Disgrasyada (English version)

That's the movie showing next street.

But so what, Inday, if they call you disgraced
because they say you're a mother but not a wife?
Someone said---a poet from somewhere---
That a rose by any name would smell as sweet.

How good it will be to have a child to bring up

Who will roll you a plum-leaf cigarette
Especially a girl who will rouse you from a bad dream
and sing while darning the traces of your sweat
and if a boy he will know how to fetch water
slide down the coconut tree and let dance the bamboo pole.

So there, who then is truly disgraced:

the poor mother who is not a wife
or the wife who has neither child nor husband?

Erlinda K. Alburo

"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet" is a frequently referenced part of William
Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet, in which Juliet seems to argue that it does not matter that
Romeo is from her rival's house of Montague, that is, that he is named "Montague." The reference is
often used to imply that the names of things do not affect what they really are.
In Act II, Scene II [1] of the play, the line is said by Juliet in reference to Romeo's
house, Montague which would imply that his name means nothing and they should be together.
Juliet:
O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?
Deny thy father and refuse thy name;
Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,
And I'll no longer be a Capulet.
Romeo:
[Aside] Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?
Juliet:
'Tis but thy name that is my enemy;
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
What's Montague? It is nor hand, nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!
What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,
Retain that dear perfection which he owes
Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,
And for that name which is no part of thee
Take all myself.
Romeo:
I take thee at thy word:
Call me but love, and I'll be new baptized;
Henceforth I never will be Romeo.

Original texts[edit]
While it is one of the most famous quotes from the work of Shakespeare, no printing in
Shakespeare's lifetime presents the text in the form known to modern readers: it is a skilful amalgam
assembled by Edmond Malone, an editor in the eighteenth century.
Romeo and Juliet was published twice, in two very different versions. The first version of 1597,
named "Q1", is believed to have been an unauthorised pirate copy or bad quarto provided to the
printer by actors off the books: a memorial reconstruction. (It may also, separately, represent a
version of the play improved and trimmed after rehearsals for more dramatic impact.)[2]
It runs:
Tis but thy name that is mine enemy:
Whats Montague? It is not hand nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part.
Whats in a name? That which we call a rose,
By any other name would smell as sweet.
Q2, a superior 1599 printing, is believed to be a more official version printed from Shakespeare's
original manuscript although perhaps not with Shakespeare's personal input. This is believed since
there are textual oddities such as "false starts" for speeches that were presumably not clearly
crossed out enough for the printer to spot.
It uses the text:
Tis but thy name that is my enemy:
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague,
Whats Montague? It is not hand nor foot,
Nor arm nor face. O be some other name
belonging to a man!
Whats in a name? That which we call a rose,
By any other word would smell as sweet.
Malone reasoned that the awkward half-line of belonging to a man could be reconnected into verse
through correction with Q1. Modern editors have generally concurred.

What matters is what something is, not what it is called.

Meaning

The importance of a person or thing is the way it is; not because of what it is
called. Simply, it means the names of things cannot affect what they actually
are. This line is, in fact, very profound, suggesting that names are just labels
to distinguish one thing from another. It neither has any worth, nor gives true
meanings. Only an individual or thing has a worth when it deserves it; for
example, even if we call a rose with entirely different names, it would smell the
same, as it does by its name as rose. Likewise, Juliet links this with Romeo
that his name is just a label, and that he would stay the same for her.

Usage

This phrase is very common is poetry and everyday life. For instance, poets
and lovers call their beloveds with different names like rose, lily and shining
star, etc. Usually people name their pets with human names and many other
names. It is used in birthday or celebratory speeches to flatter the person that
he is a praise worthy. It can be used in awarding distributing ceremonies to
call legends and keynote speakers. However, it is best used with its conjoined
sentence What is in a name.