The Webster's Dictionary defines "fate" as "Predetermined and inevitable necessity; that power which is thought to determine one's future, success or failure, etc." In William Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, his pair of star-crossed lovers (Juliet and Romeo) are fated to meet, fall in love, and take their lives. But does their predestined demise have an equally as important purpose? And, if so, should the Prince's final edict be carried out, and should any of those involved be punished?
Romeo and Juliet's inevitable future is stated at the beginning of the play, in the prologue. However, there are still aspects of foreshadowing that futher convinces the reader of the importance of the aspect of fate in this story. One such example is shown here, when Juliet asks the Nurse to find out who Romeo is: "If he be married, My grave is like to be my wedding bed." (1.5.148-9). By this, Juliet means: if Romeo is already married, then she will be so depressed that she will die instead of marrying him, or anyone else. The audience knows that Romeo is not married, and this passage serves as a hint to Juliet's future, in conjunction with her marriage to Romeo. After realizing who Romeo is (the son of her family's greatest enemy), Juliet says:
My only love sprung from my only hate!
Too early seen unknown, and known too late!
Prodigious birth of love it is to me
That I must love a loathèd enemy. (1.5.152-5)
By this, Juliet means to say: If only she had known who Romeo was before falling in love with him;
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What an ominous sign that she should love the only son of her family's greatest enemy. This proves that Romeo and Juliet were indeed fated to fall in love, for if either Juliet or Romeo had the choice, neither of them would have chosen to fall in love with someone completely unaccessable.
The death of Romeo and Juliet is as well predestined, for it brings the families together and peace to Verona's streets. This is shown in the following excerpt from the prologue:
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life;
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Doth with their death bury their parents' strife.
The fearful passage of their death-marked love
And the continuance of their parents' rage,
Which, but their children's end, naught could remove, (Prologue.5-11)
This passage means that the children of these two feuding families were fated to fall in love, and die, and their unlucky and pitiful demise would serve as grounds for the families to curb their fighting.
Since the beginning of the play, the existence of fate has been leading Romeo and Juliet to their deaths. This is first evident in the play’s dialogue when the Serving man asks Romeo to help him read the guest list for Capulet’s party. Shakespeare writes, “God’I’ good e’en. I pray, sir, can you read?/ Ay, mine own fortune in my misery” (I,ii,58-59). This demonstrates the theme of fate because Verona is a large city and the Serving man can be in any street in Verona asking any individual to help him read, but he coincidentally encounters
In efforts to overcome such hindrances to their love, Juliet feigns her death as planned. However, as a result of miscommunication, Romeo takes the news seriously, and thus, being propelled by zealous devotion, both use death as the key to unity. A variety of themes are implicated throughout the play. Fate, in particular, is well demonstrated. By using the motif of stars and characters such as Friar Lawrence, Juliet, and Romeo, Shakespeare truly and masterfully conveys that fate is the inevitable, unalterable and omnipotent force that controls all actions unto their consequences.
For example, after finding out that Romeo is a Montague, Juliet says, “My only love, sprung from my only hate! Too early seen unknown, and known too late! Prodigious birth of love it is to me That I must love a loathed enemy” (I, v, 136-139). Juliet acted too fast and fell in love with someone that is an enemy of her family. When Juliet says, “Too early seen unknown, and known too late”, she means that she fell in love with Romeo without knowing who he was. The most logical conclusion we can draw from this is that their relationship was moving so quickly that Juliet had already kissed Romeo and fallen in love with him before even knowing his identity. Their choice of proceeding with their relationship so quickly is one of the reasons that led to Romeo and Juliet dying. Additionally, when Romeo and Juliet were talking to each other on the balcony by the orchard, Juliet asked, “What satisfaction canst thou have tonight?” (II, ii, 126), and Romeo responded, “The exchange of thy love’s faithful vow for mine” (II, ii, 127). The fact that after only kissing each other once, and talking for a brief amount of time, Romeo and Juliet want to get married, illustrates that their free will and decision making got them killed. Since their families are enemies, it was an obviously terrible choice for Romeo and Juliet to get married. The choice to get married this early in a relationship definitely played a big role in the tragic deaths of Romeo and
In the very opening of the play the chorus is singing about Romeo and Juliet, and predicts their life together as having a star-crossed conclusion. By already knowing from the beginning that their life has an ill-fated conclusion, we can see how their choices brought them to their death. Romeo and Juliet could see that their life together was not going the way they wanted, because Romeo and Juliet wanted to marry each other but there were many barriers between them. Both Romeo and Juliet had many failed attempts in their efforts to trick fate out of what was ultimately going to happen to them both. Hold! Get you gone, be strong and prosperous in this resolve. I’ll send a friar with speed to Mantua, with my letters to thy lord. (IV, i, 122-124)
From the beginning of the play it is clear that Romeo and Juliet are doomed to die, They are considered victims of circumstance but the question is did they have responsibility for their fate? Could things have been different? Was it a bad series of events, was it a coincidence that fate was against them, were outside forces against them, It is not just a coincidence the language used in the prologue 'star-crossed lovers' and 'death-marked love' shows that it was all meant to happen from the beginning of the play, the words 'star-crossed' refers to an astrological outlook on destiny that was widely accepted in the period the play was written in, reference to this so early in the play creates a sense of anticipation for the audience and from the start they know what is going to be the outcome of the play but the question left on their minds is 'Why?' and 'How?'
“Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health, still-waking sleep, that is not what this is” (Shakespeare 1.1. 179-180). A string of contradictions explain the love story of Romeo and Juliet, a contradiction. Some critics consider this story a tragedy because Shakespeare once wrote; “the fault is not in our stars but in ourselves”. While others say it does not follow the standard Aristotelian form of tragedy (Krims 1). Romeo and Juliet can not be a tragedy because no flaw causes them to fall, the lovers, could not have controlled fate, and family and friends assisted them to their deaths.
When Juliet first wants to know Romeo’s name, she tells her nurse, “Go ask for his name. If he is married, my grave is like my wedding bed.” Basically, she’s saying that she will never marry, if she can not marry him. How much more dramatic can you get? And, of course, Romeo wants to join her in dramaticness, like everything else, and declares that “[his] life was better ended by their hate, than death prorogued, wanting of [her] love.”
Throughout the play, it is clearly shown that fate has a huge role in the “star-crossed lovers” dire downfall. This is written in the prologue to foreshadow the ending. The prologue provides the audience with Romeos thought provoking promotion further warming the reader of the omnipresent force of fate which is looking over him, “Some consequence, yet hanging in the stars.” Here Shakespeare use literary techniques such as a metaphor to demonstrates that there is a deathly consequence written in fate for Romeo. Overall this provides the reader with the knowledge of what Romeo is thinking and foreshadows the end of the story. Shakespeare uses clever diction to imply that Juliet’s death is inevitable, "If all else fail, myself have power to die.” This clearly illustrates that fate is involved in the upcoming disaster. Not only have the lovers realized that there is a greater fore involved, but Friar Lawrence has too realized, “a greater power than we can contradict, hath thwarted our intents.” This shows that fate is a subjugate factor in the lover’s untimely
In Romeo and Juliet a significantly horrendous ending takes place, but with Shakespeare's use of foreshadowing he is able to keep the reader from being overly traumatized. For example, when Juliet and Romeo are discussing plans Juliet says, "O God, I have an ill-divining soul! / Methinks I see thee, now thou art so low, / As one dead in the bottom of the tomb"(lll,v,14-56). Juliet has mixed feelings about the arrangement devised by the Friar so that the two of them can be together. Juliet thinks disaster will come of previous tactics developed to allow Romeo and her to be together. In addition, when Romeo is speaking of his love for Juliet he says, "And but thou love me, let them find me here. / My life were better ended by there hate / Then death prorogued, wanting of thy love"(ll,ii,75-77). Romeo's immense love for Juliet will eventually lead to the fall of himself. Death lingers throughout the play between Romeo and his love, Juliet. In conclusion, when Juliet is thinking about Romeo she says, "Give me Romeo; and when he shall die / Take him and cut him out in little stars, / And he will make the face of heaven so fine / That all the world will be in love with night," (lll,ii,21-25). This suggests that in the play Romeo will end up dying and Juliet will be there to see it. Juliet prophesizes over many topics in the play and in the end they become true. Foreshadowing is used in this play to help the audience trounce the dreadful outcome.
Two lovers lay dead on the ground. One with a wisp of poison on his breath, and the other with a dagger inside her. In the prologue, Shakespeare reveals to us that two star-crossed lovers die because of their families’ ongoing feud. When the two families discover what has happened and how they caused it, the families agree to end the feud and no longer quarrel. Was Romeo’s and Juliet’s death at the hand of the family in the form of fate, or did their choices cause this tragedy? In the play, Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, free will is more dominant than fate in the outcome of the play and is shown by Juliet’s actions, Romeo’s actions, and the actions of others.
Shakespeare implies that love occurs as a result of fate which to a large extent, is responsible for Romeo and Juliet’s encounter. In the first few scenes of the play, there are several events which suggests that fate is responsible for the destined events which instigate their love. The servant is predestined to tell Romeo “come and crush a cup of wine” (act 1, scene 2, 79) due to the fact that Romeo would never have met Juliet if he was uninformed of this party. It is also fate which causes Romeo to attend the party and defy his instincts despite knowing that the event could “forfeit [his] untimely death” (act 1, scene 4, 113). Due to their fate, Romeo who plans to see Rosaline states “I ne'er saw true beauty till this night” (50, act1, scene 5) when he falls in love at first sight with Juliet. Shakespeare suggests that fate has the ability to control love, through the predetermined events which led to Romeo and Juliet’s encounter.
In Act 1 Scene 5, at the masquerade ball, Romeo and Juliet meet for the first time, and fall in love before either is aware that they are supposed enemies. Juliet says “If he be married. / My grave is like to be my wedding bed.” after she asks the nurse to find out who Romeo is. The reader knows before Juliet does that Romeo is a Montague and that she literally will die because they are unable to be together.
In the beginning of the play, Juliet is unable to make her own decisions. However, after her meeting with Romeo, Juliet becomes more assertive and defends her love for Romeo. In conclusion, individuals cannot be forced to love; love is nurtured and nourished but is also always put to
... and is ready to swear the vows of marriage with Romeo. Juliet’s reckless and hasty decisions demonstrate her impulsiveness. Juliet’s love for Romeo largely dictates her brash decisions and speech. If Romeo did not enter Juliet’s life, she would never have known the hurt and heartbreak she experiences throughout the tragedy.
Soulmates, made for each other, meant to be, written in the stars, crafted by destiny, a pure product of passion… fate plays it’s role as well, as it is virtually destiny’s sister. Romeo and Juliet are undeniably perfect for each other. Their creator, Shakespeare, ha...