(picture obtained from http://t3dailygrammar.weebly.com/6-figurative-language.html)
Metaphor-
1."What, ho! you men, you beasts,That quench the fire of your pernicious rage" (Act 1 Scene 1)
The Prince compares the Capulets and Montagues to beasts, because they have just had a fray. He then compares their rage to a fire.
2."Peer'd forth the golden window of the east," (Act 1 Scene 1)
Benvolio is telling the Montagues where Romeo is, and compares the east to a golden window when talking about the sun.
3. "My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss". (Act 1 Scene 5)
Romeo compares his lips to pilgrims when talking to Juliet.
Simile-
1. "Is love a tender thing? it is too rough,Too rude, too boisterous, and it pricks like thorn." (Act 1 Scene 4)
Romeo is talking to Mercutio before the Capulets' party, and compares love to a thorn.
2."Begot of nothing but vain fantasy, Which is as thin of substance as the air" (Act 1 Scene 4)
Mercutio is talking about dreams, and compares vain fantasy to the air.
3. "O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright! It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night Like a rich jewel in an Ethiope's ear" (Act 1 Scene 5)
When Romeo describes Juliet, he compares her to a rich jewel in an Ethiope's ear.
Irony-
1. "Death, that hath suck'd the honey of thy breath, Hath had no power yet upon thy beauty" (Act 5 Scene 3)
Romeo is talking about how Juliet hasn't yet been affected by death, when in reality, she isn't dead.
2."If he be married my grave is like to be my wedding bed." (Act 1 Scene 5)
Juliet is asking the nurse who Romeo is. This statement is ironic because Juliet's grave is going to be her wedding bed, we already know she is going to die.
3. "Now, Tybalt, take the villain back again,That late thou gavest me; for Mercutio's soul Is but a little way above our heads, Staying for thine to keep him company: Either thou, or I, or both, must go with him." (Act 3 Scene 1)
Romeo tells Tybalt that they must fight. This is ironic because only a short while before this, Romeo had told Tybalt that he loved him, and wouldn't fight with him.
Personification-
1."The sun, for sorrow, will not show his head" (Act 5 Scene 3)
The Prince describes the sun as having a head, that will not show because he is mourning for Romeo and Juliet.
2. "Then love-devouring death do what he dare; It is enough I may but call her mine." (Act 2 Scene 6)
Romeo and Juliet are about to get married, and he describes death as a person.
3. "With worms that are thy chamber-maids" (Act 5 Scene 3)
Romeo is about to commit suicide, and describes worms as Juliet's chamber maids because he thinks she is dead.
Apostrophe-
1. "O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?" (Act 2 Scene 2)
Juliet addresses Romeo even though he is absent.
2. "O Fortune, Fortune! all men call thee fickle; if thou art fickle, what dost thou with him that is renown'd for faith? Be fickle, Fortune; for then, I hope, thou wilt not keep him long, but send him back." (Act 3 Scene 5)
Romeo has left for Mantua, and Juliet addresses Fortune.
3. "Come, vial. What if this mixture do not work at all?" (Act 4 Scene 3)
Juliet is about to drink the Friar's sleeping potion, and adresses the vial of medication.
Symbol-
1. "A dram of poison, such soon-speeding gear As will disperse itself through all the veins That the life-weary taker may fall dead" (Act 5 Scene 1)
Romeo is asking for the poison that will end his life. Poison is a symbol in the play, because it ends both Romeo and Juliet's lives. If Juliet hadn't drunk the potion, Romeo wouldn't have killed himself, so even though Juliet stabbed herself in the end, if it weren't for the poisons, neither of them would have died. Poison is a symbol of the fight between the two families. It is like a poison, in that it destroys everything, including Romeo and Juliet.
2. "O, now be gone; more light and light it grows. ROMEO More light and light; more dark and dark our woes!" (Act 3 Scene 5)
This quote starts out with Juliet speaking, and then Romeo talks. Romeo is about to leave for Mantua and they talk about how short of time they have left together because it is almost daytime. Darkness and light are referenced many times in this play. They symbolize the two lovers and the world that hates their love. Juliet and Romeo both describe each other with light, and darkness is mostly used to describe bad things, however, in this instance, since they are running out of time together, the darkness is a good thing, full of cloudy mystery, like the couple's love.
3. "Doth not rosemary and Romeo begin both with a letter?" (Act 2 Scene 4) and "Dry up your tears and stick your rosemary on this fair corse" (Act 4 Scene 5)
In the first quote, the nurse compares romeo to rosemary, a very sweet smelling flower. In the second quote, Juliet's family has discovered her "dead" and Friar Lawrence tells them to put rosemary on Juliet's body, because rosemary was often used to cover up the stench of death in that time. Rosemary represents Romeo and Juliet's love. It may have smelled sweet at first, but soon enough, it proved to be hiding the foul stench of death. As a result of the couple's love and their families' feud, they both died.
