When Benvolio, Montague and Lady Montague have a conversation about Romeo they portray him as being very shy. ‘So early did I see your son, towards him I made but he was aware of me, and stole into the covert of the wood’. This implies that Romeo has been seen early in the morning upset and on his own. When he is aware of Benvolio he runs off into the wood which is stating that he is distracted by something or someone. To running away is an odd thing to do to anyone, but this was someone who has been presented as a close Cousin/friend.
Due to the fact that Benvolio is worried about how Romeo is, we can tell that Romeo is not usually an anti-social person. This is an obvious clue to the fact that he is distracted and upset by something on his mind. The next quote backs up the fact that Romeo is depresses and upset but is also trying to keep his sorrows to himself. ‘Many a morning hath he been seen there, with tears augmenting the fresh morning’s dew, adding to clouds more clouds with deep sighs’. This is a very interesting quote which is mainly using imagery.
It suggests that Romeo is always seen out in the countryside in the early mornings crying and weeping about an unknown problem. The tears he sheds are making adding a sad tone to the fresh mornings due. It then goes on to say how he adds to the morning clouds with his sighs of depression. This saddens the tone in Montague’s voice as he worries about what is worrying his son. It shows how depressed Romeo is, that every day he is seen crying over things that no one understands what they are. This quote shows that Romeo just doesn’t want to be involved with light or anyone. Away from light steals home my heavy son, and private in his chamber pens himself, shuts up the windows, locks fair daylight out, and makes himself an artificial night’. Shakespeare uses the imagery of the artificial night to show how Romeo’s life is. His life is dark and desperately needs to be lit up. I know this because it says he runs to his room alone. It is like he is running from the light and the people that want to talk to him. Locks the doors and closes the windows to hide himself from everyone.
He is trying to keep himself in this artificial darkness is a sign of how depressed and unhappy he is in his life. They all talk about how much potential Romeo is holding back, from himself and others, representing it with the use of imagery. ‘As a bud bit with an envious worm/ ere he can spread his sweet leaves to the air, or dedicate beauty to the sun’. In this quote Romeo is shown as the bud in which it means that he is about to flourish into a beautiful flower, but then is shown being bitten by an envious worm.
This then adds a whole new level to the imagery and represents a large problem that has occurred which is preventing Romeo to blossom and smile at people he meets, instead is causing his personality and potential to wither and die. As he is hiding away from the sun and people this is stopping him from showing his true looks and personality to everyone, therefore giving the impression that he is very anti-social Act 2 Scene2 In this seen Romeo is shown as suddenly deeply in love with Juliet, it shows us by how he reacts to just the sight of her room. But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun’. He talks of Juliet like she is the light of his life which will fill him with joy every time he sees her. He talks of her room being the east and wants it to be sunrise so she will come out and lighten up his life. This is very different behaviour compared to in Act 1 Scene 1 because instead of wanting to create an artificial night and be in complete isolation from everybody, he wants to be bright and happy with Juliet as his son to brighten up everything he does.
Also by saying that she is his sun, he is saying that she gives him warmth and makes him feel happy as well as lighten up his life. He compares Juliet to an angel, showing a religious point of view to his thoughts. Bright angel, for thou art as glorious to this night, being o’er my head, as is a winged messenger of heaven’. He compares Juliet as a holy messenger of above him because she is stood above him on her balcony. He physically worships her as she brings light, warmth and happiness to his life. It also implies as if he believes her to be too beautiful to be human so is an angel sent from God.
He acts as if she is as beautiful as an angel sent just for him and calling someone an angel is a big compliment as angels are thought to be perfect. This quote really shows what he is willing to do for love. ‘With love’s light wings did I o’erperch these walls, for stony limits cannot hold love out’. This is a brilliant example of how much Romeo’s personality has changed since act1 scene 1. Due to his sudden love for Juliet he has risked his whole life for her and is explaining how he climbed high walls just to see Juliet.
This shows that he is deeply in love and would risk the whole world just to see her. Saying how love guided him is a token to show how much he loves her. In act 1 scene 1 he would have made no effort to try and do anything and it just shows how quick his personality has changed. He is giving his vow of how much he loves Juliet by risking his life. ‘My life were better ended by their hate, than death prorogued, wanting of thy love’. In this quote Romeo is saying how he would rather die, which is a massive thing to say, than live a life without Juliet.
This is a big thing to say because he is showing her how much he loves about her and that if he could not be with her then he would rather be dead because living without her would be impossible. It just shows how much he has changed since scene 1 act 1, where he was hiding from light and wanted to be called and feel like he was in love, but now he is truly in love and is bouncing around happy doing anything for the girl he loves. Instead of hiding from the light he is wishing for the light and making Juliet his prime source for it.
