Question

Review the lines from Act II, scene ii of Romeo and Juliet. Juliet: ’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; The purpose of this speech is to illustrate Juliet’s love for Romeo in spite of his family name. concern that Romeo is her sworn enemy. wish that Romeo belonged to another family. fear that Romeo may be physically harmed.

Answer 1

The purpose of this speech is to illustrate Juliet's love for Romeo in spite of his family name.
His family, the Montagues, are mortal enemies of Juliet's family, the Capulets, yet the two of them have fallen in love, which is basically forbidden.

Answer 2

The purpose of this speech is to illustrate Juliet’s love for Romeo in spite of his family name.

In these lines she talks about the meaning of names. She says that names should not and do not define what something is. She uses the rose for comparison. A rose could be named skunk or bicycle. However, changing the name does not change the actual rose. It will still smell sweet and be beautiful. She says that she would love Romeo no matter what his name was.