About Arlene Schulman Expertise I have loved Shakespeare all my life, and as a Stage Director and Actor for over twenty-five years I have had the opportunity to study his work in intimate detail. I would be happy to share my knowledge of his plays. I can also help with acting Shakespeare, working with blank verse, character development, script analysis and interpretation. I don`t have as much knowledge in the area of his sonnets, but I can help to understand their meaning and language. I also have some knowledge of his life and of the Globe theatre where he performed his plays, as well as the Royal Shakespeare Company and his birthplace of Stratford-upon-Avon, and can point you in the direction of some wonderful websites on the subjects as well.
Experience
Organizations SSDC - associate member The Shakespeare Institute (MA Candidate - "Shakespeare & Theatre)
Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas
The Shakespeare Association of America
Question Why does Shakespeare uses the language of night and day for
love talk in Lord Capulet’s garden in Act 2 Scene 2?
Thankyou very much,
James
Answer Hi James,
Well, we have no way of knowing what Shakespeare was thinking when he wrote Romeo and Juliet, so we can't know exactly "why" he made the choices he did. But, that said, it seems like a pretty natural metaphor to use if you think of the circumstances of the scene at that point.
There is Romeo, having just met this wonderful girl, hiding in her garden. It is the middle of a clear night with the moon glowing high above and he is in love - everything seems magical to him. And suddenly she appears above him on the balcony. What words and images would you use to describe her but those that surround you?
Love has always been associated with the heavens - night, day, the moon, the sun, the starts - all those mystical bodies so bright and mysterious and unattainable, much like love often seems. Shakespeare is hardly the first or last writer to use these images, but in that particular scene, in that particular place and time, they are particularly appropriate.
Other than that, I have no idea why Shakespeare might have made those choices. Without any letters, diaries, journals or other personal documentation of his writing process we simply can't know what was in his mind and why he chose the words he did. But we can guess based on what he wrote. My guess is no better than anyone elses - even yours. Why do YOU think he chose to use the language of night and day in that scene?
