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Essay On Symbolism In Romeo And Juliet

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Obscured messages delivered by the play Romeo and Juliet
To this day, people often exchange roses as a symbolic interpretation of everlasting love. Roses represent love and passion without saying a word directly. In modern life, symbols exist in almost all aspects: mountains can symbolize obstacles and hardships; spring can symbolize new beginnings; purple can symbolize loyalty; and black can symbolize death and darkness. Although it has no other explicit languages and signs, it can still reveal the hidden message of the masterpieces. During Elizabethan era, the pelican was one of Elizabeth's favorite symbols. It was used to portray her motherly love to her subjects. In times of food shortages, mother pelicans were believed to pluck their own breasts to feed their dying young with their blood and save their lives. In the process of feeding the mother would die. In the Middle Ages the pelican came to represent Jesus sacrificing himself on the cross for the good of mankind and the sacrament of communion, feeding the faithful with his body and blood (Royal Museums Greenwich “Symbolism in portraits of Elizabeth I”). In the play The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet written in the 1590s by William Shakespeare, the most influential writer in all English literature, includes variety of symbols to not only create divergences but also to explore long-lasting themes such as impassioned love, the urge for power, fate and revenge. The play tells the tragic story of the star-crossed lovers from feuding families, Romeo …show more content…

Roses will fade eventually, as the life of Romeo and Juliet will shade ultimately. The use of symbolisms which drives the plot development, creates conflict and exposes the major themes not only is used to determine the tragic ending, but also to unmask the social and historical drawbacks for example arranged marriages during the Elizabethan

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