Theme Of Light And Dark In Romeo And Juliet

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In life, people want to have that someone they can call the “sun to the their moon,” or the “night to their day,” wishing for an undying love. William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet deals with the recurring visual motif of light and dark, that is used to represent and foreshadow their love. Both of the lovers compare one another to the day and night, which highlights the intensity of their relationship, but also expresses the downfalls and unforeseen complications to come.
For Romeo, Juliet is his sun. His light. The brightness in his life. Romeo has no other love, except the one who shines brightest before him. He sees her and he declares: “But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?/ It is the East, and Juliet is the sun” (II, ii, 2/3.) Romeo puts Juliet on a pedestal and quite literally sees her as a glorious light. Romeo feels insignificant in relation to Juliet, as if he is no match for her and he thinks she deserves to shine without his darkness dragging her down. He believes that with “More light and light, more dark and dark our woes” (III, v, 36.) Romeo’s self-deprecation is in the best interest for Juliet, all so she can live her life according to her deservance. He wants her to keep the world the bright, wholesome place that she makes it, and he sees himself as nothing but an anchor degrading her from her beauty. However, in dissent from his view, night plays a crucial element towards the secrecy of Romeo and Juliet’s relationship. The night shelters