girl named Rosaline and his feelings are unrequited, he says, “Here's much to do with hate, but more with love. Why,

Read More

Examples Of Dramatic Irony In Romeo And Juliet

461 Words | 2 Pages

“Instead of love bringing joy, as one would expect, it brought tragedy to two families who lived in hatred of each other.” In the book “Romeo and Juliet” the Montague and Capulet Houses live as one of Verona’s two feuding families. Juliet the daughter of the Capulets falls in a deep love with the Montagues son, bringing more quarrel into Verona. The play is filled with dramatic irony, which is used to convey a meaning opposite to what is said or done. Irony is used in Romeo and Juliet to emphasize the theme of fate and the power of destiny.

Read More

Theme Of Dreams In Romeo And Juliet

766 Words | 4 Pages

Romeo and Juliet’s love seemed like a little harmless thing, but the reality was that their “love” led them to their eternal doom. Shakespeare applies the use of diction in the climax to further advance the motif of dreams. When Romeo first sees Juliet lying in the tomb he describes her as “Is crimson in thy lips and in thy

Read More

The Power Of Emotions In Romeo And Juliet

1355 Words | 6 Pages

Emotions are what propel you forward to reach your goal, but what also stop you from breaking your limits. They are what weigh into our decisions and help lead us to the choices we forever live with. Not only can they determine what we do, but also when and how we do it. At times they are stronger than others, pulling us forward or throwing us back as if we have absolutely no control. Just like in Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, the entire lives of two teenagers led by the emotions that they couldn’t ignore.

Read More

Romeo And Juliet Rhetorical Analysis

785 Words | 4 Pages

In the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, he tells the story of two people who fall in love, Romeo, a Montague, and Juliet, a Capulet. Their families have been feuding for as long as they can remember, making their love for one another very dangerous. The two go to extreme lengths to be with each other, but this eventually results in both of them losing their lives. Throughout this story, Shakespeare conveys through his use of syntax and diction with wrathful tone that hatred can make people act irrationally loyal, and this hatred can cloud one’s morals. We first see Shakespeare demonstrate the dangers that come from fighting without proper reason in the very beginning between the characters Tybalt and Benvolio.

Read More

Romeo And Juliet Literary Devices Essay

489 Words | 2 Pages

Dramatic irony is when the audience or reader know something that the characters are unaware of. In Act Two Scene 3 line 44, Friar Laurence asks Romeo, “God pardon sin! Wast thou with Rosaline?” (2.3.44) and this adds suspense to the play, therefore making the plot more interesting. What this quote means is that Friar Laurence thinks that Romeo has been with Rosaline all night, even though he was with Juliet.

Read More

Binary Opposition In Romeo And Juliet

1175 Words | 5 Pages

According to (Cash, 2013), Shakespeare shows the fault in romantic love by contrasting it with anti-romantic love. In Romeo and Juliet, binary opposition is used to convey this. Binary opposition can be explained as a literary device that uses two opposite concepts to convey contrast (Baldick, 2008). This device is used to emphasize opposing themes when compared and provides a deeper understanding of the characters. It enhances the readers experience and provides comic relief.

Read More

Theme Of Responsibility In Romeo And Juliet

1233 Words | 5 Pages

“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves”, is a quote by the man himself, William Shakespeare, concerning human responsibility, otherwise known as the capability of completing an obligation, or duty sufficiently. These commitments or duties play a role in how a situation will play out, and dictate the consequences that follow. The choices made from the beginning to the end in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet are all examples of how people’s decisions, primarily those of Tybalt, Mercutio and Friar Lawrence, lead to a heartbreaking fallout. The pressure and burden weighing down the young lovers ultimately overwhelms them, causing an expeditious chain reaction. The influences behind each character’s ill-considered judgments,

Read More

Examples Of Diction In Romeo And Juliet

352 Words | 2 Pages

At last but not least, the author employs negative diction, such as: “vexed” (1.1.199), “madness” (1.1.200), and “gall” (1.1.201). “Vexed” denotes annoyed, and “madness” denotes insanity. Since Romeo is referring to love in such a negative way, this shows that Romeo is pessimistic about love. In this passage, the metaphors demonstrate that love is short-lasting, depressing, and conflicting. Due to the metaphor and negative diction in this passage, the author characterizes Romeo as a person who is conflicted and frustrated by love.

Read More

Romeo And Juliet Essay Outline

713 Words | 3 Pages

Conclusion: William Shakespeare might have intended for Romeo and Juliet to represent how two people holding a strong bond of love can feel like they can disparage the hatred of the world, but such an immense passion eventually cannot exist in a world fueled by hatred and revenge. Works

Read More

Dramatic Irony In Romeo And Juliet Essay

746 Words | 3 Pages

From the very beginning of the play, Shakespeare, is holding fate to blame for the death of the two lovers. In the line “from forth the fatal loins of these two foes a pair of star-crossed lovers take their life” foreshadowing, metaphor and alliteration are used to show how Romeo and Juliet’s love would end in tragedy. Foreshadowing is used to create suspense leading to a later scene in the play where the lover’s suicide. The metaphor “star-crossed lovers” suggest the prophetic alignments of the stars are against them. The lovers are ill-fated from the start.

Read More

Literary Devices In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

639 Words | 3 Pages

Foreshadowing is used to stubbly warn the audience of the approaching tragedy. Friar Lawrence alludes to the deaths of Romeo and Juliet that will result from their rushed marriage when he tells Romeo in ACT 2, scene 6, line 9, “These violent delights have violent ends.” With violent delights referring to their fiery passion and violent ends to their deaths. Another feature used is simile, in ACT 1, scene 4, line 26 Romeo uses a simile when talking to Mercutio, “Is love a tender thing? It is too rough, too rude, too boisterous, and it pricks like thorn.”

Read More

The Power Of Passion In Romeo And Juliet Essay

720 Words | 3 Pages

Romeo and Juliet Passion Essay Passion is a powerful emotion that plays a huge part in the decisions we make. Passion may seem beneficial, but ultimately leads to destruction, and it doesn't matter whether it is love or hate both can make an individual reckless and blind. In William Shakespeare's play “Romeo and Juliet”, many of the characters make rash choices because passion interferes with their capability to reason and this not only affects the individual but also others around them. This thesis will be proven by the analysis of Romeo, Tybalt, Mercutio, actions that are driven by passionate love or hate and how it has affected the other characters of the play. The power of passionate love is illustrated in the play through Romeo’s love for Rosaline and Juliet, which let him to make certain decisions

Read More

More about Literary Analysis Of Oxymoron In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

Related Topics

Open Document