Question

Read the excerpt below from Act II, Scene 5 and answer the question.

JULIET The clock struck nine when I did send the nurse;
In half an hour she promised to return.
Perchance she cannot meet him: that's not so.
O, she is lame! love's heralds should be thoughts,
Which ten times faster glide than the sun's beams,
Driving back shadows over louring hills:
Therefore do nimble-pinion'd doves draw love,
And therefore hath the wind-swift Cupid wings.
Now is the sun upon the highmost hill
Of this day's journey, and from nine till twelve 10
Is three long hours, yet she is not come.
Had she affections and warm youthful blood,
She would be as swift in motion as a ball;
My words would bandy her to my sweet love,
And his to me:
But old folks, many feign as they were dead;
Unwieldy, slow, heavy and pale as lead.
O God, she comes!

How does Shakespeare use literary devices in Juliet’s soliloquy to convey her feelings and frame of mind? In the space below, write a response of no less than 150 words discussing at least three examples of literary devices you find. Define each one, and explain how it contributes to the mood conveyed by her speech. Be sure to include specific lines of text as support for your analysis.

Answer 1

In Act II, Scene 4, she sends the nurse to meet Romeo. Romeo is waiting for her at Friar Lawrence's cell, ready to marry her. In these particular lines, she is losing patience while waiting for the nurse to come back with the news.

In this excerpt, Shakespeare uses the following literary devices:

Simile: "as swift in motion as a ball"

A simile is a figure of speech in which two different things are compared in an entertaining way. This line describes her impatience for the nurse to come back. She says that the nurse is too old, which is why it takes so long for her to come back. If she was younger, she would move as fast as a ball.

Allusion: "And therefore hath the wind-swift Cupid wings."

An allusion is a reference to a person/event/place of particular significance. Shakespeare makes an allusion to a Greek mythology creature, Cupid. Since this creature is often mentioned in a positive connotation and associated with love, it emphasizes her feelings at this moment.

Metaphor: "Therefore do nimble-pinion'd doves draw love,"

A metaphor is a figure of speech which makes a comparison between two completely different things that share certain characteristics. The nurse is here compared to doves, which also serve as messengers that carry love messages.