Literature

After writing about 37 plays and 154 sonnets, the bard of Stratford upon Avon has left a legacy that has been paralleled by none in the history of English literature and influenced the western culture and literature ever after.  His plays have crossed the threshold of brilliance to the unparalleled. In Romeo and Juliet, the genius with his Midas touch has changed the story written by poet Arthur Brooks into something beyond compare. It has changed the poem, the poet and even the characters, to something beyond the mortal realm.  Even though the drama itself is based on many stories and has parallels in many of the works of those times, the play itself is different from others in its characterization, the intensity of action, the extraordinary use of language and above all its richness of themes (Romeo and Juliet).

The theme of light

By the word theme, it is to be understood as something that is recurrent element, which provides for a unifying idea in this particular artistic work. Even though love in its many forms is the main theme of the play, and its popularity too is based on the above theme, there are other themes, which permeate the play, under the skillful hands of the playwright. Five major themes mark the play, Love and hate, the role of fate, the role of women, the passage of time and love against lust. Besides these themes, there are other themes like that of the theme of the light and the dark (Lorcher).Shakespeare presents the theme of light as compared with the dark in his drama with a different perspective, from the traditional.  Light is presented neither as good nor bad.  Dark too is likewise not presented as very bad.  Both have good and bad connotations in the drama.  The theme of light emerges only when we watch out for the references of sources of light like the sun, the moon, torches etc.  The dominating image is light, every form and manifestation of it says scholar Caroline Spurgen. 

It is not because the torches have confused him that Romeo bursts out O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright.  This is because his darkness and the melancholia associated with it disappear in her brightness. Because in the first scene, Romeo is presented as a dejected lover, who is still suffering from the after effects of his failure with Rosaline. Moreover, Montague worries his sons habit of avoiding the sun.  At this point, he and Benvolio, both speak in sad terms about Romeos habit of shunning sunlight. However, this sad mood is reversed when he rediscovers his sun in the balcony of the famous balcony scene. It is the East, and Juliet is the sun  arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,.  . We see that, Juliet is associated with sunlight and brightness by Romeo.  The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars and her eyes in heaven  would through the airy region stream so bright  that birds would sing and think it were not night. Clearly the dream of a lover, but so filled with light and love as compared with his love for the darkness and avoidance of sunlight. Indeed, we find matters lighted up by the presence of light in the play. The theme of light is not only used in the sense of good but also as a sensory motive.  It is that Romeo believes that beauty creates its own light.  So, he describes her as an angel emanating her own light in the second scene of the second act.

In yet another splendid comparison, Juliet equates Romeo to a light that is capable of outshining the king of heaven himself.  She says in the second scene of the third act that the night could take Romeo and cut him into little stars.  If this happens, all the world would love the nightand pay no worship to the garish sun.  Romeo is on the verge of immortality here. She even imagines Romeo to be carried on the wings of the night, like white snow on ravens back. To her, he is the day in night. In another scene, where she compares the bearers of the news about her lover, we find yet another use of the imagery of light. They should be ten times faster than the sunbeams driving back shadows over lowering hills.  Thus, Juliet compares the messengers to light, driving back shadows. Further, Juliet compares her relation with Romeo, with radiant light. Compare this with the words uttered by Romeo when he sees the dead body of his beloved in the grave. He says, This vault is a feasting presence full of light in Act V. Her very presence transforms the grave and the occasion is filled with joy and light (Mabillard).

Juliet compares their fast moving affair to the lightning.  Even though lightening is glorious in the black background of the sky, it also disappears as fast as it comes.  Even though the world around her is dark and controlled by those around her, the lightning could light up her sky.  Evidently, it is good and bad at the same time. The brief light cannot continue forever. Its extinction is foreseen.  When the morning approaches and the parting of the lovers are imminent, the arrival of light is given a negative role. It is no longer friendly to the lovers. More light and light more dark and dark our woes cries Romeo.  Their love is doomed with the light and the dark reversing the roles traditionally allotted to them.  Finally, when the lover are parted by death, the prince says, the sun for sorrow will not show his head, indicating that darkness has triumphed over light. And it is dark in the morning, befitting the mournful occasion.

 Even though the expertise of Shakespeare as a poet, in this play is evident, some experts have considered the references to light awkward.  They think that the theme is not consistent despite the above said points. Either way, the drama and its characters have attained immortality, with a simple whiff of magic from the master craftsman (Light and Dark).