Category: Metaphor

Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet utilizes metaphors, symbolism, oxymorons, and personification to further his theme of nature to describe and illustrate his story. The theme of nature is closely tied to the story. The overarching theme of nature is broken down into the earth and stars. Each is developed with literary devices to properly explain and describe the theme to the readers. It follows along with the narrative that Romeo and Juliet have external factors driving their relationship forward. With the stars and moons leading to their quick marriage and sudden death. The metaphors lead to them being compared as puppets controlled by the stars. The symbolism helps explain and contrast their relationships with beautiful imagery. The oxymorons showcase the complexity of what is happening to them and how everything is contradicting itself within their relationship. The personification helps in visualizing how these other factors are meddling and contributing to their relationship. With all these literary devices, Shakespeare helps the readers to visualize and connect with the story of Romeo and Juliet. The theme of nature helps to ground and connect the characters to the environment. The theme of nature contains everything to do with the earth and stars. The luscious green earth to the bright shinning stars were all used to help grow and nurture the story of Romeo and Juliet. The Earth was used to tie in motherly and natural parts of the story. The stars were an overall theme that conveys the idea of star-crossed lovers. Shakespeare naturally weaves in this theme to the superficial love story of Romeo and Juliet. With the use of beautiful literary devices Shakespeare makes Romeo and Juliet a beautiful story to read and learn from.

The metaphors used in Romeo and Juliet help convey the theme of nature by directly comparing them to the object. This helps the readers imagine and see the different things that Romeo and Juliet represent. Romeo often compared Juliet to be a bright shining star. Romeo proclaimed this as he was stalking Juliet, “The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars”. (2.2.19). This is part of the continuous pattern that Romeo follows, of comparing Juliet to something unreachable. Juliet is like the stars, something that is to be admired from far away and is unreachable. If someone gets too close to a star they will burn to death and die. The same thing has happened to Romeo, he got too close, too quickly. The way he describes Juliet can exhibit how much he values her outwardly appearance. He is not just comparing her and saying she is as beautiful as a star, he is saying that she is more beautiful than a star. In Romeo’s eyes, Juliet surpasses one of the most beautiful things in nature. To Romeo, Juliet is brighter than anyone and anything. Juliet is Romeo’s star, she is his light and guide. It is important to note that their entire relationship revolves around the stars. From the beginning with calling the pair star-crossed lovers and with Romeo cursing the stars in the end.

Metaphors are not just only used to describe one and another, but they are also used to describe the relationship between them. A great metaphor to explain this is how Juliet describes her quickly growing a relationship with Romeo “It is too rash, too unadvised, too sudden, Too like the lightning, which doth cease to be” (2.2.125-126). It perfectly explains what is happening in the scene and story, within an hour of meeting each other they are proclaiming their love. Their love is like lightning, it appeared suddenly and struck them like Cupid’s arrow and unknowing to them then it will end very quickly. These metaphors foreshadow the story to come, that their love is like many things in nature. Some things are only meant to see and admire, like the star. Other things will end very quickly before anyone even realizes what is happening. These comparisons by Shakespeare are used to demonstrate their relationship and explain them with nature. These metaphors give hidden foreshadowing for what is to come. Their relationship is all the things above, it was too ill-advised, to hasty and done very quickly. Most importantly it will stop existing very soon.

The stars decided the fate of Romeo and Juliet, they are the ones to blame for the demise of their relationship. From the beginning to the end, Shakespeare plays on the idea of Romeo and Juliet being “star-crossed lovers.” It symbolizes that Romeo and Juliet are not the only ones in charge of their relationships. There are multiple other factors that lead to their relationship, the start of it and the demise of it. The stars are part of the idea of fate in the play, that fate has led them to the moment. Fate was the one that led Romeo to kill himself and the one that decided that Juliet should kill herself. In truth, this is just shifting the blame, trying the excuse Romeo and Juliet from the stupid actions they took. The concept of star-crossed lovers is not just something that the readers are told, Romeo and Juliet also follow this idea of their fate being controlled. This can be seen when Romeo cries out after her death “Then I deny you, stars!” (5.1.25) This is the peak of when the star-crossed symbolism is used. This was the part where the apparent goals of the stars were fulfilled and done. In reality, the people that affected their relationship were the friends and family around them. The stars are represented through people in their lives, everyone around helped play the role of the stars in their life. As a result of this, Romeo and Juliet are now synonymous with the stars and moon. When the word Star-crossed lovers comes up Romeo and Juliet is often the first example. It is because Shakespeare used the symbolism of stars to display Romeo and Juliet, that they have now themselves become symbols for bad love choices. They have gone from being described as star-crossed lovers to the ultimate star-crossed lovers.

