Wednesday 13 July 2011

What are some examples of figurative language in Act III, Scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet ?

As the
climactic scene of the play, Scene 1 of Act III opens with literary techniques:


The first public place was the site of much
acrimony; this location on a day that is hot portends danger as words such as
"hot," "brawl," and "mad blood" are
used.

  • and Chiasmus

comparesto a
sman ready to fight by the second drink using a simile:  


Thou artlikeone of
those fellows
that when he enters the confines of a tavern claps me his sword
upon the table and ...by the operation of the second cup draws him on the drawer, when indeed
there is no need.

Mercutio counters with a simile himself
(first bold phrase) as well as usingwith the /m/. And, the phrase in which "as soon moved
to be moody" is balanced against the following phrase that is inversed, "as soon moody
to be moved," is a rhetorical device called chiasmus.


Come, come, thou art as hot a Jack in thy mood as any in
Italy, and as soon moved to be moody, and as soon moody to be
moved.

This device is also used in
Mercutio's longer speech beginning with "Nay...." 
Then, there is another
simile:  "Thy head is as full of quarrels as an egg is full of
meat"

It is
ironic that Mercutio scolds Benvolio for his anger when he will soon explode into invective
against .

  • Wordplay

Of course,
Mercutio banters words with Tybalt excercising wordplay, taunting him with seemingly playful
remarks:

TYBALT:  You shall find me apt enough to that,
sir, an you will give me occasion.
MERCUTIO: Could you not
take some occasion without giving?


  • Puns

Mercutio plays on the double-meaning of
"consort" in his retort to Tybalt

TYBALT:
Mercutio, thou consor'st with ,--
MERCUTIO:
Consort! what, doest thou make us minstrels? an
thou make
minstrels of us, look to hear nothing but 
but discords: here's that shall make you
dance. 'Zounds, consort!

Anotherthat Mercutio uses is on
the word "grave." When he tells Romeo :ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find me a
grave man," he means both no longer joking, but "serious" and also
"dead."

Mercutio affords
submitting to Tybalt's insults the qualities attributed to people: "O calm, dishonourable,
vile submission!"

Mercutio
makes reference to "King of Cats," a sobrique that he has given Tybalt. when he calls
Tybalt a "rat catcher."


After the enraged Romeo kills Tybalt, he calls himself "fortune's
fool," a metaphor (comparison in which one thing/person is equated for another quality,
person, thing) for his being a victim of fate.

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