Juliet: “’Tis but thy name that is my enemy” (What’s in a name?)

What is happening, what every line means, how to perform it, and how to use it in an audition, with the full text.

The Offbook team

Oct 8, 2026

What is happening

It is the same night as the Capulet party. Juliet has just found out that the boy she kissed is Romeo, the only son of her family's enemy. Alone at her window, she has been thinking out loud, wishing he would disown his father or that she could stop being a Capulet.

She believes no one can hear her. In fact, Romeo is hidden in the orchard below, listening to every word. The moment she finishes, he steps out and takes her at her word.

What she wants is a way out: an argument strong enough to make the feud stop mattering.

Lines: 12
Words: 93
At 150 wpm: 36 sec
Form: Verse

The speech, beat by beat

The full text in 5 beats. Under each beat: what it means in plain English, and a note for playing it.

Lines 1–2 · The name is the enemy

1’Tis but thy name that is my enemy;
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.

In plain English The only thing that is my enemy is your name. You would still be yourself even if you were not a Montague.

Acting note She is facing a hard fact for the first time. Let "my enemy" cost her something before she starts to fight it.

Lines 3–5 · What is a Montague?

3What’s Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
5Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!

In plain English What does "Montague" even mean? It is not a hand or a foot or an arm or a face, or any other part of a person. Please, have some other name!

Acting note The list builds. Let the frustration push you into "O, be some other name!"

Lines 6–7 · The rose

6What’s in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;

In plain English What does a name matter? If we called a rose something else, it would smell just as sweet.

Acting note She is not quoting a famous line. She is finding an example to prove her point. Play it as a sudden, good idea.

Lines 8–10 · Romeo without the name

8So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call’d,
Retain that dear perfection which he owes
10Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,

In plain English In the same way, if Romeo were not called Romeo, he would still keep every precious quality he has. So, Romeo, throw your name away.

Acting note "Dear perfection" is where her love shows through the logic. Then she turns and speaks to him directly, even though she thinks he is not there.

Lines 11–12 · Take all myself

11And for that name which is no part of thee
Take all myself.

In plain English In exchange for that name, which is not really part of you, you can have all of me.

Acting note Line 12 is short and enormous. She offers everything. In the scene, Romeo fills the rest of the line, so hold the silence and let her hear what she just said.

Hard words

Word	Line	Meaning
’Tis but	1	it is only
Thou art thyself	2	you are your own self
though not a Montague	2	even if you were not a Montague
dear perfection	9	precious, complete goodness
owes	9	owns, has
title	10	name
doff	10	take off, the way you take off a hat
Take all myself	12	have all of me

How to perform it

The objective is to solve a problem by thinking. StageMilk's breakdown treats this whole section of the scene as an argument, and that is the key. Juliet is not drifting or daydreaming. She is a quick mind under pressure, building a case one step at a time.
She thinks she is alone, so she can say exactly what she feels. Talk to the night, to the Romeo in your head, or to the audience as a trusted friend. The real Romeo is listening, and that irony does a lot of work for you.
"What's in a name?" is a real question, and the rose is her answer to it. Do not put invisible quotation marks around it. One practical note: the early printed texts differ here, so some editions have "By any other word" in line 7. Learn the version your production uses.
The verse is regular, but new thoughts often begin in the middle of a line (lines 5, 6, and 10). Pick each new thought up at once, without a pause before it. Breathe at line endings, and try to carry lines 6 to 7 and lines 8 to 10 on one breath each.
A common mistake is to play the speech as sad and wistful throughout. She moves from frustration to a breakthrough to a bold offer. Also remember, from the lines just before ours, that "wherefore" means "why," not "where." This speech is her answer to that why.

Using it in an audition

On its own this speech is very short, about 30 seconds, which is too short for most monologue requests. Most actors begin earlier, at "O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?", and run through to "Take all myself." That gives a complete argument with a clear arc. It suits actors who can convincingly play young, roughly teens to mid-twenties. Because panels hear it often, what makes it stand out is a sharp, specific line of thought rather than a lovely tone. Pair it with something that shows a different side, such as Juliet's potion speech (Act 4, Scene 3) or a contemporary comic piece.

Juliet, Romeo and Juliet, Act 2, Scene 2. William Shakespeare. Public domain text.

How long it runs

Pace	Words a minute	Run time
Deliberate	130	42 seconds
Conversational	150	36 seconds
Brisk	170	30 seconds

These are speech times before pauses. To time your own run, paste the text into the monologue timer.

Practice it: first-letter version

Each word is cut to its first letter. Say the whole line from the letters, then check the text. Make cues from any script with the first-letter memorizer.

’T b t n t i m e;

T a t, t n a M.

W M? i i n h, n f,

N a, n f, n a o p

B t a m. O, b s o n!

W i a n? t w w c a r

B a o n w s a s;

S R w, w h n R c,

R t d p w h o

W t t. R, d t n,

A f t n w i n p o t

T a m.

Sources

Questions actors ask

How long is Juliet’s ’Tis but thy name that is my enemy (What’s in a name?) speech?

12 lines and 93 words. At 150 words a minute it runs about 36 seconds; a slower, more deliberate delivery at 130 takes about 42 seconds. Pauses add time, so time a full run out loud.

Is it a good audition monologue?

What is the fastest way to memorize it?

Learn it in sense units, not line by line: say each thought out loud until you can do it without looking, then add the next. The first-letter version below keeps the shape of every line in view while you test yourself.