As honour, love, obedience, troops of friends, / I must not look to have; but, in their stead, / Curses, not loud but deep, mouth-honour, breath, / Which the poor heart would fain deny, and dare not" (5.3.25-28).
William ShakespeareRead
O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father refuse thy name, thou art thyself thou not a montegue, what is montegue? tis nor hand nor foot nor any other part belonging to a man What is in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, So Romeo would were he not Romeo called retain such dear perfection to which he owes without that title, Romeo, Doth thy name! And for that name which is no part of thee, take all thyself.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the nature of identity and love, questioning the significance of names and labels in the context of romantic relationships.
In this famous passage from 'Romeo and Juliet,' Juliet expresses her frustration and confusion over the feud between their families, Montague and Capulet. She argues that a name, and by extension social or familial identities, do not define who a person is. The essence and qualities of love remain unchanged regardless of the name attached to it. Thus, she yearns for Romeo to reject his family name, emphasizing that true love transcends such superficial boundaries.
Themes
LoveIdentityNameRomanceShakespeare
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used to highlight the importance of looking beyond societal labels in relationships during a wedding speech.
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