Act IV - Juliets Soliloquy

               In act two scene two, Juliet's ponders why a simple name would mean so much, how such a small difference can easily make the person she loves into a person she must hate.  She states only his name is stands between them; that only Romeo's name is her enemy. Juliet continues her soliloquy, adding that Romeo was his own person, someone more than just a simple name. She explains that his body doesn't define the name 'Montague'. Juliet remarks how a rose can be named something completely different, and still smell just as sweet. She then explains that Romeo is no different; that he would only remain to have the same perfection he owns. If Romeo's title was cast aside, then he would be all hers.
             
             Juliet's soliloquy does not necessarily serve a purpose to the plot itself, but it does summarize the entire conflict of the play. Two families are feuding, so naturally they must hate one another. Throughout the entire play, they both struggle against their family, all the way until they both take their final breath. The entire play depends on this conflict. Without the conflict, Romeo and Juliet would have been happy, if their relationship even worked out.

          I personally enjoy this soliloquy because it was easy to understand, and more straight forward than most in the play. Furthermore, I find it intriguing how a thirteen year old would be brave enough to risk her life for a boy she just met. Either it was an act of defiance or simply the acts of a love struck thirteen year old, it was still intriguing. The entire play balanced on the feud between the two families, with Romeo and Juliet wedged in between.