Romeo and Juliet Act 2: Figurative Language

 Figurative language plays a very important role in many novels, books, and plays. It is essential in comprehension and enjoyment for the reader. In Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, figurative language plays a huge role in comprehension for the reader because most of the language is difficult to understand if you aren't familiar with Shakespeare's style. In this post, I will be examining two different examples of figurative language in Act II of Romeo and Juliet that add understanding and enjoyment into the play.

The first excerpt I will discuss is during Act II Scene ii, the balcony scene. At the beginning of the scene Romeo compares Juliet to the sun in the east:

But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?
It is the East, and Juliet is the sun!
Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,
Who is already sick and pale with grief
That thou her maid art far more fair than she.
Be not her maid, since she is envious.
Her vestal livery is but sick and green,
(II.ii.3-10)

In short, Romeo is comparing Juliet to the beautiful sun rising in the east. He compares her shining beauty to the sun. When he says "Arise, fair sun..." He is telling Juliet to come out from her balcony and let her beauty be shared with the rest of the world. He compares the two without using the words "like" or "as" which makes this a metaphor. The use of a metaphor in this situation helps the reader visualize the scene of Romeo looking upon Juliet in her balcony in awe of her beauty. The use of a comparison of Juliet to such a familiar object (the sun) also adds to the readers comprehension.

One other example of figurative language in Act II occurs during Scene vi. Romeo is speaking right before he and Juliet marry and says: "Then love-devouring death do what he dare- / It is enough I may but call her mine" (II.vi.7-8). Romeo is saying that the risks do not outweigh the rewards of marrying Juliet. Even the risk of death isn't enough to keep he and Juliet apart. Romeo is giving death, an inanimate word, human-like characteristics. He calls death a "he" and "love-devouring". This type of language is called personification. In this situation, the use of personification draws more compassion to the lovers by portraying death as the antagonist of the play. It gets the readers more involved in the play by giving them something to root for/against.


These are only two out of countless examples of figurative language found in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. As you can see, figurative language plays a huge role in every piece of literature by helping the reader better understand and enjoy the story. For more info on figurative language visit this site.

Works Cited

Docstoc. Personification poster. Photograph. n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2014.

Kerov. marketingforhippies. Photograph. 29 Mar. 2013. Web. 17 Feb. 2014.

 Literature: Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 1999. Print.

           "Romeo and Juliet." Sparknotes. Sparknotes LLC, 2013. Web. 10 Feb. 2014