What is an example of euphemism in Romeo and Juliet?

One example of a euphemism in Romeo and Juliet is found in Act 3, Scene 5, when Juliet is speaking to her Nurse about Romeo's banishment:

Juliet: "O, bid me leap rather than marry Paris,

From off the battlements of yonder tower;

Or chain me to some living bear within

The wide and fearful jaws of a fierce wolf,

Or shut me nightly in a charnel-house

O'er-covered quite with dead men's rattling bones,

With reeky shanks and yellow chapless skulls;

Or bid me go into a new-made grave

And hide me with a dead man in his shroud,

Things that, to hear them told, have made me tremble

And I will do it without fear or doubt,

To live an unstain'd wife to my sweet love."

Here, Juliet uses the phrase "Things that, to hear them told, have made me tremble" to refer to the horrifying images she has just described: leaping from a tower, being chained to a bear, or being shut in a charnel-house. This is a euphemism because it avoids directly stating the horrific nature of these actions, instead using a gentler phrase that suggests a more general feeling of fear and dread.

This euphemism serves to emphasize Juliet's desperation and the intensity of her love for Romeo. She is willing to face unimaginable horrors rather than marry Paris, showcasing the depth of her commitment to Romeo.

Learnify Hub © www.0685.com All Rights Reserved