Romeo and Juliet • Act 2, Scene 2 • Juliet
“What's in a name? that which we call a rose” — What's in a Name Meaning
Juliet is saying that a name is only a social label and does not change the thing itself. Using the rose image, she argues Romeo’s worth would remain the same if his surname were different, so she urges him to abandon the family title that separates them rather than lose his essential qualities.
Plain-English meaning
What is in a name? The thing we call a rose
Who says it, and what is happening?
Juliet speaks these lines on the balcony while addressing Romeo. In the immediate exchange she insists 'Thou art thyself, though not a Montague,' questions what a family name really is, and compares a name to a rose. The moment matters because she tries to separate Romeo’s personal identity from his public surname, pressing him to 'doff thy name' so their relationship might stand apart from imposed labels. It is an intimate, persuasive appeal aimed at redefining how they think about each other.
Language and literary analysis
The rose image compresses a philosophical claim into a sensory metaphor: scent and name are decoupled. Shakespeare lets Juliet pose a rhetorical question—'What's in a name?'—which shifts the argument from assertion to inquiry, inviting the listener’s assent. The contrast between the earlier list of bodily parts and the abstract label highlights how names are external to the person. Her imperative 'doff thy name' is terse and theatrical, turning private longing into decisive language. The line’s economy—common noun 'rose'—makes the idea immediate and vivid; the familiar flower undercuts the social weight of 'Montague,' and the metaphor stages identity as perceived essence versus imposed sign. Audiences hear intimacy and argument at once, which intensifies the scene.
How to use the quote in an essay
Use this line to support a claim that Juliet values individual character over inherited labels: cite her 'rose' metaphor and the immediate 'Thou art thyself' assertion to argue she sees names as social inventions. Then connect that reading to the way she asks Romeo to remove his title in the same passage.
Questions about this quote
How does the rose metaphor work here?
Juliet uses the rose to show that the pleasant qualities associated with an object are independent of the word used to name it. The image invites readers to accept that Romeo’s desirable traits—like the rose’s scent—remain constant even if his family name changes, so the name is secondary.
Why does Juliet tell Romeo to 'doff thy name'?
Within the immediate exchange she urges him to cast off the family title because she treats the label as an obstacle to their relationship. 'Doff thy name' is a concise, almost theatrical command that follows her argument, translating philosophical claim into a practical request to separate the person from his public identity.
Read this line in the complete side-by-side scene. · Read the scene revision guide.
Original text source: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, MIT HTML edition. MIT states that its HTML versions of the plays are placed in the public domain.