The symbolism of night and day in Romeo and Juliet is apparent as night and day. It shows the two different sides to their love. That during the day, they pretend that nothing happened, that they are only normal everyday teenagers who are not married. During the night and early morning, they spend their time together as a happy couple. The night also pairs well with the symbolism of the stars. Juliet describes this symbolism perfectly when she shyly talks to Romeo as he compliments her “ Thou knowest the mask of night is on my face,” (2.2.90) It displays what the night does in this story. It hides what is going on, it conceals what is going on during the night.

The story of Romeo and Juliet is confusing and contradictory. The characters go from naïve teenagers who know nothing about love, to teenagers that have gotten married and killed within five days. The best way to describe this is with oxymorons, as they contradict themselves. The Friar provides more foreshadowing with this oxymoron, the Friar professed this while talking to a plant, “The Earth that’s nature’s mother is her tomb; What is her burying grave, that is her womb;”. (2.3.9-10) It alludes back to the idea of a circle of life, that everything returns to where they started. It contradicts itself by stating that it ends where its start. It foreshadows multiple events that will happen in the play. Firstly, it references death, something that has been referenced through out the play, which happens at the end of the play. Secondly, it talks about mothers, which is important because Lady Capulet was one of the main reasons the young couple died. It was Lady Capulet that could have changed their fate for the better. She could have convinced Capulet to postpone the marriage and listen to Juliet. It was her mother, the person whose womb she came out of that lead to her untimely death. Thirdly, burying the grave of where they once came from references the burial of Juliet. She was married in the place where her ancestors came from, the family that her mother and father came from. That is where she was buried with her predecessors. This oxymoron foreshadows and highlights what is coming in the near future.

Personification is how the play comes to life right before the reader’s eyes. It brings the surrounding the objects and places to life. In the play Shakespeare creates the environment around the characters as alive and being able to have actions. The stars are brought to life as the bright and gorgeous ladies that get jealous and have jobs to do. They are given human emotions to help transition the comparison between Juliet and the stars. The stars are made as little working women “Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven, Having some business, entreat her eyes” (2.1.15-16)

Introduction

I Am is a poem composed by an English poet, John Clare. He was born in 1793 and died in May 1864 – Clare was well known as the “Northamptonshire Peasant Poet” due to his lowly class origin and brief education. Suffering from bouts of depression, Clare’s poem revolves around his life circumstances and despair. Robert Lee Frost’s poem The Road Not Taken, explores the theme of choice and the ramifications of decision making. These poems have been selected for comparison on the basis of a connected theme of abandonment as well as the contrasting ways in which each poet deftly conveys their message.

Theme/Message

The Road Not Taken explores the theme of choice – where humans are confronted with decisions, and are subsequently molded by their choices. This notion is explored by Frost, where the speaker is confronted with a fork in the road, forced to select which path to take. Dissimilarly, Clare’s I Am explores a wide range of dystopian themes, including abandonment, insanity, and death. Clare explicitly yearns for death in the last stanza, though he also explores it throughout the poem implicitly. He writes there is no “sense of life,” where in part, he wishes to perish as he is surrounded by a metaphorically dead world, where friends are “gone,” and sounds are mere “noise.” This dystopian motif is greatly contrasted against Frost’s theme of decision, where the fork in the road must be selected – though he suggests this choice comes with contentment. This is highlighted in the last line, where the speaker comes to the realization that the choices “have made all the difference.” Here Clare is alluding to the ownership of choice, where, regardless of the decision, the individual must own it.

