What example of young love
doesn't contain many examples of hyperbole?!?
Of course, William Shakespeare's play is the perfect example. It is perfection in the
devotion of young love and, therefore, the same perfection in its hyperbole. Hyperbole
is one of our figures of speech that involves exaggeration. In fact, it is often overt,
direct, and extreme exaggeration. It is a "figure" of speech because it is truly meant
to be taken "figuratively" and not "literally." Just keep in mind that an example of
hyperbole can also be an example of other types of figurative language as well. For
example, hyperbole can be found within an example of metaphor or simile. However, for
the sake of your question, we will stick only to the figure of speech you
need.
We can find examples all over the play of this
literary device, but all one has to do is go to the very moment that Romeo notices
Juliet for the very best examples. Then, one simply has to fast forward to the part
where Juliet is swooning for the young Romeo to find even more. The examples above are
just a few, but the scenes in question are absolutely overflowing with the hyperbole you
mention! Let's look at a few more.
I couldn't help
laughing when going back into these all too familiar lines yet again. When two people
don't really know each other, have only "seen" each other, and are in "love at first
sight," they have only one thing to go on: looks. So note how every single one of
these examples of hyperbole are about the appearance of the
beloved.
Juliet's General
Appearance:
readability="9">Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious
moon,
Who is already sick and pale with grief
That thou her maid art
far more fair than she.This
follows one of your first examples with Romeo naming Juliet as the sun. Here he is
asking his "sun" to "kill" the jealous moon saying that Juliet is "far more fair" than
even the moon's beauty. Hyperbole all found within a metaphor, or an unusual
comparison.Juliet's
Eyes:Two of
the fairest stars in all the heaven,
Having some business, do entreat her
eyes
To twinkle in their spheres till they
return.Again in the same
scene and the very same monologue, Romeo speaks of Juliet's eyes. Can there be more
exaggeration than saying (from afar, mind you) that her eyes are "the fairest stars in
all heaven." These "stars" have left the heaven to settle in his beloved. Infatuation
at its finest. Again, hyperbole found within yet another
metaphor.Juliet's
Cheeks:What
if her eyes were there, they in her head?
The brightness of her cheek would
shame those stars
As daylight doth a lamp; her eyes in heaven
Would
through the airy region stream so bright
That birds would sing and think it
were not night.So, on to the
next part of the body. Romeo says, directly after the star comment, if those starts were
taken out of her head and put back in the sky (no longer a part of his beloved), then
suddenly "the brightness of her cheek would shame those stars." Due to the brightness of
both her starry eyes and her bright cheek, the birds would think it was day instead of
night. Again, complete exaggeration at its finest. This time it's hyperbole found
within a simile, a comparison using like or as.Juliet's
General Appearance (again):readability="10">O, speak again, bright angel! for thou
art
As glorious to this night, being o'er my head,
As is a winged
messenger of heavenInspired
this time by Juliet's simple sighing, now compares his beloved to an angel who is
"glorious" and a messenger with wings "of heaven." Again, hyperbole. And in full
regalia, here we have hyperbole within both a metaphor and a
simile!Juliet's Denial of Her Family
Name:be but
sworn my love,
And I'll no longer be a
Capulet.Here we
have Juliet's first example of hyperbole dealing with her beloved. Noting the blood
feud between the Montagues and the Capulets, this is very significant. Juliet is
willing to deny her Capulet blood to become a Montague. The reader must realize that
Juliet will always, always have Capulet blood. There is no escape from DNA. Therefore,
this is hyperbole.Romeo's General
Appearance:readability="5">Retain that dear perfection which he
owes
Without that
title.Juliet admits that
without the title of "Montague," Romeo would have "that dear perfection." Not just have
it, though, ... "retain it." This means he had that "dear perfection" even with the
dreaded title of her enemy. Again, ... "perfection" of the beloved. True
hyperbole.At this point, I have simply given examples
within only forty lines of Act II, Scene ii. This is the very famous "balcony scene."
And I have only focused on the examples of hyperbole BEFORE the lovers notice each
other. this just goes to show just how much young love and, in fact, young infatuation
inspires exaggeration.
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