What Is The Connotation Of Light And Dark In Romeo And Juliet

Light and dark imagery is one of the most predominant motifs present in the play Romeo and Juliet. In Acts I and II, the connotation of light and dark imagery is traditional, where light is generally positive and dark is generally negative. At the beginning of Act III, the connotation of light and dark flips, and light becomes negative and dark becomes positive. This is because the beginning of Act III is where new, more serious conflicts are introduced to the plot, which results from Tybalt killing Mercutio. When Mercutio dies, his last words are a curse upon the Montagues and Capulets. Shakespeare uses Mercutio's dying words as a way to trigger the change in connotation of light and dark because Mercutio is not affiliated with the Capulets or the Montagues, and Mercutio’s death creates conflict in Romeo and Juliet’s relationship, which caused most of the conflict in Acts

Romeo is saying that Juliet’s beauty causes her to stick out and her beauty lights up the room. He’s describing her beauty, something positive, using “light” objects, such as torches and jewels. At this point, there are no complications in the relationship of Romeo and Juliet. The first conflicts that Romeo and Juliet face in terms of their relationship arise when they find out that their families are enemies. Because they have not had a full conversation yet, Romeo does not know that Juliet is a Capulet and Juliet does not know that Romeo is a Montague. Additional and more serious conflict is introduced after Mercutio’s death. Mercutio’s death causes a domino effect that leads to Tybalt’s death, Romeo’s banishment, Juliet’s fake death, and ultimately the death of Paris, Romeo, and Juliet. Because Romeo and Juliet have not talked to each other and Mercutio has not yet died, none of the aforementioned conflicts have occurred