Theme Of Light And Dark In Romeo And Juliet

The most prominent motif in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is the motif of light and dark. In this famous tragedy, beauty is often associated with light. Before Romeo meets Juliet his world is described as dark, gloomy and depressed, after he meets her, however, it is evident that Juliet brings him light. Essentially, Juliet is the healer of Romeo’s depression. The motif of light and dark in the Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is shown to change over the course of five acts. The beginning of Act 1 is the only part of the entire play where Romeo and Juliet do not know each other. Consequently, when describing Romeo, his cousin, Benvolio, uses dark and dreary language to discuss his situation. “...shuts up his windows, locks fair daylight out, and makes him an artificial night” (1.1.143). In this quote, light is seen as healthy and positive while the darkness is used to represent Romeo’s depression. Romeo is depressed because Rosaline, the …show more content…
As all readers know, both Romeo and Juliet die in Act 5 of the play. This final quote comes from the instant Romeo finds Juliet lying in the tomb. "A grave? O no! a lantern, slaughtered youth, for here lies Juliet, and her beauty makes this vault a feasting presence full of light" (5.3.84-86). A “lantern” at that time was referred to as a room with many windows that allows light to shine through. A “feasting presence” is a chamber where festivals are held. This is significant due to the fact that seeing Juliet lying in a tomb should be a traumatic experience for Romeo, but instead, he is referring to what he sees with positive imagery. For Romeo, Juliet’s presence transforms the dark, gloomy, creepy underground tomb into the opposite. Juliet transforms the grave into a room full of light and happiness. Even seeing Juliet appearing to be dead, she still brings Romeo happiness, and her beauty continues to shine