Identities Created by Romeo and Juliet

When Romeo and Juliet first meet, the first thing they learn about each other is who they are. Just each other’s name, of course, but that is enough, in their situation, to discover identities of the individual they have chosen. Their names, as Juliet says, starting in line 74 of Act II Scene I, “…wherefore art thou Romeo?” Juliet realizes that, according to their families’ histories and ongoing struggles, she is supposed to be utterly detested, if not offended, by the very presence of a Montague, and vice versa for Romeo. These two young lovers realize early on that their feelings for each other are, at the least, a critical defiance of their famili...