Types Of Imagery

There are three different types of imagery each different type is used to make a part of text seem particularly realistic as if the person can actually see what is happening. The three types of imagery are: Similes are when the text says something is like another as a comparison e. g. cold as ice. Metaphors are when the text says something is something else e. g. the wind was a slap in the face. The third type if imagery is personification this is where an object is given human properties e.

g. the wind whipped through the sky. Shakespeare employed imagery so often for various reasons.

The scenery for his plays were very basic so he needed to build up a mental image using words. Also Shakespeare’s plays were performed in hot mid summer days so the images had to take the audience to a different location such as a castle at night. Shakespeare implemented imagery for other reasons such as adding to the theme of the play or making a certain characters speech more dramatic.

Imagery contributes heavily to the main theme of the play which is love the first cluster of images I have picked out is from act 1 scene 5 where Romeo sees Juliet for the first time.

What Are The Five Types Of Imagery

In this scene Romeo compares Juliet to so many beautiful things he uses metaphors such as ” as a rich jewel in an ethiops ear. ” And “so shows a snowy dove trooping with crows” The first line of the speech is personified as it is impossible to teach a torch “O she doth teach the torches to burn bright” Theses quotes tie in with the theme of the play- love as they are all examples of Romeos infatuation with Juliet and how she looks.

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He describes her as, as pretty as jewels and doves, both figures of unequaled beauty.

Also he says about how she has this quality that lights up the room and outshines even the torches in the room. This shows how highly Romeo regards Juliet by all the over exaggeration in his speech. Another example of a cluster where vast amounts of imagery is used is on page 45 where Juliet pines about the fact that Romeo is a Montague. She tells us how she loathes the name Montague with such passion but at the same time loves Romeo with the same force and her feelings are confusing her.

This shows that hatred and love (the theme of the play) are very closely related and shows that one emotion can stem from another ” my only love sprung from my only hate. ” She also questions why it is that Romeo was hidden from her until the impression that all Montague’s are vile was embedded into her train of thought so that it would be impossible to fall in love with one. “Too early soon unknown, and known too late. ” The next line shows what an impact this feeling of love has had on Juliet ” Prodigious birth of love it is to me.

” This shows the epic proportions to which her love for Romeo has exploded. Imagery can also have a dramatic effect on a play it gives the audience an insight into how the characters think and feel such as when Romeo expresses in Act 1 Scene 5 how he truly feels about Juliet he calls her “Beauty too rich for use. ” This could be perceived as Romeo describing Juliet as a diamond that is too valuable to be used in a piece of jewelry.

Another use of dramatic imagery in Shakespeare’s plays is to create tension and atmosphere an example of this is where Tybalt is enraged at the appearance of Romeo and the other Montague’s at the Capulet party this sparks an immediate feeling of hatred and tension is also built on what Tybalt will do to Romeo ” Tis he, that villain Romeo. ” He speaks sharply to keep pace in the speech. The third dramatic effect of imagery is that it reveals social values and strong religious beliefs held by many people in Elizabethan period.

One example of this is the manner in which Juliet and Romeo play on the idea of “saints” and “sin” in act 1 scene 5 this shows that both people take their religion very seriously, so much so that is frequently used in their everyday speech. “Sin from my lips? ” I believe that imagery plays a very important part in all of Shakespeare’s plays as it builds on the core aspects of both the play and its themes, they can also be used as improvisation on various occasions so as the audience gets a better feel of the events of the play.