Sunday 10 October 2010

What are some literary devices in Romeo and Juliet Act 5 Scene 3 when and before Juliet kills herself?

In Act 5 Scene
3 of Shakespeares , there are several literary devices used to describe the
actions and emotions of s death.  The scene begins withscattering flowers at Juliets closed
tomb.  Paris states, Sweet flower, with flowers thy bridal bed I strew(V. iii. 13). Addressing
Juliet as a Sweet flower, Paris uses ato describe the beauty of Juliet. 


Whenenters the tomb and bidsto not spy on him, Romeo states, The time and my intents
are savage, wild, / More fierce and more inexorable far / Than empty tigers on the roaring sea
(V. iii. 41-43).  This is an excellent example of metaphor because Romeo is comparing his plan
and ferocity to hungry tigers trapped at sea.  This demonstrates his ruthless determination to
die for his love. 

Once Balthasar moves aside and falls asleep, Romeo
addresses Juliets tomb in a quote using an apostrophe, , and a metaphor.  Romeo states, Thou
detestable maw, thou womb of death, / Gorged with the dearest morsel of the earth, / Thus I
enforce thy rotten jaws to open, / And in despite Ill cram thee with more food! (V. iii.
51-54).  An apostrophe is aused when a speaker addresses an inanimate object, or as in this
case, a tomb.  The tomb is then personified to have a mouth that Romeo describes as having
gobbled up Juliets body. Then, the entire quote is a metaphor because it is comparing the tomb
to a figurative mouth that eats dead bodies.

Romeo dies and Juliet wakes
moments later, where uponstates, Lady, come for that nest / Of death, contagion, and unnatural
sleep (V. iii. 163-164).  By referring to Juliets sleep as a nest of death, contagion, and
unnatural sleep, Friar Lawrence uses a metaphor to describe the tomb as a breeding site for
disease, which figuratively amplifies the twisted fates of the loversby feigning her death,
Juliet has inadvertently caused Romeo to take his own life.

When Juliet takes
Romeos dagger and stabs herself, she exclaims, O happy dagger, / This is thy sheath. / There
rust and let me die (V. iii. 182-183). This quote is an example of an , apostrophe, and
metaphor.  The contradictory terms of happy and dagger serve as an oxymoron that accentuates
Juliets willingness to take her own life. Further, by addressing the dagger, Juliet also uses an
apostrophe.  Finally, the quote is metaphorically comparing Juliets body to a knife sheath where
the blade should enter and remain. 

 


 

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