English 442, "Shakespeare"

Imagery in Romeo and Juliet

Images and image clusters play an important role in defining character, reinforcing theme, and even establishing mood or atmosphere in Shakespeare's plays. An obvious example (obvious to those who know the play) is the imagery of darkness in Macbeth, much of which takes place at night. Images of dark and night are associated with the developing character of Macbeth, the actions of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, the Witches, and so on. Throughout 1 Henry IV, sun imagery is associated with the emergence of Prince Hal as an apparently worthy heir to the throne after a period of official disgrace. Images of illness dominate Hamlet. And there are many other examples. The classic study of the subject is Caroline Spurgeon, Shakespeare's Imagery and What It Tells Us (Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1935; rpt. 1961).

In Romeo and Juliet, light imagery in various forms appears in nearly every scene. The following questions and directions for searching the text in a web site database are intended to draw attention to the relationship of the light imagery to the action, the characters of Romeo and Juliet, and their views of and attitudes toward one another.

1. Access a text database or an electronic edition of Romeo and Juliet in Netscape, e.g.,

• The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (MIT): Select the link, "Search the Texts"
  
• The Works of the Bard (Matty Farrow, Australia)

2. If you select the second site (search engines) listed above, follow the directions onscreen to search for images of light. If you select the first (an electronic edition), scroll down to "Tragedy," click on Romeo and Juliet, click the link to the "entire play," and then start your search by using the "Find" option under "Edit" toward the top of the screen. Try seeking words for "light," as well as times of day and day itself, heavenly bodies, natural phenomena that produce light (e.g., "fire"), artificial sources of light (e.g., explosive power), and qualities of light (e.g., "bright"). Record the results of your search, noting act, scene, and line number(s). Note carefully the full context in which the images occur.

3. Select a cluster of images associated with a narrow topic, such as a character or a character's view of another character. Explain what the imagery reveals about the topic.

4. Optional: Search also for opposing images (e.g., "dark," "night," etc.). Many such images are associated with Romeo. How do the opposed sets of images associated with Romeo relate to the change that occurs in him early in the play?

5. Optional: If you have seen the recent Baz Lurhman film, Romeo+ Juliet, comment on the extent to which it retains the light imagery in visual form. Consider particularly examples of explosive power of various sorts. (Clicking on the Romeo+ Juliet link above will take you to a web site with illustrations that may help you recall details of the film.  Click "Back" to return to this page.)

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