Question

In Act ll, Scene 2, Juliet says, "What's in a Name? That which we call a rose/ By any other name would smell as sweet" What does she mean? How does this comparison relate to one of the conflicts in her life?

Answer 1

Juliet is trying to say what something is matters more than what something is called. This comparison relates to her romance with Romeo. It is forbidden because of his last name and the conflict between their families, but Juliet is fruastrated as to why that should keep them apart. The last name, she is saying, should not matter more than who Romeo is as a person.

Answer 2

Juliet seems to argue that it does not matter that Romeo is from her family's rival house of Montague.

Step-by-step explanation:

"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet" is a popular adage from 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.