Literary Devices In Romeo And Juliet

Emma Alicea

Mr. Spinks

Honors English 9/6th hour

January 20, 2023

The Language of Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet

Literary devices are great as long as people know how to use them and Shakespeare had a true understanding of how they could be used. The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare is interesting in the way it is not meant to be easily understood when read but is fairly easy to understand when in play form. This play is the story of two lovers from rival families that were doomed from the start. Three of the many literary devices Shakespeare used to make the play more interesting then if it went without are, dramatic irony, allusion, and soliloquies.

Dramatic irony where the reader knows something the characters

Lord Montague expresses his worry for his son, “But all so soon as the all-cheering sun/Should in the farthest east begin to draw/The shady curtains from Aurora’s bed,/Away from light steals home my heavy son” (1. 1. 127-130). In this example of allusion Lord Montague refers to Aurora (the Roman goddess of dawn) because he is saying that he often stays up until dawn due to his worry for his son crying in bed at night; this is when he finally sleeps because this is when she awakens and rises into the sky so he believes his son is safe. Romeo references Cupid because he believes that Rosaline would not love him even if she got struck by cupid's arrow that makes people fall in love; he also implies that she is similar to Diana (the Roman goddess of hunting, women, and childbirth) with her strong will not to ever marry him much like Diana's vow of celibacy (1. 1. 201-204). This is a great example of allusion, this one quote has two allusions about the same person and this demonstrates different styles of allusion which are, saying something could not affect a person and comparing a person to something else. These quotes are two of many allusions in this play and they showcase the dimension allusions can add into a story and how connections can be made to how what is being referenced pertains to

Juliet speaks of her reservations about the potion Friar Lawrence gave her to make her look dead long enough to run away with Romeo but ultimately takes it showing how much she loves him (4. 3. 14-19, 58). Both their soliloquies show how much they love each other which hints at the ending of them killing themselves for their love. They express emotions with their words making it easier to know what they are feeling exactly when reading the play and adding more dimension to the characters and play opposed to everything being bland or one note so to