Amelia's Online Journal

A metaphor is a hidden, implicit or implied comparison between two seemingly unrelated things. It is a figure of speech in which two strikingly different concepts or things compared to one another based on a single common characteristic.

example

“He that hath the steerage of my course, direct my sail!”

Romeo speaks these words just as he begins to make his way to the Capulet ball. In this metaphor, Romeo compares his fate to a ship. The common characteristic that binds them and brings us meaning is the fact that the ship cannot control the path it takes, its captain does this. Romeos fate is similar here as he believes that someone/something is in control of it for him. this links to the larger notion of fate that is communicated in the play as it shows the acknowledgment from one of the main characters that a greater power rules their actions. This was a common belief of the people in Elizabethan England, who believed their life path was pre-determined by God.

Find your own example of a metaphor in Romeo + Juliet.

“Thou desperate pilot, now at once run on the dashing rocks thy seasick weary bark!”

Write your own analysis on the metaphor.

Romeo says these words just before he takes the poison to die next to Juliet. In this metaphor, Romeo is comparing himself to a boat and the pilot is in control of his fate. The common characteristic is that the boat does not control its own fate the captain or pilot does. This links to Romeo as he is the boat and something else is controlling him he feels like he is not in control. This then links to the greater notion in Elizabethan times that you are not in control and that everything is ‘meant to be’ because God has already made a path for you. Its just fate.

Romeo

Defines these terms……

Romeo is one of our two protagonist in the play. At times, he directly acknowledges the power that ‘fate’ has over him. During other points in the play, Romeo demonstrates inability to control his emotions and this means he acts rashly we can argue that because he is an impulsive character, shakespeare is showing us that another power, like fate, directs his life + decisions.

• Protagonists – the leading character or one of the major characters in a play
• inability to control his emotions – this means he is unable to control his emotions.
• acts rashly – he doesn’t think before he acts just does it.
• impulsive – acted or done something without forethought.

Three quotations of romeo saying he is not in control.

1. “O, I am fortunes fool!”
2. “I am no pilot, yet wert thou as far as that vast shore wash’d with the farthest sea, I should adventure for such merchandise”.
3. “I fear too early, for my mind misgives some consequence yet hanging in the stars shall bitterly begin his fearful date.

Explaining when romeo acted impulsivly

1. Killing Tybalt – When Romeo kills Tybalt he does it impulsively because he is very angry that Tybalt has just killed his best friend so kills him.
2. Drinking the poison – When Romeo hears that Juliet is dead he quickly reacts by getting the poison and drinking when he is lying next to her.

Juliet

Explain three moments in the text where Juliet has little control over her own fate. Use quotes to support your explanations of your chosen moments.

Three moments where Juliet has little control over her own fate.

When Juliet drank the potion she gave control or her fate to everyone else to help with her safety or help her getting with Romeo. A quotation that supports this is “I have a faint cold fear that thrills through my veins” this shows that she is worried about that when she is dead everyone will not be able to complete the task.

The next one was when the father was telling her she has to marry Paris and that there was no other choice. she wasn’t in control at this point because her father was instead. “Thursday is near, lay hand on heart, advise: And you be mine, I’ll give you to my friend; and you be not, hang, beg, starve, die in the streets for, by my soul, I’ll never acknowledge thee” what Capulet is saying is that if she is not to marry his friend (Paris) that he would wipe her from his mind and not even acknowledge her even if she was to be hung or was to starve.

The third one is the fact that Juliet couldn’t actually leave her house without protection. This shows Juliet having little control over her own fate because she had to get the nurse to be her messenger and couldn’t control what the nurse did and say because he couldn’t leave the house without her parents knowing exactly what she and the nurse were going to do. An example of this is this “Nay, come, i pray thee, Good good nurse speak”.

Three moments where Juliet acknowledges the outcome of the play without actually knowing it.

“go ask his name.- If he be married, my grave is like to be my wedding bed” – Juliet is saying this because she means that if she cant marry romeo she will die an ironic anticipitation of events to come.

“delay this marriage for a month, a week or if you do not, make the bridal bed in the dim monument where Tybalt lies.” – Juliet is saying that if Capulet does not delay her marriage with Paris she will want to die which she is once again unconsciously anticipating her tragedy’s outcome.

“ill defying soul” – she had a bad feeling that something was going to wrong in the situation i.e death.

I fear too early for my mind misgives

Some consequence yet hanging in the stars

Shall bitterly begin his fearful date

With the night’s revels and expire the term

Of a despised life clos’d in my breast,

By some vile forfeit of untimely death

But he that hath the steerage of my course

Direct my sail!