Metaphor-
1."What, ho! you men, you beasts,That quench the fire of your pernicious rage" (Act 1 Scene 1)
The Prince compares the Capulets and Montagues to beasts, because they have just had a fray. He then compares their rage to a fire.
2."Peer'd forth the golden window of the east," (Act 1 Scene 1)
Benvolio is telling the Montagues where Romeo is, and compares the east to a golden window when talking about the sun.
3. "My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss". (Act 1 Scene 5)
Romeo compares his lips to pilgrims when talking to Juliet.
Simile-
1. "Is love a tender thing? it is too rough,Too rude, too boisterous, and it pricks like thorn." (Act 1 Scene 4)
Romeo is talking to Mercutio before the Capulets' party, and compares love to a thorn.
2."Begot of nothing but vain fantasy, Which is as thin of substance as the air" (Act 1 Scene 4)
Mercutio is talking about dreams, and compares vain fantasy to the air.
3. "O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright! It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night Like a rich jewel in an Ethiope's ear" (Act 1 Scene 5)
When Romeo describes Juliet, he compares her to a rich jewel in an Ethiope's ear.
Irony-
1. "Death, that hath suck'd the honey of thy breath, Hath had no power yet upon thy beauty" (Act 5 Scene 3)
Romeo is talking about how Juliet hasn't yet been affected by death, when in reality, she isn't dead.
2."If he be married my grave is like to be my wedding bed." (Act 1 Scene 5)
Juliet is asking the nurse who Romeo is. This statement is ironic because Juliet's grave is going to be her wedding bed, we already know she is going to die.
3. "Now, Tybalt, take the villain back again,That late thou gavest me; for Mercutio's soul Is but a little way above our heads, Staying for thine to keep him company: Either thou, or I, or both, must go with him." (Act 3 Scene 1)
Romeo tells Tybalt that they must fight. This is ironic because only a short while before this, Romeo had told Tybalt that he loved him, and wouldn't fight with him.
Personification-
1."The sun, for sorrow, will not show his head" (Act 5 Scene 3)
The Prince describes the sun as having a head, that will not show because he is mourning for Romeo and Juliet.
2. "Then love-devouring death do what he dare; It is enough I may but call her mine." (Act 2 Scene 6)
Romeo and Juliet are about to get married, and he describes death as a person.
3. "With worms that are thy chamber-maids" (Act 5 Scene 3)
Romeo is about to commit suicide, and describes worms as Juliet's chamber maids because he thinks she is dead.
Apostrophe-
1. "O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?" (Act 2 Scene 2)
Juliet addresses Romeo even though he is absent.
2. "O Fortune, Fortune! all men call thee fickle; if thou art fickle, what dost thou with him that is renown'd for faith? Be fickle, Fortune; for then, I hope, thou wilt not keep him long, but send him back." (Act 3 Scene 5)
Romeo has left for Mantua, and Juliet addresses Fortune.
3. "Come, vial. What if this mixture do not work at all?" (Act 4 Scene 3)
Juliet is about to drink the Friar's sleeping potion, and adresses the vial of medication.
Symbol-
1. "A dram of poison, such soon-speeding gear As will disperse itself through all the veins That the life-weary taker may fall dead" (Act 5 Scene 1)
Romeo is asking for the poison that will end his life. Poison is a symbol in the play, because it ends both Romeo and Juliet's lives. If Juliet hadn't drunk the potion, Romeo wouldn't have killed himself, so even though Juliet stabbed herself in the end, if it weren't for the poisons, neither of them would have died. Poison is a symbol of the fight between the two families. It is like a poison, in that it destroys everything, including Romeo and Juliet.
2. "O, now be gone; more light and light it grows. ROMEO More light and light; more dark and dark our woes!" (Act 3 Scene 5)
This quote starts out with Juliet speaking, and then Romeo talks. Romeo is about to leave for Mantua and they talk about how short of time they have left together because it is almost daytime. Darkness and light are referenced many times in this play. They symbolize the two lovers and the world that hates their love. Juliet and Romeo both describe each other with light, and darkness is mostly used to describe bad things, however, in this instance, since they are running out of time together, the darkness is a good thing, full of cloudy mystery, like the couple's love.
3. "Doth not rosemary and Romeo begin both with a letter?" (Act 2 Scene 4) and "Dry up your tears and stick your rosemary on this fair corse" (Act 4 Scene 5)
In the first quote, the nurse compares romeo to rosemary, a very sweet smelling flower. In the second quote, Juliet's family has discovered her "dead" and Friar Lawrence tells them to put rosemary on Juliet's body, because rosemary was often used to cover up the stench of death in that time. Rosemary represents Romeo and Juliet's love. It may have smelled sweet at first, but soon enough, it proved to be hiding the foul stench of death. As a result of the couple's love and their families' feud, they both died.