The speaker of I Am provides insight into how the world is viewed by a person afflicted with mental illness. “Woes” become visible, sounds are indiscernible, and people are different. Though the poem doesn’t explicitly state the cause of such suffering, it is indicated a state of extreme loneliness largely affects one’s state of mind – tying in with Clare’s personal experience. Comparably, though peripherally, Frost explores how choice is inevitable and takes note of the agonizing element of the decision, and leaving options behind. This idea of confrontation is disconcerting, where there is no way to alleviate the burden, and the fork in the road is forced upon individuals.

Structure/Rhyme Scheme

Frost’s The Road Not Taken, is made up of four stanzas, comprised of five lines each in an abab rhyme scheme, with eight to ten syllables in each line following an iambic-type rhythm. Similarly, Clare’s poem I Am, uses iambic pentameter, though more explicitly than Frost: “I am yet what I am none cares or knows.” There are two feet – “I am,” which are short or stressed syllables, also referred to as a spondee, and are followed by long syllables – establishing a forceful tone. Varyingly, Frost writes his poem with four feet – hence using iambic tetrameter, though there are many variations within the poem, most commonly using two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed syllable (anapaestic). As the stressed syllable is the emphasized part of the word and the unstressed syllable is its counterpart, Clare effectively uses iambic tetrameter to establish a slow pace. Clare additionally develops tone through structure, where the speaker is proceeding slowly – perhaps unsure if he is on the correct path. This is suggested in the last stanza – the speaker repeats “I”, this alludes to the speaker stopping and hesitating. I Am is composed of three rhyming stanzas, each having six lines; a sestet. In contrast to The Road Not Taken, Clare uses the rhyme scheme ababab in the first stanza, with the last two rhyming ababcc – ending with a couplet. Moreover, in both poems structure and theme are intrinsically linked, where Frost uses a unique structure to allude to the speaker’s hesitation and further highlight the complications of choice. In contrast, Clare uses iambic pentameter, varying rhyme scheme as well as a couplet to establish a serious tone, perhaps for the audience to realize the severity of his situation, thereby tying in with the content of his message.

Symbolism

Clare’s inclusion of a final couplet is a symbol of harmony, “Untroubling and untroubled where I lie. The grass below – above the vaulted sky.” Here Clare is indicating that, in spite of his great suffering and despair, he has found a sense of balance. Though a superficially dejected wish – that is, yearning for death, it is a positive and hopeful desire. This is recognized due to the structure of the poem, where the content of the words peaceful and death link harmoniously. In Contrast, Frost uses an extended metaphor to explore the theme of choice. The first line, “two roads diverged in a yellow wood,” this figurative road is a metaphor for choice. The speaker comes to the point where to move forward, he is precluding one path in choice of another. Moreover, the fork in the road is symbolic of how choice is invariably connected with abandonment; where the roads not taken may be regretted. This notion ties in with the final stanza, lines 13 – 15, “Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way.” Here, the speaker realizes the nature of the roads is that he cannot return to his current position; a metaphor for a decision that changes one’s life. The speaker longs for both roads, however, he realizes he cannot return.

The notion of abandonment is explored contrastingly by Clare; rather than leaving options behind, it’s people. “They rise and vanish in oblivious host,” Clare is referring to his woes, therefore this is personification. His woes are mysterious, and they are real to the speaker, but disappear suddenly, begging the question of their existence. To further add to this, lines 6 – 7, “And yet I am, and live – as vapors tossed. Into the nothingness of scorn and noise,” Clare uses this simile to establish his invisibility to those around him; perhaps the vapor is a symbol of death. Line 9 expresses Clare’s entrapment, “where there is neither sense of life or joys,” the speaker appears to be stuck, possibly having no future. Comparably, lines 4-5 in The Road Not Taken contain a metaphor for the future, “And looked down one as far as I could. To where it bent in the undergrowth.” Frost is referring to a path in the woods, the undergrowth suggests that one is incapable of seeing the future ramifications of a choice. Frost further explores this notion in line 6, “then took the other, as just as fair.” The speaker has decided that despite having spent a while looking down one path, the other has been selected. This can be interpreted as a metaphor for sudden choice – where individuals find themselves having selected something inadvertently, perhaps due to external forces.

