‘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: 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”
(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,
More Poems by William Shakespeare See All Poems by this Author JULIET Thou know’st the mask of night is on my face, Else would a maiden blush bepaint my cheek For that which thou hast heard me speak tonight. Fain would I dwell on form. Fain, fain deny What I have spoke. But farewell compliment! Dost thou love me? I know thou wilt say “ay,” And I will take thy word. Yet if thou swear’st Thou mayst prove false. At lovers’ perjuries, They say, Jove laughs. O gentle Romeo, If thou dost love, pronounce it faithfully. Or if thou think’st I am too quickly won, I’ll frown and be perverse and say thee nay, So thou wilt woo. But else, not for the world. In truth, fair Montague, I am too fond, And therefore thou mayst think my ‘havior light. But trust me, gentleman, I’ll prove more true Than those that have more coying to be strange. I should have been more strange, I must confess, But that thou overheard’st, ere I was ‘ware, My true love’s passion. Therefore pardon me, And not impute this yielding to light love, Which the dark night hath so discovered. Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare is the most famous love story in the English literary tradition. Millions of people all around the world know how powerful of a theme love is when dealing with these two young heart throbs. The poem focuses on an intense romantic love between Romeo and Juliet. Their love is a violent, ecstatic, overpowering force that supersedes all other values, loyalties, and emotions. At one-point Juliet asks: “Deny thy father and refuse thy name, or if thou wilt not, be a Capulet.” At times their love is defined by magic: “Alike bewitched by the charm of looks.” Sometimes as we all mention what love is (we just can’t define it) Juliet says: “But my true love is grown to such excess/ I cannot sum up some of half my…show more content… |
Who says Deny thy father and refuse thy name or if thou wilt not be but sworn my love and Ill no longer be a Capulet?
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