Who says O Romeo O Romeo?

(from Romeo and Juliet, spoken by 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.

‘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 that name, which is no part of thee,

Take all myself.

Origin of Wherefore Art Thou Romeo

This phrase is filled with the emotional agony of the speaker, Juliet, in William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet. Juliet says:

“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 and Juliet, Act II, Scene II, Lines 33–36).

It implies Juliet’s fear that their love would eventually end in failure, as Romeo is a Montague, and she a Capulet (two tribes terribly hostile to each other).

Meaning of Wherefore Art Thou Romeo

The phrase, “O Romeo! Why are you Romeo?” is the opening sentence of a romantically philosophic speech by the character Juliet. Its literal meaning is that Juliet is agonized to think that Romeo is a Montague, and painfully wishes him to have been from some other tribe. Figuratively speaking, the phrase addresses one of the most sensitive and unsolved questions of philosophy: man’s habit of attributing names to forms. Where the purpose of names is solely to recognize things, however, gradually they become more important than the forms they refer to.

Usage of Wherefore Art Thou Romeo

The purpose of this phrase is to criticize procedures that involve unnecessary complication. In general terms, people use it to criticize excessive terms and conditions for doing something (like getting loans or insurance papers signed). We find its usage in various areas of life like when courts, visa offices, or government institutions reject someone’s case over documental flaws; the victims often utter the same phrase. Besides that, lovers use this when they anticipate their eventual failure in love.

Literary Source of Wherefore Art Thou Romeo

This phrase is uttered when Juliet stands on her balcony looking out to the garden, and Romeo waits in the shadows. She sorrowfully murmurs her feelings for the man she has chosen, who is from an opposing tribe. She wishes Romeo were not Romeo, but someone else from a different tribe.

In this speech, Juliet resents the human habit of preferring words to forms. She rightfully thinks that articulatory symbols should not regulate human existence and will. Romeo, Montague, Couplet, Rose, Juliet—all are substantial forms and changing their ‘names’ will not change their identity.

Literary Analysis of Wherefore Art Thou Romeo

In this phrase, Shakespeare takes pity on people for the regulated-world of love against the norm-regulated world of society. To Juliet, their love is impossible due to their family names. Hence, she asks Romeo to change his name, or else she would change hers. In Juliet’s view calling a ‘Rose’ by any other word will not make it smell bad—making clear the importance of form and characteristics over names when she says, “What’s in a name?”

Literary Devices

• Apostrophe: The phrase addresses someone, who is absent or dead.
• Soliloquy: Juliet shows her inner struggle as she speaks to herself.

‘Wherefore art thou’ is one of Shakespeare’s most famous lines, spoken by Juliet in his Romeo and Juliet play. After meeting Romeo at the party her father has thrown to celebrate her engagement to Paris, Juliet goes up to her room. She steps out onto her balcony and, not being able to get the handsome young Romeo Montague out of her mind she sighs, and speaks her mind out loud.

She says:
“O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art though 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.”

On first coming to that, most school students would think that she’s wondering where Romeo is. Their teachers often have to put them straight on that because ‘wherefore’ is one of those early modern English words that have been lost to us, but in this case it looks very much like a word we do use – ‘where.’ Hence the confusion.

Although Shakespeare’s language is not difficult to understand because it is so much like the English we speak today, some words have been lost or have evolved to mean something entirely different. For example, if Juliet or the nurse had referred to Romeo as a brave young man they would have meant that he was handsome or fine-looking. If they had talked about him as a knave they would have been saying that he is a little boy or a servant. There are many such words in Shakespeare but not enough to make his texts difficult to understand. The meaning is usually very clear when read in context.

However, ‘wherefore’ is a bit more difficult because it could be confusing. In Renaissance English ‘wherefore’ meant ‘why.’ So Juliet is saying “Why are you Romeo?”

This is an expression of Juliet’s fear that this newly awakened love will end in failure. There is an ancient feud going on in Verona between the Capulets and the Montagues. She is a Capulet and Romeo is a Montague. There is no way that any union between them could occur because the hostility between the two families is firmly established and the situation is unmovable.

Her fear of failure is well-founded because they go ahead with their love affair and actually get married. And, just as she fears, it results in failure.

In that speech Juliet is wishing Romeo is not Romeo Montague but that he had a different name. It wouldn’t matter what his name was as long as it wasn’t the name of Montague’s son. If the boy she has just fallen in love with were from any other family it would be fine. The implication of the feud is lying heavily on her, as it does throughout the play. In her view, if he changed his name, or, indeed, if she changed hers, they would still be the same people. “What’s in a name?” she says. “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” It’s not Romeo’s name that makes her love him, it’s the boy she has fallen for, regardless of his name. It’s such a pity that he’s a Montague. And so she sighs “why are you Romeo”

Watch ‘Wherefore Art Though Romeo’ Line Performed (oo:48)

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