William Shakespeare quotes on naming

Quotes of William Shakespeare

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose / By any other name would smell as sweet.”

— William Shakespeare

Read this quote in Bengali

This line is taken from William Shakespeare's play 'Romeo and Juliet'. Juliet, due to the conflict between their families, is prevented from marrying Romeo. Complains that Romeo's name is keeping him away from her. In this context, Juliet says this.

What comes in a name? What we call a rose, by any other name, will smell sweet and be fragrant.

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose / By any other name would smell as sweet.”

This is Juliet's line when she tells Romeo that a name is nothing but a name and is a nebulous with no meaning behind it. She declares her love and tells him that she really loves a man named "Montagu", and not the name, or the family it comes from.

This quote suggests that a name is simply a label, used to distinguish one thing from another. People categorize similar things into groups and label them. The world knows and understands them by this label. Besides, the name doesn't really have any value. The label also has no meaning. A person or thing in its own being is what actually carries its true identity. Nothing else.

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