Themes Symbols and Motifs A theme is a

Themes, Symbols and Motifs A theme is a main idea, or the moral or lesson of the story…themes in Romeo and Juliet include love, conflict, family, fate vs free will, individuals versus society, duality

A symbol is something that stands for more than itself…symbols in Romeo and Juliet include fire, stars, poison, roses, and masks • Fire= overwhelming passion, either love or hate • Stars= fate, doomed love • Poison= death, greed, falseness • Rose= love and death, Juliet • Mask= secrecy, putting up a false front

Fire Oh, she doth teach the torches to burn bright “These violent delights have violent ends, And in their triump die, like fire and powder Which , as they kiss, consume” Love is a smoke raised with the fume of sighs; Being purged, a fire sparkling in lovers' eyes; PRINCE What, ho! you men, you beasts, That quench the fire of your pernicious rage, With purple fountains issuing from your veins, On pain of torture, from those bloody hands Throw your mistemper'd weapons to the ground. And fire-ey’d fury be my conduct now… Now Tybalt, take the “villain” back again!

Stars I defy you stars! And shake the yoke of inauspicious stars , From this world-wearied flesh Give me my Romeo; and, when he shall die, Take him and cut him out in little stars, And he will make the face of heaven so fine That all the world will be in love with night …my mind misgives some consequence yet hanging in the stars… A pair of star-cro s sed love r Two of the fairest stars in all of heaven s…. Earth-treading stars that make dark heaven light

Poison This distilled liquor drink thou off: through all thy veins shall run a cold and drowsy humour; for no pulse shall keep his native progress A dram of poison Poison, I see, hath been his timeless end What if it be a poison which the friar subtilly hath ministr’d to have me dead? Such mortal drugs I have, but Mantua’s law is death to any he that utters them There is thy gold- worse poison to men’s souls, doing more murder in this loathsome world than these poor Compounds that thou mayest not sell. I sell thee poison, Thou hast sold me none With baleful weeds and precious-juiced flowers… Poison hath residence

This bud of love…may prove a beauteous flower Rose “Flower that she was” Juliet: "What's in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet. " Our bridal flowers serve for a buried corpse Sweet flower, with flowers thy bridal bed I strew The roses in thy cheeks and lips shall fade

Masks JULIET: Thou knowest the mask of night is on my face; Else would a maiden blush bepaint my cheek Give me a case to put my visage in: A visor for a visor! what care I What curious eye doth quote deformities? Here are the beetle brows shall blush for me. Mercutio What, dares the slave come hither, cover’d with an antic face? - Tybalt My fan Peter! Good Peter, to hide her face, for her fan’s the fairer face of the two -Mercutio

A motif is an idea or subject that occurs over and over …motifs in Romeo and Juliet include opposites: light vs dark, youth vs age, high vs low, Capulet vs Montague, peace vs conflict, love vs. hate • Light vs. Darkness- full of imagery and references, balcony scene with Juliet in light, Romeo in darkness

• Youth vs Age- Romeo and Juliet’s overwhelming young love, inability to love moderately, adults are concerned, but their agendas contribute to situation