Metaphor in Romeo and Juliet

Mercutio takes up Romeo's metaphor of the thorn by using the word "prick," to pierce or puncture a small hole in. However, he also invokes the sexual innuendo of "prick" that implies the penis. Mercutio uses this metaphor to suggest that Romeo "prick" love instead of allowing love to "prick" him. Again, notice how love and violence are mixed within this metaphor. Mercutio is suggesting that Romeo "beat down" and forcibly prick love in order to cure his lovesickness.

By this Romeo means that his life is now owed to his foe, as he has devoted his life to Juliet, a Capulet. Notice the monetary language used in the exchange between Romeo and the Nurse. The Nurse speaks of Juliet as a prize that will give her husband "the chinks" or money; Romeo talks about his own life in terms of "account" and "debt." The rhetoric about their love has gone from grand images of saints and sin to very real monetary calculations, transporting their love at first sight back into the real world.

Notice that the metaphor functioning within this sonnet compares Juliet to a saint and Romeo to a pilgrim worshiping at her shrine. This metaphor conflates the ethereal world of religious belief with the earthly reality of two people kissing. Romeo and Juliet's love here is metaphorically elevated to a space occupied by religion and God.

"Wanton" in this context means a spoiled child. Here, Juliet constructs an image of a spoiled child playing with a pet bird. The bird can fly but it cannot get far because it is connected to the child's hand by gyves, or shackles. Juliet compares herself to the spoiled child and Romeo to the shackled bird.

Women "painting" their faces with makeup was a problematic issue in Shakespeare's time. Makeup was generally associated with prostitution or wantonness. Here, Juliet offers a different type of painting of her cheeks. Rather than using makeup, her innocence causes her cheeks to be painted with blush. In using this metaphor Juliet is seen as the epitome of innocence and purity.

Mercutio answers the Nurse's "good morning" with this good afternoon. Mercutio does so in order to make a sexual innuendo that compares the hands of a clock pointing to noon to an erect penis. This shows Mercutio's attempt to carry the banter between the three male characters into their conversation with the Nurse.

This is a type of goat's skin that is very easy to stretch. Here Mercutio suggests that Romeo's "wit" can expand the way cheverel can, from an inch to an ell broad, or 45 inches. With "goose" being a double entendre for prostitute, wit here can be seen as a double entendre for a growing penis.

Here, Mercutio moves from a metaphor about dueling to a metaphor about archery, using the word "pin" which means the center of an archery target. Images of archery invoke Cupid, the winged god who would make people fall in love by striking them with an arrow. Using these two metaphors, Mercutio once again mixes love and violence.

Benvolio's call to Romeo here recalls Juliet's call to Romeo in the balcony scene. Juliet's repetition of Romeo's name removed its importance. Benvolio's repetition of Romeo's name reassigns importance to it. Benvolio metaphorically marks Romeo as a Capulet, which makes Tybalt his mortal enemy.

In most productions of this play, Mercutio draws his sword as he says this line to compare a musician's violin, or "fiddlestick," to his sword. Mercutio is using the same punning language that he used with Romeo and Benvolio earlier in the play. However, here he uses it to taunt Tybalt to fight.

This is another name for the mythological creature the basilisk. Anyone who looks a basilisk directly in the eyes turns into stone. In this metaphor, Juliet claims that the Nurse's confirmation of Romeo's death would be able to kill faster than the basilisk's stare.

"Hood" is a falconry maneuver used to tame wild birds. "Baiting" is when frightened birds flap their wings in response to being restrained to a perch. A falconer will "hood" a bird to calm it down. Juliet uses this falconry metaphor in order to show that she is both nervous and excited about her wedding night.

This characteristic recalls the description of Paris in Act 1. However, when it was used to describe Paris it was construed as a good thing. Here, the Friar uses the metaphor to tell Romeo that he is false.

Carrion flies are flies that feed off of dead bodies. Romeo compares himself to these flies to dismally show his death-like state. However, he unwittingly foreshadows Juliet's coming death with this metaphor.

In this metaphor, Romeo compares his suicide to a desperate ship captain intentionally destroying his boat on rocks when his boat is weary. This imagery recalls Romeo's original characterization of his passionate grief as "the roaring sea."

Unlike sick men who die surrounded by "keepers," or nurses, and merrily welcome death, Romeo does not greet death with the same joy. In comparing himself to these men who are happy to die, Romeo bring attention to the tragedy of his young death.