Romeo And Juliet Contrasting Elements

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Romeo and Juliet uses various imagery to support several elements of the play. Examples of these pairs of imagery are love and hate, light and dark, and fate and freewill. They add emphasis to the love Romeo and Juliet have in the midst of their family hatred. The contrasting imagery also assists the reader in understanding the characters. Additionally, they support Romeo and Juliet's struggle to keep their relationship outside of their families' private war. Pairs of love and hate are part of a major motif of Romeo and Juliet. These contrasting pairs emphasize how Romeo and Juliet are madly in love, but their love can never be because of their families. In the end of Act I, when the Nurse tells Juliet that Romeo is a Montague she voices her grief: “My only love sprung from my only hate! Too early seen unknown, and known too late! Prodigious birth of love it is to me That I must love a loathed enemy.” (1.5.152) Juliet had fallen for Romeo, but when she discovers he is a Montague she realizes it would be difficult for them to be together. Also, it shows Romeo is Juliet's first love. During the Prologue of Act II, the Chorus explains how Romeo is now in love with one of his enemies: “Now Romeo is beloved and loves again , / Alike bewitched by the charms of looks, / But to his foe supposed he must complain.” (2.Prologue.5-7) The Chorus shows how deeply Romeo is in love, while showing the dangers of loving Juliet. Because Romeo and Juliet are on opposite sides of a family feud, their families would oppose their love. Contrasting pairs of light and dark aid Romeo and Juliet by assisting the reader in understanding the characters. Many of Romeo's lines describe him, and how he views Juliet; for example, during the balcony scene Romeo expresses his adoration for Juliet: “It is the East, and Juliet is the sun. / Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious

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