Taylor Swift "Love Story" Analysis

The song “Love Story” was written and sung by Taylor Swift. It was published on September 12, 2008. Throughout “Love Story”, Taylor Swift, uses many poetic devices in the narrative in order to make the whole story and lyrics more enhanced as a whole. She creates an allusion comparing her love for a guy and that of Romeo and Juliet. In Romeo and Juliet, they are banned from seeing each other by their parents and they are willing to die in order to be together. Similarly, Taylor recounts the time she was told not to see the man she loved. So in her song, she compares this to Romeo and Juliet. Swift also used metaphors in “Love Story”. She says, “Cause you were Romeo, I was a scarlet letter”. She is comparing herself to a scarlet letter but there is also a relation between the scarlet letter and the story of Romeo and Juliet. They both tell the story of true love but they both involve misfortune. Another metaphor in this song is when Swift says, “That you were Romeo, you were throwing pebbles.” She is comparing the man she loves to Romeo. He was not actually Romeo, but just someone who was calling for her attention and love. Another poetic device Taylor Swift used is imagery. After a flash back to the time she met the man she loves, Swift recalls seeing “the lights… the party, the ball gowns” and seeing him “make your way through the crowd and say hello”. Then it is also at the end of the song when he proposes to her she says, “He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring”. Taylor Swift is able to evoke an image in the imagination of the listener by using descriptive language. Also, the audience members that have been in similar situations are able to connect with the song and the circumstances. Overall, Taylor Swift’s elegant use of poetic devices enhances the lyrics of “Love Story”.