Monday, November 16, 2009

What are some examples of onomatopoeia in Romeo and Juliet?

Although you could definitely create a comic book version of this play and fill it with classic examples of onomatopoeia like "smack" and "pow" as the characters are fighting, you won't find any of that in the original text of the play.


What you will find, though, are some examples of words that are onomatopoetic in a subtle way: words whose sounds suggest their meaning, and in some cases originally arose by imitation.


What I mean is that, for example, the word "hiss" came about because it echoes the actual sound of hissing, and words like "blow" and "thrust" perhaps didn't, but they still sound like appropriate approximations of the actions they denote. So let's see how "hiss," "blow," and "thrust" all come together in Act 1, Scene 1, as Benvolio is describing how the fight happened, especially how Tybalt was hacking his sword through the air:



"He swung about his head and cut the winds,
Who, nothing hurt withal, hissed him in scorn.
While we were interchanging thrusts and blows..."



Onomatopoeia doesn't have to be loud. A bit later in that scene, we'll find an example of soft, quiet onomatopoeia in the word "sigh." Say it aloud and hear how it's an echo of the exhalation it means. It's something Benvolio says as he's describing Romeo's sad mood:



"Adding to clouds more clouds with his deep sighs."


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