Romeo's Attitude Towards Names

In the play Romeo and Juliet, act two coveys Juliet and Romeo's Attitude toward names and what its significance really is in reality.

Juliet goes to her balcony to express her feelings without prior knowledge Romeo was near. “Tis but thy name that is my enemy.

Thou art thyself, thou not a Montague.

What's Montague? It is nor hand, nor foot,

Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part

Belonging to a man”. In this line Juliet conveys her feeling of anger with the words deny, refuse and no longer, To prove that the name Montague is her only enemy that stands between her and her love. The metaphor in this line stated how a name can also be a person's enemy. Juliet continues to show the insignificance of names with the statement .“What's in a

To show us love would still be love if not called lve and that she would still love Romeo if he weren't a Montague.

This line was one of the most famous in the whole play because it showed us how names carry no meaning but are only as significant as what the name holds.

Romeo coveys his feelings towards his name with a sympathetic and bitter tone to reply to the pain Juliette feels.“take thee at thy word:

Call me but love, and I'll be new baptized;

Henceforth I never will be Romeo”.

Romeo shows understanding in the attitude in which he replies to Juliet.To give her comfort in the fact he will not be called Romeo from now on since his love dislikes. “By a name

I know not how to tell thee who I am:

My name, dear saint, is hateful to myself,

Because it is an enemy to thee;

Had I it written, I would tear the word”. the pain which he felt towards his name were channeled through the metaphor "had it written, I would tear the word". To clarify to Juliet that he hated the fact that his name was keeping them apart and that he would deny it at any chance he got. Romeos attitude and tone in his reply shows us he greatly understood where Juliet was coming from and he greatly sympathized in their