Images Of Light And Darkness I :: essays research papers

In his play, Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare weaves a timeless tale. Although it is over 400 years old, Romeo and Juliet, is as interesting today as it was at its inception and my guess is that its appeal lies in its subject matter. Shakepeare picked a theme that’s been known to cause indigestion and sleep loss for centuries. And yet, regardless of the ills associated with it, it remains a topic of worldwide interest. And that is simply, love. My mother says that love is one of the most overused, misunderstood words in the English language. Over time, I’ve asked friends what they thought â€Å"it† was. I’ve always received differing answers. It’s when he opens the door. It’s when she does the laundry. It’s that thing that causes insanity. It doesn’t exist. It existed only in the middle ages. It’s what everyone is hunting for and no one can find. Forget about it. Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (Tenth Edition) defines it as: 1. (1): strong affection for another rising out of kinship or personal ties. 2: warm attachment, enthusiasm, or devotion. 3: unselfish loyal and benevolet concern for the good of another. 4: to thrive on. Spiritual masters say that love is all there is. They also say in order to truly know something, one must know it’s opposite. To know hot, one must experience cold. To know sorrow, one must have known joy. To love, one must hate. (Or at least come pretty damned close to it.) Without darkness, one cannot appreciate light. Professors of English say that the greatest writers are those who can â€Å"hook† their readers. Those who can propel a story forward. Divide and contrast. Divide and contrast, they say. Friction produced by opposing forces creates great drama. Shakespeare is a great dramatist. In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare opens with a prologue that basically outlines the entire play. After finishing line fourteen, the reader isn’t required to continue reading because he/she knows the outcome. Shakespeare has given the reader the end. There really is no reason to read on. And yet they do. The reader continues because Shakespeare was a genius at creating dramatic tension. In Romeo and Juliet, he uses two main vehicles to do so. One is the theme of love (Romeo and Juliet) versus hate (The Montagues and the Capulets). The other is the theme of darkness and light. For purposes of this paper, I will look briefly at the use of light and dark imagery as it is associated with the two main characters, Romeo and Juliet.