[Romeo:] O heavy lightness! serious vanity!
Mis-shapen chaos of well-seeming forms!
Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health!
Still-waking sleep, that is not what it is!
This love feel I, that feel no love in this.
Dost thou not laugh?
–Romeo and Juliet,
William Shakespeare
Read this excerpt, in which Romeo speaks of his love for Rosaline. Then, answer the questions.
Which is an example of an oxymoron?
Which is an example of a paradox?
What mood do these devices create?
What do these devices illustrate about love?
The examples of oxymorons in the excerpt are "heavy lightness" and "feather of lead." The example of a paradox is "still-waking sleep."
The mood created by these devices is one of contradiction and confusion.
These devices illustrate that love can be contradictory and confusing, with emotions and feelings that seem contradictory to one another.