William Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet

William Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet written by William Shakespeare, tells the story of

too unfortunate lovers caught up in their family’s hatred which in the

end leads to the tragic deaths of both lovers. Classical Greek tragedy

influenced Renaissance writers greatly Shakespeare was no exception.

According to the dictionary, fate is ‘the supposed force, principle,

or power that predetermines event.’ Which means that it is out of our

hands. I believe Shakespeare wanted his audience to believe that fate

was to blame rather than the actions of the characters. In “Romeo and

Juliet” there are many references to the stars and fate; this makes it

clear that the play is a classical tragedy.

Shakespeare uses the prologue to show the Elizabethan audience that

fate is very much involved. The prologue introduces the Elizabethans

to the play, it mentions that the ‘star-crossed lovers’ will die to

settle the dispute between the Montagues and the Capulet families,

from the start the play is foreshadowed and destined to end in death

as this is already foreseen in the prologue. ‘Whose misadventur’d

piteous overthrows doth with their death bury their parents’ strife,’

The word death foreshadows the play from the very being

Through out the play Romeo and Juliet, experience many misfortunes due

to fate. All though the audience may disagree at times, and believe

that it is the characters, making their own decisions which is the

reason for these unfortunate events, but fate is always linked to the

characters as no matter what they decide fate always intervenes,

In the opening scene, we learn of just how deep the hatred between th...

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...ars from a friend that Juliet has died. Romeo heads back to Verona

to be with Juliet, he stops and visit’s Balthasar who gives him

poison.

As the news reaches the Friar, that the letter didn’t make it, he

rushes to the Capulet’s tomb but he’s to late as fate has intervened

again and he is to late. Romeo has taken the poison, which caused

instant death, and Juliet had awoke and seen Romeo, she took his

dagger and killed her self.

I believe that Shakespeare wanted the audience to believe that fate

was to blame and no matter what choices the characters made fate would

always have intervened and the outcome would have been just as tragic.

This is because this fits in with the major influence of the time,

during the Elizabethan period the theme of fate and Greece god’s where

what they believed and where influenced by.