ENGL100A Lecture Notes - Mercutio
Document Summary
One of the play"s most consistent visual motifs is the contrast between light and dark, often in terms of night/day imagery. This contrast is not given a particular metaphoric meaning light is not always good, and dark is not always evil. On the contrary, light and dark are generally used to provide a sensory contrast and to hint at opposed alternatives. One of the more important instances of this motif is romeo"s lengthy meditation on the sun and the moon during the balcony scene, in which juliet, metaphorically described as the sun, is seen as banishing the. Envious moon and transforming the night into day (2. 1. 46). A similar blurring of night and day occurs in the early morning hours after the lovers" only night together. Shakespeare includes numerous speeches and scenes in romeo and juliet that hint at alternative ways to evaluate the play. Shakespeare uses two main devices in this regard: mercutio and servants.