Identity In Romeo And Juliet

434 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: The influence of social background on characters Romeo and Juliet

What’s In a Name?

When people think of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the rivalry between families that acts as the main conflict often comes to mind. Due to this rivalry, identity, whether it is by name or by family, becomes a major theme in the play. A name is something that defines a person, something that they carry with them through their entire life, and the same goes for a family name, along with it’s history. If a person’s name were to be changed, a question is brought to the surface to determine whether or not that person’s characteristics will change as well. This question about identity and others like it are often brought up for discussion during various scenes in Romeo and Juliet and plays a huge role in the decisions of the characters along with the overall outcome of the play, which is why personal identity is such an important theme. …show more content…

When speaking to each other alone for the first time, Juliet asks, “wherefore art thou Romeo” (2.2.36). This is Juliet basically asking why he is called his name, Romeo Montague, because this silly name is preventing them from being together. Because there had been generations of hate between both of their families, the actual names of the two made the situation for them involve so much hardship. Something as simple a name, defining someone’s identity, can be the breaking point between long lasting love or

Show More
Related

  • Mats In Romeo And Juliet

    922 Words  | 2 Pages

    Mats tried to go back to the source, which is Shakespeare, but before that was an Italian short story called Juliet and Romeo (CAPELLE). Capelle stated that Mats said “when reading the play, major conflict takes place in the family of Juliet” (1). Friendship between Romeo's friends along with Benvolio and Mercutio. But the pressure is built towards Juliet to an extent which can signifies that she should get first hand in the title. Mats continued by stating that with something that everyone know so well, the title also becomes almost a label, and by turning it around may open the door to rethinking it

    Read More

  • Romeo And Juliet Literary Analysis

    687 Words  | 2 Pages

    Who would be willing to die for their loved ones? Romeo and Juliet would and did. Romeo and Juliet’s love and death brought two families together who could not even remember the origin of their hate. When the parents saw what their children's love for each other, they realized that their fighting had only led to suffering and insoluble conflict. Romeo and Juliet loved each other to an extent that they killed themselves rather than live apart. They did it with no hiatus. Juliet says before she kills herself, “O happy dagger, This is thy sheath. There rust and let me die.”( 5, 3, 182-183) demonstrating how she would rather die than not be with him.

    Read More

  • Essay on Names in Song of Solomon

    1481 Words  | 3 Pages

    " '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."

    Read More

  • Romeo And Juliet Identity Quotes

    687 Words  | 2 Pages

    In particular, “O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?/ 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” (II.II.33-34). Juliet wonders why must Romeo be a Montague, and why must their families hate each other. In addition, Juliet would give up her association with the Capulets to be with Romeo, so she would be giving up a part of herself. Furthermore, “Till thou shalt know the reason of my love./ And so, good Capulet—which name I tender/ As dearly as my own—be satisfied” (III.I.41-43). Romeo tells Tybalt that since he is married to Juliet that he loves the name Capulet just as much as he loves his own name. He now affiliates with both the Capulets and Montagues and shows this with affection to Tybalt before the fight. When talking of the theme of identity in this play, you cannot forget how important the last name of a character

    Read More

  • Romeo And Juliet Love Quotes

    586 Words  | 2 Pages

    At the party, they truly fell in love at first sight. Romeo loved Juliet much more than he loved Juliet. The quote from the Chorus “Now old desire doth in his deathbed lie, and young affection gapes to be his heir”(Act 2, prologue, line 1) proves the point. The Chorus is saying that Romeo’s old desire for Rosaline is dead, and his new desire for Juliet emerges. Furthermore,Romeo was willing to give up his own identity; his family name and honour for Juliet on the first day they met. The quote from Romeo “My name dear saint is hateful to me, because it is an enemy to thee: had I it written, I would tear the word.”(Act 2, scene 2, line 55) orives the point. Romeo is saying that he hates his last name Montague, because the were at feud with Juliet’s family, the

    Read More

  • Fate As A Controlling Force In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

    1278 Words  | 3 Pages

    The tragic play Romeo and Juliet, by playwright William Shakespeare, is about star-crossed lovers from feuding families that end up dying for the love of each other. The theme of fate as a controlling force is strong in the play in a way that one little coincidence can change two children’s lives that are really not meant to be. The play’s main theme brings the two closer and closer together until the unfortunate death at the very end which is foreshadowed by the chorus. Fate changes their lives by the servant unable to read a list of names and Romeo sees Rosaline, the girl whom he fell in love with first, on the list which makes him go and

    Read More

  • Romeo And Juliet Analysis

    946 Words  | 2 Pages

    “O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name;” (Shakespeare, 536). In the book, ‘Romeo and Juliet”, by William Shakespeare there is a deeper meaning that Shakespeare is trying to portray other than parents cannot control their children’s hearts. He is trying to portray that a name is only a name and it doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things and that even with a different name that person will still be the same person they have always been. Shakespeare is using the characters: Juliet, Romeo, Lord Capulet, Friar Lawrence, and the Nurse to get this message across to the reader or the viewer.

