"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet" is a popular reference to William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet, in which Juliet seems to argue that it does not matter that Romeo is from her family's rival house of Montague, that is, that he is named "Montague". The reference is often used to imply that the names of things do not affect what they really are. This formulation is, however, a paraphrase of Shakespeare's actual language. Juliet compares Romeo to a rose saying that if he was not named Romeo he would still be handsome and be Juliet's love. This states that if he was not Romeo, then he would not be a Montague and she would be able to get married with no problem at all.
Origin
Romeo And Juliet Act II Scene II (clip) - From the "Great Scenes from Shakespeare" series, this "Romeo and Juliet" video portrays the famous balcony love scene between the star-crossed lovers, and includes the well-remembered line,...
In Act II, Scene II of the play, the line is said by Juliet in reference to Romeo's house, Montague which would imply that his name means nothing and they should be together.
Juliet:
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.Romeo:
[Aside] Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?
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 word 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.Romeo:
I take thee at thy word:
Call me but love, and I'll be new baptized;
Henceforth I never will be Romeo.
Original texts
Although it is one of the most famous quotes from the work of Shakespeare, no printing in Shakespeare's lifetime presents the text in the form known to modern readers: it is a skillful amalgam assembled by Edmond Malone, an editor in the eighteenth century.
Romeo and Juliet was published twice, in two very different versions. The first version of 1597, named "Q1", is believed to have been an unauthorised pirate copy or bad quarto provided to the printer by actors off the books: a memorial reconstruction. It may also, separately, represent a version of the play improved and trimmed after rehearsals for more dramatic impact.
It runs:
’Tis but thy name that is mine enemy:
What’s Montague? It is not hand nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part.
What’s in a name? That which we call a rose,
By any other name would smell as sweet.
Q2, a superior 1599 printing, is believed to be a more official version printed from Shakespeare's original manuscript although perhaps not with Shakespeare's personal input. This is believed since there are textual oddities such as "false starts" for speeches that were presumably not clearly crossed out enough for the printer to spot.
It uses the text:
’Tis but thy name that is my enemy:
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague,
What’s Montague? It is not hand nor foot,
Nor arm nor face. O be some other name,
belonging to a man!
What’s in a name? That which we call a rose,
By any other word would smell as sweet.
Malone reasoned that the awkward half-line of ‘belonging to a man’ could be reconnected into verse through correction with Q1. Modern editors have generally concurred.
See also
- Law of identity
- Rhetorical device
- The Importance of Being Earnest
References
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