Romeo And Juliet Light And Dark Essay

Throughout the entirety of Romeo and Juliet, a theme that is portrayed is that even in the face of great obstacles and challenges, love can still shine through and bring hope to the darkest of places. The play shows two lovers who struggle to overcome the toughest obstacle of all—their feuding families. Shakespeare presents this through the recurring theme of light and dark. Their love, which is the light, inflicts future conflicts, which is demonstrated by dark, including death. The use of it is evidence to Shakepeare’s skills as a writer as these themes explore the characters’ struggles against the darkness that surrounds them, in which he is able to create a rick and complex world that is both beautiful and tragic. Overall, a theme of Romeo and Juliet is that love will always shine through the darkest of places, which is continuously presented through light and dark.

The theme of light and dark is explored through the use of imagery, symbolism and metaphors. Throughout the play, the characters are constantly struggling to find their way through the darkness, both literal and metaphorical, that surrounds them. The most notable example of this is when Romeo spots Juliet standing on her balcony, looking into the night as he admires her, saying, “It is the east, and Juliet is the sun/Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon” (2.2.3-4). This moment is significant because it shows how Juliet is able to bring light into Romeo’s life, which has been consumed by darkness as he was banished from Verona. Their love has been tested because they can not be together due to their families, but they pushed through and fought for their