Romeo and Juliet Descriptive Paragraph

Lovers of the Dark

In William Shakespeare’s play of Romeo and Juliet, Light versus Dark imagery is

an important device to contrast the hardships that Romeo and Juliet’s love endures.

Further-more, dark imagery is a more dramatic element to highlight the affection,

longing, and concern that Romeo and Juliet share. Despite Romeo and Juliet’s

passionate love for each other, they are forced to hide in the dark, to keep it a secret

from their feuding families. An example of this would be when Romeo and Juliet see

each other in the middle of the night, after the Capulet ball; Romeo sneaks up to Juliet’s

bedroom window to profess his love for her. “And bring in cloudy night immediately.” -

Juliet (III, II, 4) It is evident that the Capulet and Montague feud is consequently

forcing Romeo and Juliet to be together in secret. Even though Romeo and Juliet can

only be together in secret, it never lessens their feelings for eachother. An example of

this would be when Juliet gets excited for the night to come so that she will see Romeo

again. “And he will make the face of heaven so fine, that all the world will be in love

with the night.” - Juliet (III,II, 23-24) In view of their time separated, it only

strengthens their affections for each other. This quote holds significant value because

it demonstrates the desire that Juliet has to be with Romeo, when he is away in the

night. As the night rolls in, Juliet has a desire to be with Romeo. An example of this

would be when Romeo gets banished from Verona, and Juliet is waiting for Romeo to

Dannibale 2 come to her, as she does not know what has happened to him. “It was the nightingale,

and not the lark.” - Juliet (III, V, 2) This quote expresses Juliet’s concern for Romeo

when he does not come to her in the middle of the night. When Romeo does not come

home to her, Juliet has emotional concern for Romeo, proving that their relationship is

more than just a physical attraction. Thus, Shakespeare’s use of dark imagery is more

evident, and clever than the light imagery aspect. The use of dark imagery has more of

an unusual and dramatic impact on the story of the two star-cross’d lovers.