Romeo and Juliet Group

Question:

t1r2a3
t1r2a3
Student
High School - 9th Grade

In "Romeo and Juliet," explain what Juliet says about names?

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Posted by t1r2a3 on Thursday March 6, 2008 at 5:08 PM and tagged with act 2 scene 2, characters, juliet, names, quotes, romeo and juliet, themes.

Answers:


  1. jamie-wheeler Teacher
    College - Sophomore

    In Act II, Juliet is unaccepting of her family's history of animosity towards one another. Her father knows nothing of Romeo personally; his grudge is against the family in general. Juliet thinks this is unfair. In 2.2.40-55, Juliet explains her extreme frustration:

    'Tis but thy name that is my enemy;
    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
    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
    Take all myself.

    In other words, you can call a rose a skunkweed and that does not change its basic nature. A foot does not cease to act as a foot if one decides to call it a hand. Juliet, though she probably knows it is futile, asks Romeo to drop his name and its troubled history so that they can be together.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/romeo

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    Posted by jamie-wheeler on Thursday March 6, 2008 at 6:11 PM