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Name and Identity

1. What does the final quote communicate about how Romeo feels about his name? Why does he
feel this way? What is more important to him?
The quote, I take thee at thy word. Call me but love, and Ill be new baptized. Henceforth I never
will be Romeo highlights the fact that Romeo doesnt really care about his name, all he wants is
to love and be loved by someone. He trusts Juliet fully and if she promises to love him, he is willing
to forget everything about himself, even his name, which is part of his identity. The fact that he is
so eager to forget or replace his identity, means that he isnt truly proud of his family name, even
though he will be the next Montague heir, he doesnt care about power or wealth; this proves
once again that he doesnt share his familys ideals and doesnt agree with their conflict with the
Capulets. The most important thing for Romeo is finding true love and being happy with a girl that
loves him too.
2. Which quote do you agree with the most and why? Which quote do you most disagree with?
The quote which I agree most with is the quote by Lewis Carroll,
Must a name mean something? Alice asked doubtfully.
Of course it must, Humpty Dumpty said with a short laugh; my name means the shape I am
and a good handsome shape it is, too. With a name like yours, you might be any shape, almost.
I really like this quote because it gives you a lot to think about, for instance, Humpty Dumpty says
that a name must mean something; but it isnt your name that defines who you are, it is who you
are that defines what your name means. You can be called whatever name you want but that
doesnt change who you are; however, the attitude and personality that you have does change the
way that other people think about your name. You name is only yours, it is the perfect definition
for who you are; it doesnt matter if somebody is called the same because their name will still be
the perfect definition for who they are and your name will still be the single word that can
characterize you completely. I think that this quote is interesting because it highlights that the
meaning of your name changes throughout your life, you can do whatever you want and your
name will always fit you perfectly.
The quote which I most disagree with is Anne Hamiltons quote, Throughout the ancient world,
naming was a sacred act. It was the word by which a child was called into his calling. It was the
voice of destiny, summoning the child into his future with all its glorious promise.
I disagree with this quote because it is suggesting that your destiny is set the moment you are
called a specific name. I believe that your identity is the one that decides what to do in every
situation, not your name; the only reason a name is useful is because it is the way that people can
remember your identity, the name is like the tag of your identity, you could take out the tag and it
will still be the same product. Name and identity have nothing to do with each other and I think
that you create your own destiny with every single step you take.

3. How important are our names to our identity? Does society place greater importance on our
names and lineage (where and who we are from) than what we do and achieve? Is this right?
As I said before, I believe names are just a tag of your identity, they can be a perfect definition of
who you are, but that is only because that is what you are called, if you were called something else,
then your other name would no longer mean anything. I believe that society does put more
importance on where you are from and what family you come from than in the things you achieve,
however if you do something truly memorable and incredible, people will forget your background
and start thinking about who you are as a person. This isnt right because it is judging someone
without even knowing them, it is like judging a book by its cover. People should never expect
something from other people just because they come from a specific culture or family, each
person is different and as I said before, each person creates their own destiny and is free to decide
who to be.
4. How important should our name be in the formation of our identity? What is your personal
opinion about this?
Your name shouldnt be at all important in the formation of your identity; you may become just
like your parents, but that is because their personalities influenced yours, not because you have
the same family name. People should love you or hate you because of who you are as a person
and not because you have a specific name. We know that names dont mean anything because
you can like somebody with the same name as a person you hate. I belief that your name doesnt
mean anything until the moment it is given to you; in other words, it is just important because it is
the tag your parents chose to put to your identity, it has nothing to do with who you are and who
you will become.

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