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Shakespeare's ideas of love
Shakespeare's view of love
Shakespeare's ideas of love
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“There is no such thing as an accident; it is fate misnamed” -Napoleon Bonaparte. Hundreds of years ago Napoleon Bonaparte preached that fate controlled our lives. Hundreds of years before him, Shakespeare preached that fate was the determining factor of our destiny. To this very day, four-hundred and two years after the death of shakespeare, fate is still in control of the lives of many people. Romeo and Juliet is a tragic love story between two characters whom are Fated to be together for eternity. While the characters made few decision upon themselves, in the end fate is in complete control of what they do, it is their destiny. The theme of Romeo and Juliet is Fate is truly, ultimately responsible for our destiny.
Throughout the course of
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Juliet or Romeo could not control their attraction to one another, just as well as they cannot control what one another look like. Juliet could not control, that nature had formed “the spirit of a friend in mortal paradise of such sweet flesh” (III,ii,80). It is out of the control of any to choose the way they look. Romeo had no control over being born a Montague just a Juliet was born a Capulet. Fate is in control of the way you look, and the way you are raised. Romeo had to kill Tybalt, otherwise be killed. Romeo is absolutely incapable of controlling Tybalt’s actions, and Tybalt’s hatred towards him. The same way Juliet is unable to control Romeo’s handsome looks and kind personality. It is only …show more content…
After Romeo was exiled, Juliet was to be married to Paris. Juliet tried to protest the betrothal, but he voice was unheard. The only way for Juliet to see, “Romeo, Romeo, Romeo” ever again and truly be happy was to fake her own death and drink a potion which would do that for her. While Juliet chose “to drink to thee [Romeo]” she really had no choice. If she had choose not to drink the potion, she would never again see Romeo, the one person she is truly meant to be with. She could drink the potion and live happily with the one man she loves, or not drink the potion and live a doomed life filled with only regret, not happiness. Her fate and the one person she loves led her to drink that potion, not her free will. It is only
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.
Poor choices can cause tragic outcomes. Fate, on the other hand, is beyond someone's control. Many people believe that regardless of their actions, fate and destiny determine the outcome of their lives. However, in The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, the outcome of Romeo and Juliet's lives were controlled by the choices that they made. Although the deaths of Romeo and Juliet were mentioned in the prologue of the story as star-crossed lovers, the tragic ending of the couple was determined by their free will as a result of unwise decisions.
...se he believes Juliet to dead, drinks poison to take his own life as a last resort. What Romeo is unaware of is that Juliet is very much alive, so it is very ironic when he says, “Death, that has sucked the honey of thy breath,/ Hath had no power yet upon thy beauty:/ Thou art not conquered; beauty’s ensign yet/ Is crimson in thy lips and in thy cheeks,/ And death’s pale flag is not advanced there” (V iii 101-105). This is fate in the works in the play. When Juliet sees that her love has not rescued her and rather is dead, she kills herself with a dagger found in the proximity. “O happy dagger/ This is thy sheath; there rust and let me die” (V iii 182-183).
Some people may not believe that fate is something that truthfully exists in the world. This portion of the population doubts that there is anything that is actually meant to be or supposed to happen thinking that there is always a way around troubling predicaments, knowing that it isn't necessary to turn out just one certain way. They trust that whatever occurs in their lives comes as a result of the decisions that they make with their own free will. Others, however, believe that whatever happens during the course of their lives is inevitable and every event predestined and laid out before them like a roadmap to life; in other words, fate. William Shakespeare's play, Romeo and Juliet has fate as an exceptionally crucial force, pulling the characters into a more animated state. Because of fate, the play becomes tremendously thrilling and it is exactly what manages the two young lovers to meet each other in the first place. The moment that Romeo and Juliet meet is the exact incident that leads to their death, however unaware these "star-crossed lovers" are to that fact. Thus, fate is undoubtedly the most responsible influence for the couple's heartbreaking tragedy.
