Shakespeare's Chiaroscuro

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses William Shakespeare's use of the technique chiaroscuro, an emphatic juxtaposition of light and dark hues. It examines how both of the plays "Romeo and Juliet" and "A Midsummer Night?s Dream" present images of distinct night and day worlds and how the interrelations between these two worlds are central to the plays? themes. It shows how in both plays, the night worlds symbolize alternate universes in which the characters are free from the physical, legal and social constraints that bind them during the day. It looks at how Shakespeare depicts the night world as simultaneously liberating and trapping those who move within its moonlit realm, thereby strengthening his theme that both personal freedom and social restrictions have the potential to be either constructive or destructive forces, depending upon their applications. It shows how "Romeo and Juliet" concludes with an emphasis upon the destructive forces of the night world, whereas "A Midsummer Night?s Dream" presents a more optimistic view of the constructive potential of this alternate universe.

From the Paper:

"In both Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night's Dream, the unstructured and supernatural atmosphere of the night world contrasts sharply with the rigid hierarchies and social constraints of the public world of daylight. The deliberate juxtaposition of these alternate universes serves to heighten this contrast and to strengthen the theme that both totalitarian rule and unmitigated anarchy can produce disastrous consequences when applied to emotional issues. Romeo and Juliet opens with a public display of violence in broad daylight between members of the Capulet and Montague houses; in the very first scene of the play, Shakespeare links the day world to the bitter rancor between the two families and the strict codes of honor that govern their relationships with one another. In an extension of this rigid and violent day world, the sharp divisions of the feuding families and the stringent codes of masculine honor reach their violent culmination in the climactic deaths of Mercutio and Tybalt, which occur under the blistering sunlight of high noon."

More papers on Shakespeare's Chiaroscuro:

• Essay # 85847 : "Shakespearean Studies: Understanding the Theme of Disguise in Romeo and Juliet and the Film Shakespeare in Love"
• Comparison Essay # 6554 : "Ego: Its Role in Characters of Shakespeare from Comedy to Tragedy"
• Term Paper # 33764 : "Shakespeare: Life And Works"

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