Conclusion

The Road Not Taken concerns the present, and how it would look from a vantage point in the future. Ultimately, the decision made will follow the speaker for the rest of his life, and how different paths comprise different outcomes. The poem is quite ambiguous, hence contrasting interpretations can be made, particularly whether previous choices have been for the better or worse. Likewise, Clare’s I Am is ambiguous, where the title is a placeholder, naming it as such, Clare invites the audience to question his identity and learn of him.

Arthur Miller’s 1953 play- the Crucible – explores the consequences of a dogmatic and paranoid community, highlighting the restrictions placed on women through the witch-hunt accusations. Similarly, Geraldine Brooks in her novel, A Year of Wonders, demonstrates the strength of women’s cooperation through her protagonist, Anna Frith, and other women attempting to hold a grief-ridden community together. Both texts portray women gaining personal autonomy despite the patriarchal zeitgeist of the seventeenth century, simultaneously reminding the audience that there are those who are debilitated and unable to overcome these shackles. Miller and Brooks appear to convey that though women can break through certain limitations in society there will always be others present.

Both texts are set in male-dominated villages with double standards existing in their principles. In theocratic Salem, the rigid hierarchy divides society: respected men at the pinnacle, whilst women and children occupy the lower regions. Villagers ‘never conceive that children were anything, but grateful to be able to walk straight…mouths shut until bidden to speak.’ The children, especially the teenage girls in Salem are not regarded by others, not even allowed to speak unless addressed to. Male chauvinism is apparent as Danforth regards Abigail in a different light once Proctor reveals her as a ‘whore.’ Abigail asks him, ‘What look do you give me?’ The extent of mass hysteria in Salem described by Millers’ interpolations is a ‘perverse manifestation of the panic…to turn towards greater freedoms.’ The girls scapegoating innocents is a by-product of an austere community that ‘forbids anything resembling…vain enjoyment’ such as dancing in the woods. Through the destruction that ensues in Salem from an oppressed group of girls, Miller suggests that society should analyze itself for the cause.

In conjunction with Millers’ portrayal of a misogynistic society, Brook’s depiction of Eyam is arguably no different. When the plague strikes, the non-conventional herbalists of the town, the Gowdies, are the first scapegoats for the lamentations and cries of injustice of the drunken mob much like how women are first dubbed witches in The Crucible for the unexplainable comatose children. Anna, a widow, is aware of the dangers of a ‘woman meddling in medicinals,’ as seen by the violence of the mob towards Anys and Mem Gowdie. In addition, double standards are apparent as taking a feminist perspective, Compelling calls Jane Martin a ‘sinner’ for taking ‘the pure vessel of her body and fill[ing] it with corruption,’ but allows Albion to leave without chastisement. Albion’s actions are excused, but Jane Martin’s are not as she is a woman unable to allow her body to be tainted, whilst men are less accountable for their lusts. His misogyny is comparable to Danforth’s loss of respect for Abigail as the affair is revealed. Mompellions’ perverted punishment of Elinor shows him taking on a pseudo-god role ‘deem[ing] that she should atone [for her abortion] by living some of her life with her lusts unrequited.’ The unreasonable expectation for women to be sexually restrained and untouched until marriage is displayed by Mompellion’s condemnation of Elinor. As both women of lower status- Anys and Mem- and the noble Elinor are equally judged under the same expectations by men, Brooks seems to indicate that male prejudice takes precedence over class divisions.

Miller and Brooks demonstrate that these fettered women can free themselves from male-dominated society, although full autonomy does not appear to be attainable. Miller demonstrates that female triumph is often short-lived and insubstantial. The girls gain authority for ridding Salem of witches, Mary Warren boasting of how she is amazed that Proctor does not see ‘the weighty work’ she does for the town. Her excitement in participating in the witch trials is a consequence of this being the only opportunity for the girls to hold the ‘keys to the kingdom.’ Abigail rises to reverence as the ‘crowd all part like the sea of Israel’ ‘where she walks.’ The biblical reference in the simile said by Elizabeth Proctor is an exaggeration but largely emphasizes the influence the girls, especially Abigail, have on a community that had suppressed their voices thus far. Another instance of overcoming limitations is Tituba, a Barbados slave. She is able to voice her thoughts through the guise of accusations, revealing her inner thoughts about Mr Parris – ‘Oh how many times had he bid me kill you.’ Despite women gaining autonomy, Miller pessimistically portrays these victories as transient. Abigail ends up as a prostitute in Boston, relying on breaking into Parris’ ‘strongbox’ for funds – a metaphor for his masculinity, which has been fractured through his naivety. Tibuta falls into drunken oblivion believing in the salvation of the devil. Through the demise of these women, Miller demonstrates that though women can gain independence, 17th Century America will not allow it to be permanent.

