An oxymoron is a literary technique that places two contrasting words next to each other. The juxtaposition of two contrasting ideas or images creates a paradox, and the effect is very vivid imagery.
In Romeo and Juliet, Act IV scene III, you can find an oxymoron in line 17: "That almost freezes up the heat of life." Juliet is alone, talking about how frightened she is to take the potion Friar Lawrence gave her....
An oxymoron is a literary technique that places two contrasting words next to each other. The juxtaposition of two contrasting ideas or images creates a paradox, and the effect is very vivid imagery.
In Romeo and Juliet, Act IV scene III, you can find an oxymoron in line 17: "That almost freezes up the heat of life." Juliet is alone, talking about how frightened she is to take the potion Friar Lawrence gave her. She says she is so scared that her blood is cold, and she feels like she might freeze. The contrasting words are "freeze" and "heat." This juxtaposition of cold and hot tells the audience that Juliet's fear is thoroughly chilling, and it is a very effective image of the sudden and abrupt temperature change Juliet feels due to her fear.
Another oxymoron occurs in line 36: "To whose foul mouth no healthsome air breathes in." Juliet is considering what would happen if she awoke in the tomb before Romeo came for her. She is afraid that the tomb would be sealed so tightly that no fresh air would come in, and she would suffocate. The juxtaposition of "foul" and "healthsome" create an image of the horrible difference between the clean air the audience is breathing and the stagnant air in the tomb. This oxymoron might make the audience imagine the terrible taste of crypt air for a moment so they will sympathize with Juliet and feel her fear.
You can to read the full text of Act IV scene III , with modern translation and annotations.
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