Romeo & Juliet - Journal # 4

1) Juliet's talk of Romeo and his name...

"'Juliet: 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 thy name which is no part of thee
Take all myself."

What Juliet is saying in this part, is that the name of a person shouldn't matter, they shouldn't be judged on that. She's saying that even if Romeo was named something else, he'd still be the same guy and she'd still love him, no matter what he's called.


2) Juliet's wish that Romeo not swear by the moon...

"Romeo: Lady, by yonder blessed moon I swear
That tips with silver all these fruit-tree tops---

Juliet: O, swear not by the moon, th'inconstant moon,
That monthly changes in her circled orb,
lest that thy love prove likewise variable."

Why Juliet wishes that Romeo not swear by the moon is because the moon changes every day, and in a month the cycle is over, so when Romeo swears by the moon, it sounds like he's saying that it won't last more than a month, that the relationship is variable, and Juliet definatley does not want that.


3) Romeo and Juliet's love and 'lightning'...

"Juliet: Well, do not swear. Although I joy in thee,
I have no joy of this contract to-night.
It is too rash, too unadvisable, too sudden,
Too like the lightning, which doth cease to be
Ere one can say "it lightens." Sweet, good-night!"

In this part, Juliet is being sensible because Romeo and her JUST met, and he wants to get married right away, and Juliet is saying that she's not 100% sure about all this because it's too fast like the lightning, which is there one second and lightens up the sky, but is gone the next second and darkness falls again.