Learning intention:

To be able to identify how the imagery and mood of the poem ‘Valentine’ can

be linked with ‘Romeo and Juliet’.

StarterRe-read through

the notes you made last lesson.

Fill in the worksheet to identify the imagery used in both texts. Use bullet points – this is just a rough draft of your ideas. Use key examples from each text that

represents their image of love.

Look through the notes you have just made.

1. What do you notice between the two texts? Is their imagery different or similar?

2. What links the two texts together apart from love?

3. What type of imagery is used in Romeo and Juliet? Is it simplistic or cliché? How?

4. What type of imagery is used in ‘Valentine’? Is it simplistic or cliché? How?

Links between the imagery in the two texts

Duffy uses an extended metaphor of an onion which is used to represent the moon. In Romeo and Juliet universal imagery is used to describe how beautiful Juliet is.

• Duffy wants to move away from the cliché imagery of love as she says ‘Not a red rose or a satin heart’ – she then uses the unconventional image of a onion to represent her love.

• In Romeo and Juliet, Romeo is constantly using cliché imagery of the moon and stars to comment on Juliet’s beauty.

• This idea that love is ‘lethal’ in Duffy is also represented in Romeo and Juliet – their deaths at the end.

Other links between the two textsIn both texts ambiguity or uncertainness is represented. In Romeo and

Juliet – Juliet is uncertain of Romeo’s love at first and questions him. In Duffy’s poem there is this uncertainty over how long their relationship will last.

• Their social situations are very different. Romeo and Juliet are very young and Duffy is mature. This is shown in how they react to love. Romeo and Juliet rush into their marriage but Duffy seems to be more aware of the dangers of love.

• Also Romeo and Juliet are living in constraint, they would never of been allowed to marry. Juliet also would have had an arranged marriage. Duffy, however, has more freedom to choose who she is in a relationship with and who she will marry. We assume the speaker in the poem is Duffy as she uses ‘I’ and we also know that Duffy is in a relationship with a female, so this shows the choice that Duffy has. This shows how the two females have different rights of freedom.

Your task

For all of the links between the texts you need to find examples from both texts that you can

use in your essay.Some you may have already found at the beginning – however now you are linking

them together so write them into your exercise books.