Question

Romeo. By a name I know not how to tell thee who I am: My name, dear saint, is hateful to myself, Because it is an enemy to thee. Had I it written, I would tear the word. What can be inferred about Elizabethan culture from this passage?

Select one:
a. A name is just another word.
b. Elizabethans viewed names as saintly.
c. Elizabethan children are not named.
d. Family names played a major role in people's lives.

Answer 1

D. Family names played a major role in people’s lives. This can be inferred by Juliet who describes how she would renounce her title in order for her to be together with Romeo. ‘Tear the word’ reject her family name and leave it behind in the face of her desire to have a relation ship with Romeo.

Answer 2

I'd have to go with D because Romeo and Juliet can't be together because their families hate each other. They are defined by their family names and if they go together one of them would share the family name of the other.