In parallel to the power women are able to gain in Salem, Brooks shows that society also prevents full autonomy. Any is a paradigm of a modern feminist through her open sexuality much like Abigail’s and her independence to the extent that she seems anachronistic in the conventional town of Eyam. She ‘cared not for the conventions’ of the town, opting to ‘cultivate a garden’ with more than one plant. She demonstrates a power reversal in male-centric Eyam as she is a widow, but able to thrive in Eyam. She views women ‘shackled to their men folk as surely as the plow-horse to the share’ – an added load to their husband’s name; without their own identity. The motif of gardens in Brook’s text symbolizes the cultivation of women’s independence. The garden is inherited by Elinor and Anna after the Gowdies’ death as if the torch of women’s independence is passed onto Anna. Throughout the novel, Anna transgresses from a vulnerable widow to a literate midwife, ‘preferring an ungraceful scramble to the touch of his [Mompellion’s] hand.’ Any non-dependency on men is reflected in Anna as she would rather rely on her own ability to escape Eyam than Mompellion as she flees on Anteros a symbol of female autonomy and liberty. Though much like Miller’s view that full individualism is out of grasp, Brooks shows Anys lynched by the masses for her unconventional views and Anna needing to enter Ahmed’s harem as it was ‘the only way’ for her ‘to win acceptance’ in Algeria. Her ability to carry out her dream to study medicine highlights that Brooks has a more hopeful view of women as Anna is able to accomplish a form of freedom even if it is imperfect.

Alternatively, Miller and Brooks show that there are those who are victims of patriarchy. Elizabeth Proctor, in The ‘Crucible’ is unable to break free of her role as Proctor’s wife. She blames herself for his straying from her as ‘it takes a cold wife to prompt lechery.’ Her almost self-flagellants are a reflection of the expectations society places on women as Elizabeth sees herself unreasonably accountable for Proctor succumbing to his lusts. In the play’s denouement, regardless of her wanting Proctor ‘living’, she has to come to terms with his martyr-like decision to hang. Hale asks her to plead with him, but she refuses, saying ’he has his goodness now, god forbid I take it from him.’ Likewise, Brooks shows the repercussions of insufficient power for women through Aphra.

Shakespeare’s theme is about the permanence of love. He expresses love as a powerful and unstoppable force. He builds on this theme by saying that love is not something that can be “alter[ed]” nor “bend[ed]” to the lover’s content. It’s an “ever-fixed mark” that never moves or changes. In the first two lines of Sonnet 116, Shakespeare says that no “impediments” or obstacles can ever get in the way of true lovers. Through every storm, every fight, and every obstacle love goes through, it always remains triumphant and is “never shaken”. Shakespeare uses alliteration in line 3, “Which alters when it alteration finds” at the beginning to show that even though the form of love can change, love itself doesn’t. Platonic love can transform into romantic love and vice versa. Remover is also repeated in line 4 to show that even if someone tries to take away that love, it still persists and remains true. Love doesn’t just go away like the flick of a switch.

Shakespeare uses a metaphor to describe love as “the star to every wandering bark”. Love is like the star that guides every wandering ship, love guides all who are lost. Love is not actually a person. Love can’t be measured “although his height is taken”. Relationships require effort and both parties need to put in work to maintain a healthy partnership. Love cannot reach its highest capacity if true lovers don’t equally put in time and effort. Shakespeare talks about love built upon trust and communication.

