Language Techniques in Romeo and Juliet Essay Sample

Romeo and Juliet is an impassioned book written by William Shakespeare that uses a variety of language techniques to vividly convey character relationships. Some of the strongest relationships are between Romeo and Rosaline, Juliet, and fate. Firstly his dejection, caused by his unrequited “love” for Rosaline. As well as his exuberance - granted by his immense love for his beloved Juliet being requited. Finally, the relationship that leads to his demise; his rage towards fate/the stars after discovering about Juliet's “death” and his utmost feeling of despair. I will also raise the question of how relevant Shakespeare's presentation of Romeo and his feelings are to modern audiences and how relatable these sentiments/actions are.

In the exposition of the play, Romeo is filled with dejection due to his unrequited “love” towards Rosaline. In Act 1 Scene 4 Romeo is depicted confessing his utmost sadness to Mercutio. Shakespeare illustrates how his relationship with Rosaline has impacted his perspective on love:

Is love a tender thing? It is too rough,

Too rude, too boist’rous, and it pricks like thorn. 

(Romeo - 1:4:25-26)

In this dialogue, Romeo personifies love; by saying that it is rough, rude, boisterous, and pricks like a thorn. All of these descriptive words are used to describe something brutal, unpleasant, noisy, unrestrained, and hard. He too says that love pricks like a thorn, in reality, this means the puncturing of something. This implies that his love for Rosaline has punctured his heart and relating back to the meaning of the other descriptive words; that it has pained him and he believes that love is an awful feeling opposed to the supposed wonderful feeling.

The idea of love being tender is juxtaposed later in the line when Romeo states that love is in fact rough. This conveys the Idea that Romeo has uncovered the real meaning behind love following his unreciprocated love for Rosaline. Moreover, his opinion on love has been altered. 

Finally, Shakespeare uses alliteration to stress all of Romeo’s bad feelings towards love. He repeats several words with the same collective feeling of dislike. “Too rough, / Too rude, too boist’rous”

The idea of feeling “love” towards someone and not reciprocating that feeling is a very common and relatable feeling in modern-day society. As is the reaction of thinking that you will/can not love anymore; the feeling of heartbreak.

In the rising action of the play (1:5), (2:6) and (2:2), Romeo is depicted being ecstatic after his newfound love for Juliet is reciprocated; contradictory to his unrequited “love” for Rosaline.

After spotting Juliet, Romeo converses with Mercutio, telling him that he had never spotted such beauty before and consequently realizing that his love for Rosaline may not have been true love, simply infatuation. 

Did my heart love till now? foreswear it, sight!

For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night.

(Romeo - 1:5:51 - 52)

Shakespeare thought-provokingly uses punctuation to emphasize Romeo’s re-evaluation of his “love” towards Rosaline, many of which also function as stage directions. Firstly, he makes use of a question mark - this gives Romeo time to pause and ponder on his past thoughts. Following this Romeo states that he retracts his past “love” towards Rosaline - this is emphasized using an exclamation mark. It also serves the purpose as to tell the audience that his grief is now over as he has found a new and supposed true love. The question mark makes his statement appear to be a newfound discovery. Finally, he elaborates on why he believes that he was not in fact in love with Rosaline, simply in love with the idea.

Shakespeare effectively communicates how important Romeo’s relationship and love for Juliet is and its positive effect on him.

Amen, amen! But what sorrow can,

It cannot counterveil the exchange of joy

That one short minute gives me in her sight.

(Romeo - 2:6:3-5)

As seen in Romeo’s dialogue, Shakespeare uses moving word choice to effectively convey how joyful Juliet makes Romeo. By using the word “counterveil” a picture is painted of all of the sorrow Romeo may face and then counter this sorrow, the simple sight of Juliet spreading enough light and joy to veil all of the negative. Making Juliet seem like a bringer of light and love as well as jubilation.

Here, Shakespeare highlights how crucial Juliet is to Romeo’s life: 

It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.

(Romeo - 2:2:3)

Shakespeare utilises a metaphor to stress Juliets existence, comparing Juliet to the sun. The sun is one of the most important, if not the most important thing to a human's survival and without it all life would dwindle. Juliet is being compared to such a critical object - telling the audience that she is the most important thing to Romeo and that without her, Romeo would die.

Similar to the feeling of dejection, the feeling of joy due to your love being reciprocated is a common sentiment that is definitely relatable to modern audiences. As is Romeo’s realisation that he has gotten over his past “heartbreak” and has found a new love. 

Finally, In the climax of the play Romeo is devastated and filled with despair as well as anger at fate as he believes that Juliet is dead, he consequently decides to kill himself rather than live without her.

In Act 5 Scene 3 Romeo is delineated trying to get into the tomb where Juliet lies and he avows a powerful soliloquy confessing to his hatred towards fate and the “death” of his lover.

Thou detestable maw, thou womb of death,

Gorg’d with the dearest morsel of the earth,

Thus I enforce thy rotten jaws to open,

And in despite I’ll cram thee with more food.

(Romeo - 5:3:45 - 48)

Primarily, Shakespeare uses a metaphor to compare the tomb and a maw. A maw is the jaw of a ferocious beast. In this context, Romeo calls the death of Juliet ferocious and displays his anger at both the stars and the tomb itself as it holds the most important aspect of Romeo’s life.

Furthermore, Romeo references Juliet using very careful word choice - more specifically using a superlative. He calls Juliet the “dearest” morsel of the earth. This further exemplifies his love for Juliet as she is the most dear and nothing in the whole world is more important and beautiful to Romeo than Juliet. Forbye, Shakespeare repeatedly uses very violent and angry words/images. Such as detestable, gorged, enforce, rotten, and cram. The image of a maw with specifically rotten jaws getting crammed with food is very gruesome and appropriately conveys Romeo’s anger. 

Antithetically, Romeos last words and last action are filled with love:

Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss I die.

(Romeo - 5:3:120)

Romeo's dialogue is both a beautiful sentiment as well as a stage direction. As Romeo states that he will die with a kiss it tells the directors that he has to firstly drink the poison, then kiss Juliet and subsequently die. Ultimatly, it demonstrates his devotion and love to Juliet as he is willing to have her be his last memory before the cessation of his life.

Romeo’s feelings of despair and outrage at fate are common sentiments in modern audiences following a death of a loved one. Mourning a death is always a painful page and oftenly the death of somone is blamed on outside factors in a hope to mask the agony; this is a recurrent technique that remains relevant in modern day society. Although, Romeo takes these sentiments to the extreme and consequently commits suicide; this is not as relatable but it is still seen in some sorrowful cases.

In conclusion, Shakespeare effectively uses various different techniques to grippingly convey diverse emotions. Principally, Romeo experiences a false sadness due to his unrequited “love” towards Rosaline but then recognizes that this was in fact only infatuation. Subsequently, he feels immense joy when his love for Juliet is contrarily requited. Ultimately, Romeo senses himself in a state of despair and rage towards fate for “killing” Juliet and takes action to spite the stars.  While the book and many remakes of it take these emotions to extremes, they still remain as common sentiments that are regular to experience even to this day.