Question

Read the excerpt below from act ii, scene 2 and answer the question. Juliet o romeo, romeo! Wherefore art thou romeo? 35 deny thy father and refuse thy name; or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, and i'll no longer be a capulet. romeo [aside] shall i hear more, or shall i speak at this? juliet 'tis but thy name that is my enemy; 40 thou art thyself, though not a montague. what's montague? It is nor hand, nor foot, nor arm, nor face, nor any other part belonging to a man. O, be some other name! what's in a name? That which we call a rose 45 by any other name would smell as sweet; so romeo would, were he not romeo call'd, retain that dear perfection which he owes without that title. Romeo, doff thy name, and for that name which is no part of thee 50 take all myself. what is the significance of juliet’s speech? What is she saying about names, language, and identity? What is her solution to the obstacle the capulet and montague names present? In the space below, write a response of at least 150 words analyzing juliet’s thoughts and words and explaining how they relate to thematic elements in the play. Include at least three specific references to the text.

Answer 1

Much is revealed in Juliet's speech. First, she reveals her love for Romeo when she says "be but sworn my love and I'll no longer be a Capulet." In these lines, she says how she would give up her family to be with Romeo. Second, she also discusses with herself how unimportant a name is. She is explaining that a person's named does not make them who they are. Her clearest example is that of a rose. She says, "a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." Her point is that the name of the rose does not make it sweet, but rather it's make up. She compares this to Romeo and says that "Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd, retain that dear perfection which he owes without that title." Juliet feels that Romeo's name is not what makes him the person she loves. Since the names are the only things that are stopping them from being together, she asks him to "deny thy father and refuse thy name." Juliet's solution to the hatred keeping them from being together is for them to give up their families.