Fair – negative,

Mind misgives – i believe my mind is telling me,

Consequence – negative,

Hanging in the stars – fate is “written in the stars”,

Bitterly – negative,

begin – the night is the starting point,

Fearful date – there is a day/moment looming in which something bad will happen

The night’s – the night is the starting point,

Expire the term – there is a day/moment looming in which something bad will happen

Life clos’d in my breast – Romeo’s life will end, the term of it will be up.

Forfeit – it will be a payment for something.

Untimely – it will be a payment for something.

He – pronoun the person in control

Hath – has

steerage of my course – sailing/boat travelling to an end destination.

Direct – in charge of/instruct/control

Sail – controls the direction of the boat

Metaphor – Romeo is being compared to a ship on the sea.

Romeo is acknowledging that he is not in control of his life/journey. He is telling whoever is to take charge and direct him where he is fated to end up.

“Delay this marriage for a month, a week, or if you do not, make the bridal bed in that dim monument where Tybalt lies.”

Juliet wants this marriage with Paris delayed and if lady capulet and old Capulet (her parents) do not do that for her she wants to go into the family monument so basically kill herself.

“I’ll to the friar to know his remedy if all else fail, myself have the power to die.”

Juliet wants to go meet Romeo at Friar Lawrence to figure ou the plan and if the plan doesn’t work she will kill herself.

Act 1

Scene 1

The capulets and montages meet on the streets and the prince comes in to stop the fight.

Scene 2

Paris wants to meet Juliet but old capulet is nervous she is too young so invites him to the ball.

Scene 3

Lady capulet shares the news to Juliet and the nurse that Paris wants the hand in marriage.

Scene 4

Romeo is convinced by Mercurio and Benvolio that he should go to the masquerade.

Scene 5

Romeo and Juliet meet, and share a moment as all the guest are leaving, tybalt sees the Montagues and want to start a fight.

Act 2

Scene 1

Romeo is hiding from his friends, who are joking about his love for Rosaline.

Scene 2

Juliet confesses her love for Romeo as he is listening when he reavells himself and they set-up the nurse as the go between.

“Let then find me here; my life we’re better ended by their hate, than death prorogued of thy love”,

“I am no pilot, yet wert thou as far as that vast shore washed with the farthest sea, I should adventure for such merchandise.”

Scene 3

Romeo persuades friar lawerence to marry himself and Juliet.

Scene 4

Benvolio and mercurio joke about tybalts challenge and Romeo joins in untill the nurse comes to talk to juliet.

Scene 5

The nurse tells Juliet about romeos arrangement for their marriage.

Scene 6

Friar Lawrence Marry Juliet and Romeo.

Act 3

Scene 1

Tybalt starts a fight killing Mercutio and Romeo gets outraged killing tybalt and getting banished from Verona.

Scene 2

The nurse brings bad news to Juliet who was waiting for her husband.

Scene 3

Romeo is hiding at Friar Lawrence’s and the nurse comes to talk with them about Juliet being under stress. Romeo and Juliet have one last night together.

Scene 4

Capulet decides that he wants Juliet to marry Paris and that the wedding will be at the end of the week.

Scene 5

Romeo has to leave the Capulets house as lady capulet is coming up to tell Juliet that she will be marrying Paris at the end of the week, Juliet tells lady capulet and capulet that she does not want to marry Paris.

Act 4

Scene 1

Frair Lawrence is with Juliet and lets her know about the plan where she will drink a potion and die then come back alive he also warns her about what could go wrong.

Scene 2

Juliet apologies to her father and promises that she will marry Paris with this good news capulets move the wedding to the next morning.

Scene 3

Romeo has doubts about the potion that friar has given and is starting to get worried but she drinks the potion anyway.

Scene 4

Its the morning of the wedding and it is busy in the capulets household the nurse is sent to wake Juliet.

Scene 5

The Nurse is unable to wake Juliet and rings the bell that she is dead the musicians come to have a funeral, Balthasar sees that Juliet is dead and reports back to Romeo.

Act 5

Scene 1

Balthasar gets to Romeo and tells him the bad news and Romeo wants to die to be with his loved one but first stops off somewhere to get a poison.

Scene 2

Friar is informed that his letters didn’t get to Romeo he begins to panic thinking that Romeo will already know and not know the plan. Friar gets ready for Juliet to wake.

Scene 3

Paris goes to where Juliet is dead and prays Romeo then kills Paris and lays down next to Juliet and drinks the poison. Friar Lawrence comes in and sees that Romeo is dead there and so is Paris. Juliets wake and up and is so sad to see Romeo dead that she kills herself too. The two families then decide that they shouldn’t fight anymore.