‘A rose by any other name . . .’ : the use of language in mental health nursing practice

The statement, ‘a rose by any other name would smell as sweet’, suggests that importance lies in what something is, rather than what it is called. The literary enthusiasts among us might recognize it as a quote from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. By this statement, Juliet dismisses the relevance of Romeo being a Montague; the Montagues are despised by Juliet’s family, the Capulets. At one level, I am sure we would all agree, the ‘chocoholics’ among us would be unlikely to relinquish our taste for chocolate if it were suddenly to be called something else. However, like many commonly used sayings, it oversimplifies a more complex issue. Nowadays, Romeo might simply change his name by deed pole, but this would hardly endear him to the Capulets. It would not change the fact that he is the child of his parents and, therefore, regarded as the enemy. It is not the name Montague per se that is objected to, but rather what it represents; Romeo has been defined by his surname.