Comparing love to a fool is an example of personification. Love is not actually a person. Although love is not at the mercy of time, physical beauty such as “rosy cheeks and lips” will fade. As the pair grows, love does not change and still persists even when death, the grim reaper, strikes with his sickle. Love cannot alter in the span of “hours and weeks”. It’s everlasting and endures “even to the edge of doom” when the lovers take their last breath. This ties into the overall theme that love is permanent even after death.

Shakespeare’s tone is very optimistic throughout the poem. He knows what love is and in the end, he says “If this be an error”, then no one has ever truly loved before. But, no one can prove him wrong because he has “writ” poems about love and men have loved before. Therefore, no one can contradict him. The conviction that Shakespeare writes with also conveys that love is unchanging. Not once in the sonnet does he waver. He writes so matter-of-factly that it cannot be discounted.

What is a Metaphor?

Metaphor is derived from the word Metapherein which means to carry over or to transfer.

Definition:

One of the most frequently used forms of figurative speech in English is a metaphor. Therefore, the metaphor can be said a form of figurative speech. It is defined as a rhetorical device in which a word or phrase, for one thing, is used to refer to another thing in order to show or suggest that they are similar. It moves away from referring to something in a literal sense and refers to it as something else in order to create a more imaginative figure of speech and description of something. Thus, literally helps to define anything in a simpler way of communication.

Personal metaphor

Metaphors are responsible for the development of our perceived views and actions. They are not just about language, they cater to other important aspects like thinking patterns, reasoning, etc. A metaphor that inevitably reflects my life is the Gaming Character. This specific metaphor adds to my personality like a cherry on top of the cake. As we all grew up while playing games and seeing cartoonists work on comic books and shows, it gradually influenced me more and more from my early years. I always look to these heroes as my role models. I assume my life as a Game and me acting as a Character or let`s say a Hero in that running game.

Taking a deep look into our lives, humans can accept that there are certain levels taking place in our daily life routine as same as in any game. There are times when our life goes as smoothly as we are at the very initial level of the game, with which we can easily deal without any trauma. But sometimes there are situations where one has to be calm and take a wiser decision as the character performs his best in order to pass through all the obstacles that come in his path towards achieving success.

Not only in the hardest times, but also in that period where I have to think cognitively to tackle a problem, I normally take an assumption of myself as a gaming character who has to pass this level of life by hook and crook. Unexpectedly, if I am stuck in a situation where I can`t even accept or deny what`s happening all around me, at that time I have to be creative, I have to be imaginative, and innovative if I really want to deal with that situation with enough confidence. Similarly, in a game, a character has to face whatever comes in his path, and while thinking out of the box he has to find a solution to that problem.

In another way, if I have to explain how this metaphor resembles myself, I would definitely like to choose its characteristic of heroism and confidence. I greatly admire the confidence and courage of the characters in the game to stand in front of the obstacles neglecting how it may result afterward and just working harder and harder to be the first in the game. Likewise, I always accept complications with enough courage and hard work. To exemplify, during my examinations I always believe in working hard. In college when most students were busy partying while I was busy burning the midnight oil in order to achieve good grades.

I always said that mistakes should be considered learning opportunities. This is the most prominent teaching which I got from the superheroes playing in the games. Most of the time they got defeated by their enemies or fail to jump through an obstacle but I have never seen them not trying to do it again. Humans have to take that as an example for their lives that there`s always a second chance in our life, it`s fine to accept failure as a second opportunity towards success. Learning from this, I always try again and again until I became an expert it`s well- said that practice makes a man perfect so the times when I tried a few more times I got to know about my incapability to do that thing and then can gradually fix it with the passage of time and practice.

Overall, it could be concluded that a metaphor that I used to explain myself is the character that plays in a game. Presuming myself in their shoes helps me a lot to live my life in an adventurous way while accepting both glory and defeat with a feeling of courage and happiness. The characteristics of a hero such as being optimistic, courageous, confident, cognizance, hard-working and attentive make my personality shine like the stars in the universe. Metaphorically, I start to imagine my life as a game and am the participant in it who has to finish these all stages of learning, academics, earning, emotional traumas, health complications, relational issues, etc. till the last stage called death.

Reference list:

1. Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Metaphor. In the Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved June 1, 2021, from https:www.merriam-webster.comdictionarymetaphor