For example the light motifs represent light things such as goodness, while dark motifs represent dark things such as death. Romeo and Juliet Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare in London, in the mid-1590s. Rather, he uses the image of stars to describe Juliet’s otherworldly beauty. There are two balcony scenes, the long one on the night of Romeo and Juliet's first meeting, and a very brief one the morning the lovers last see each other alive. A summary of Motifs in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Theme Statement: The beauty of flowers and other plants are used throughout Romeo and Sonnet: A summer child of the golden sun And a winter girl from beneath moonlight Stared at the stars in the spring and autumn Traced their paths However, Shakespeare did not introduce the story into the English language. Most of the subsequent celestial images in the play follow in this vein, from Romeo’s love-struck comparison of Juliet to the sun to Juliet’s own wish to “cut [Romeo] out into little stars” when he dies. Act 2, Scene 2: In Juliet's orchard the two lovers agree to marry. GCSE English revision resources covering Romeo and Juliet and the use of Motifs within the play It was extremely popular even in Shakespeare's lifetime. He says “It is the East and Juliet is the sun” (act II, scene ii, line 4). In reality, however, the illusion of Verona’s genteel, peaceful exterior only serves to cover up the chaos within—chaos created by a collection of unhappy individuals who long to change the status quo. stars = metaphor for fate. Critical Essays Major Symbols and Motifs Explore the different symbols and motifs within Shakespeare's tragic play, Romeo and Juliet.Symbols and motifs are key to understanding Romeo and Juliet as a play and identifying Shakespeare's social and political commentary. Act 3, Scene 1: Tybalt fatally wounds Mercutio under the newly-wed Romeo's arm. Hidden in the midst of countless visual images, Luhrmann’s water motif flows subtly and consistently throughout Romeo + Juliet. A pair of star crossed lovers take their life (Prolouge 6). It seems to Romeo that two of the brightest stars have decided that they need to leave their spheres for a while, and that they are asking her eyes to twinkle in their places while they are gone. Themes and Motifs in Romeo and Juliet Although Romeo and Juliet is classified as a tragedy, it more closely resembles Shakespeare's comedies than his other tragedies. If Juliet dies, she wants Romeo "cut in little stars / And he will make the face of heaven so fine / That all the world will be in love with night, / And pay no worship to the garish sun" (III.2.22-25). And, later, in the tomb, far removed from water, Romeo and Juliet die confused and without knowing the truth about what happened to each other. WORDS 751. There's a lot of sex). The lovers and their battle with authority is reminiscent of As You Like It and The Winter's Tale . Both Romeo and Juliet are hysterical about the whole banishment thing, so the Friar and the Nurse figure out a way for Romeo and Juliet to spend one night together before Romeo leaves for Mantua, a nearby city. Juliet also associates Romeo with a light that illuminates the darkness.