Romeo and Juliet is largely regarded as one of the greatest works of William Shakespeare. The play depicts a doomed love affair that culminates with the protagonists’ deaths. Shakespeare employs figurative language to build a story against the backdrop of beautiful Verona. He frequently used similes to convey emotion and to emphasise that two sentiments, persons, or items are comparable by using “like” or “as.”
“Love Is Sharp as a Thorn”
In Act 1, Scene 4, Romeo states that love is “as sharp as a thorn.” When he utters these words, Romeo questions whether love is as sweet and gentle as people assert. He asserts that love is difficult and painful. When he says this, he is not optimistic about romantic relationships. He is aware of how painful love can be.
The tongues of lovers resemble the softest music.
In Act 2, Scene 2, Romeo asserts that the “tongues of lovers” are “like the loveliest music to attentive ears.” In this passage, Romeo compares the sound of lovers chanting one another’s names throughout the night to pleasant music. He claims that hearing a lover mention his name would be like to listening to soft music. Using this metaphor, he illustrates the beauty of love.
This metaphor contradicts some of Romeo’s past views about love. When Romeo gets devastated early in the play, he speaks harshly of love. In comparisons such as this, he speaks more highly of it. This demonstrates that his opinion is situation-dependent.
Juliet Is ‘Like a Rich Jewel’
Romeo encounters Juliet in Act 1, Scene 5 and describes her. He states, “It appears like she dangles from the cheek of night like a precious gem in Ethiope’s ear.” Romeo compares Juliet like a pearl that sparkles against the night in this metaphor. Shakespeare frequently employs similes to illustrate Juliet’s exquisite beauty from Romeo’s perspective.
The love of Juliet is “as boundless as the sea.”
Juliet employs a simile in Act 2, Scene 2 to explain her love. She states, “My wealth is as vast as the ocean.” By expressing this, Juliet emphasises the limitlessness of her love. It is deep. She often refers to her love as her “bounty,” a term typically associated with agriculture. Her affection is like a gift from the earth. She use this terminology to express the origins of her devotion.
Romeo compares the happiness of love to “Schoolboys Away From Their Books.”
In Scene 2 of Act 2, Romeo discusses the pleasure of love. The phrase states, “Love returns to love, as do schoolboys from their books.” According to him, couples who are together feel as pleased as students who are graduating.
He then says, “But love from love, with heavy stares toward school.” In this line, Romeo compares the separation of two lovers to kids being required to return to school. Romeo is comparing leaving Juliet to returning with a sad heart to a land he despises.
