William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is largely regarded as one of his best masterpieces. The play describes a star-crossed relationship that culminates in the deaths of the protagonists. Shakespeare weaves a story with figurative language against the backdrop of the beautiful city of Verona. He frequently used similes to convey emotion and to emphasise the similarity of two experiences, persons, or objects by employing the terms “like” or “as.”
I really like ‘Pricks Like a Thorn.’
Romeo states in Act 1, Scene 4 that love “pricks like a thorn.” Romeo asks whether love is as gentle and soft as others believe it is when he says this. He claims that love is difficult and terrible. When he says this, he is not optimistic about love. He understands how much love can be painful.
The Tongues of Lovers Are ‘Like Softest Music’
Romeo believes that “lovers’ tongues” are “like softest music to attending ears” in Act 2, Scene 2. Romeo states in this paragraph that lovers shouting each other’s names all night reminds him of wonderful music. Hearing a lover mention his name, he claims, is like listening to soft music. He demonstrates the beauty of love by using this simile.
This comparison is in sharp contrast to Romeo’s past views on love. Romeo talks badly of love early in the play, when he is heartbroken. He speaks more favourably of it in similes like this one. This indicates that his viewpoint shifts depending on the circumstances.
Juliet is a “Rich Jewel.”
Romeo encounters Juliet in Act 1, Scene 5 and describes her. “It appears she hangs upon the night’s cheek, like a rich jewel in an Ethiope’s ear,” he says. Romeo compares Juliet like a pearl gleaming against the darkness in this comparison. Shakespeare frequently employs similes to convey Juliet’s exquisite beauty from Romeo’s perspective.
Juliet’s love is “as limitless as the sea.”
Juliet employs a simile to explain her love in Act 2, Scene 2. “My bounty is as limitless as the sea,” she says. Juliet expresses that her love has no bounds by stating this. It is extensive. Her love is frequently referred to as her “bounty,” a term used to describe agriculture. Her love is like a gift from the universe. This is the phrase she uses to express her passion and its origins.
‘Schoolboys From Their Books,’ Romeo describes the joy of love.
Romeo explains the thrill of love in Act 2, Scene 2. “Love runs toward love, as schoolboys from their books,” the verse states. He claims that lovers who are together are as joyful as students about to graduate.
“But love from love, approaching school with heavy eyes,” he continues. Romeo is implying that two lovers leaving each other is analogous to pupils being forced to return to school in this sentence. Romeo is implying that leaving Juliet is akin to having to return to a location he despises with a heavy heart.
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