What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet
Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2)
Shakespeare and Mr Jones differ somewhat on names (though only if you take Shakespeare out of context and forget the preceding text). Mr Jones is surprisingly traditional when it comes to names – and mine in particular. He is firmly of the – “the wife should take the husbands name” school of thought.
I, on the other hand, am rather attached to my maiden name and would like to keep it. I’m more than happy to meet half way and double barrel it – but according to Mr Jones that would involve signing our children up for regular playground beatings for being too posh. Honestly!
Unlike Juliet I don’t really fancy denying my father or refusing my name – and Mr Jones certainly can’t be convinced to doff his, even if I do promise to give him all of myself. At least Juliet was swapping Capulet for Montague - even she would have been slightly less enthusiastic if she was turning herself into a Jones. There are literally millions and millions of them – oh the obscurity.
But the argument has arisen many a time, and I have been informed on each occasion that it’s a deal breaker – it’s Mrs Jones or a spinster’s cottage and a menagerie of cats. So Mrs Jones it will be (apart from at work – where I have managed to convince him that it would be career suicide to change my name now – phew!)
Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2)
Shakespeare and Mr Jones differ somewhat on names (though only if you take Shakespeare out of context and forget the preceding text). Mr Jones is surprisingly traditional when it comes to names – and mine in particular. He is firmly of the – “the wife should take the husbands name” school of thought.
I, on the other hand, am rather attached to my maiden name and would like to keep it. I’m more than happy to meet half way and double barrel it – but according to Mr Jones that would involve signing our children up for regular playground beatings for being too posh. Honestly!
Unlike Juliet I don’t really fancy denying my father or refusing my name – and Mr Jones certainly can’t be convinced to doff his, even if I do promise to give him all of myself. At least Juliet was swapping Capulet for Montague - even she would have been slightly less enthusiastic if she was turning herself into a Jones. There are literally millions and millions of them – oh the obscurity.
But the argument has arisen many a time, and I have been informed on each occasion that it’s a deal breaker – it’s Mrs Jones or a spinster’s cottage and a menagerie of cats. So Mrs Jones it will be (apart from at work – where I have managed to convince him that it would be career suicide to change my name now – phew!)
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