In this metaphor Romeo compares himself to the captain of a trading ship venturing on a dangerous voyage across a vast sea to obtain valuable merchandise. This is an apt metaphor for a period in England’s imperialist history when ship captains and investors were opening sea lanes to the Caribbean for sugar and the East Indies for spices, both of which were worth fortunes once successfully transported back to Europe.

During this period of time, ships leaving British ports would also exchange English goods for human beings in West Africa, and then sail to the West Indies or the Americas to trade or sell them. While slavery was not legally sanctioned in Elizabethan England, Queen Elizabeth did support slave-trading expeditions that Shakespeare would have likely been aware of.

Karim-Cooper, F. (2023). The Great White Bard: How to Love Shakespeare While Talking About Race (p. 16). Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.