Romeo And Juliet - Betrayal Flashcards
‘O serpent heart, hid with a flowering face! Beautiful tyrant! Fiend Angelical!’ When Juliet learns that romeo has killed Tybalt
Juliet feels like Romeo has tricked her and is saying that Romeo is like a snake disguised as a flower. She proceeds to compare Romeo to a malevolent dragon and asks if a dragon has ever kept such a “fair” cave. Metaphorically speaking, the cave that Juliet is referring to is Romeo’s attractive body. Juliet then uses two oxymorons to contrast Romeo’s opposite character traits. Despite the fact that Romeo is beautiful, his murderous actions are similar to those of a tyrant. Romeo also has angelic features but acts like a fiend. Essentially, Juliet feels like she has been fooled by Romeo’s attractive appearance and believes that he is a malevolent person.
‘What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would still smell as sweet?’
It suggests that a name is simply a label to distinguish something from another. It does not create worth nor does it create true meaning. What is important is the worth of the individual or thing.
This, of course, is relevant because the Capulets (her family) and the Montegues (Romeo’s family) loathe each other. To be in love would be forbidden simply because of their names. What Juliet exposes is the ridiculousness of the feud between the two families over, simply, who they are. What the feud is about is, therefore, unknown and irrelevant.
This quote suggests Shakespeare’s belief that a name means little - it is the worth of the individual that counts.