    Read More

  • Romeo And Juliet Analysis

    629 Words  | 2 Pages

    Good intention will not always lead to a happy ending. When one thinks that they have made a good moral decision, the outcome may differ from the forethought. In Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet, many characters thought they were helping the lovers but in fact, they were only assisting them in taking their own lives. Friar Lawrence’s good intention of marrying Romeo and Juliet led to the deaths of Mercutio, Paris, and Romeo and Juliet.

    Read More

  • Romeo And Juliet Soliloquy Analysis

    1499 Words  | 3 Pages

    Unaware that Romeo is near her, Juliet reveals her infatuated love for him and expresses anger at the concept of their family names. She is not enemies with the Montague people, but with the name itself. Like a rose, if Romeo had a different name, he would be the the same person since names are only labels. However, with the Montagues and Capulets, the family name defines who someone is on either side of the long-standing

    Read More

  • Social Expectations In Romeo And Juliet

    973 Words  | 2 Pages

    The societal roles and expectations forced upon Juliet regarding her identity impact her actions and decisions. Juliet’s expected contributions to society were based on her gender,her social class and family name, and her age.

    Read More

  • Characterization in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

    1182 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Act One of William Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet, we meet Romeo, Mercutio, and Tybalt. Right away, we get an idea of who these characters are and what kind of role they will play throughout the story. Romeo, Mercutio, and Tybalt share many distinctive characteristics and personalities in the story. We learn that Romeo is the romantic and handsome son of the Montagues. In the beginning of the story, he was depressed, but his mood quickly changed as the story went on. We also learn that Mercutio is Romeo’s closest and good friend who tries to make Romeo forget about his first love, Rosaline. He is a great entertainer and he’s very sarcastic too. Instantly, we learn that Tybalt is a Capulet and Juliet’s cousin. He is very hot-headed, aggressive, and violent. He loathes the Montagues very much. Finally, in Act One of William Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet, we meet three characters, Romeo, Mercutio, and Tybalt and we directly get an idea of what the characters are like.

    Read More

  • Obsession in Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

    678 Words  | 2 Pages

    Romeo and Juliet are not supposed to be together. Upon seeing Romeo, Juliet sends The Nurse to find out who he is. Nurse returns saying, “His name is Romeo, and a Montague, / The only son of your great enemy” (I v 36-37). They instantly become desperate to see each other all the time, ignoring the fact that their families are feuding. Juliet likes the proverbial forbidden fruit, saying, “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 called / Retain that dear perfection which he owes / Without that...

    Read More

  • Romeo And Juliet Dialectical Journal

    983 Words  | 2 Pages

    3. Juliet’s attitude toward the feud that has separated the two families is that she does not care about the person’s last name, but she does care for who they are instead.

    Read More

  • Romeo And Juliet Gender Essay

    1684 Words  | 4 Pages

    The societal roles and expectations forced upon Juliet regarding her identity impact her actions and decisions. Juliet’s expected contributions to society are based on her gender, her age, and her family name.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Suffering In Romeo And Juliet

    591 Words  | 2 Pages

    There are a variety of moments in Shakespeare’s sixteenth-century tragedy, Romeo and Juliet, illustrating the suffering that was experienced by Juliet alone and not shared with Romeo. One of the most important recurring examples of both Romeo and Juliet suffering is their families’ rivalry, as the main conflict is the “ancient grudge” present between the Montagues and the Capulets. Romeo and Juliet must keep their love a secret in fear of creating any more rift between the houses. Juliet describes this by saying, “O Romeo, Romeo. Wherefore art thou Romeo?// 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” (II.ii. 36-9). Although Romeo and Juliet both suffer tremendously throughout the play, Juliet experiences more grief suffering than Romeo.

    Read More

More about Identity In Romeo And Juliet

Open Document