The human condition follows the path of fate. Everyone makes choices out of their own free will which affects their life at that time, but will ultimately lead to their pre- determined fate. People inflict their own wounds during their life by the choices that they make. This applies in Romeo and Juliet and plays a major role in Romeo and Juliet’s lives. "A pair of star-crossed lovers" (I, i, 6)
In Romeo and Juliet fate is evidently a major theme occurring in the play. For instance, people believed the future was written in the stars. In its first address to the audience, the Chorus states that Romeo and Juliet are “star-crossed lovers”, that is to say that fate (meaning a power often vested in the movements of the stars) controls them. This sense of fate permeates the play, and not just for
Romeo and Juliet is widely known to be a tragedy, but what caused the atrocity for which it is so renowned? Some may argue fate was to blame for Romeo’s and Juliet’s deaths, that the situations these young lovers faced were depicted as being out of their control. Could Romeo have refused to attend the Capulet masque? Was Romeo destined to duel the raging Tybalt? Did Romeo and Juliet truly have to kill themselves? If one considers the specific circumstances and causes of these situations, the fact that all scenarios are the result of choice rather than chance, and the notion that the characters were never left without options, only one conclusion can be determined. It was unarguably the decisions made by characters, not those made by fate, that were responsible for the tragedy in Romeo and Juliet.
Fate in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet Before starting to decide to what extent fate was responsible for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet, I should first decide what is fate? According to the dictionary, fate is the 'inevitable destiny or necessity destined term of life; doom.' This basically means, that fate can be described as a pre-planned sequence of events influencing ones life. In Romeo and Juliet, it is obviously true to say that fate was a contributor to the deaths of the young couple, but could it have been the sole contributor?
Shereshevskaia Mrs. Fic Academic English Per. 10 5/13/16 Thesis statement: In The Tragedy Of Romeo and Juliet, both fate and free will influence the actions, speech, and thoughts of the main characters, leading to Romeo and Juliet’s deaths. I. Topic sentence: The speech of the main characters of the play is affected by their perception of fate and free will. A. “Now, most Elizabethans firmly believed in astrology, in the influence of the stars on human affairs” (Holland) 1. 2. Analysis of the B. “I fear, too early, for my mind misgives / Some consequence yet hanging in the stars / Shall bitterly begin his fearful date /
One of the most common character tropes is the moody, teenage sibling who’s always in trouble and fighting with the parents. Teenagers are often stereotyped as reckless and emotional. They take too many chances and act like everything is the end of the world. Young adults are constantly experimenting and taking risks, but what is the force behind their actions? During adolescence, the areas in the brain controlling reward processing and control begin to change. According to neuroscientist Laurence Steinburg, the shift creates an imbalance between emotion and restraint (Sukel, 46). The play, The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, focuses on the teenager, Romeo, during a dramatic period of his life. He faces many difficult situations involving love
Free will is shown first through Juliet’s actions, most notably, when she is supposed to marry Paris, she drinks the potion to put herself in a coma and, when she chooses to kills herself. According to fate, Juliet was supposed to marry the county Paris. “Marry, my child, early next Thursday morn/The gallant, young, and noble gentleman/ The county Paris, at Saint Peter’s Church/ shall happily make thee there a joyful bride.” (3.5.117-120) Rather than making the socially acceptable choice (at the time) and giving in to her parents’ wishes, Juliet defies fate and consorts a plan with Friar Laurence. Juliet would let no one decide her life but herself. “Romeo, Romeo, Romeo!/ Here’s I drink to thee.” (4.3.59-60) Juliet drinks the potion to be encased into the depths of the tomb, thought as dead. She also had Friar Laurence deliver a letter to Romeo, against her parent’s consent, and against fate.“O happy dagger,/ this is thy sheath. There rust, and let me die.” (5.3.174-175). This quote shows how Juliet has let go of any will to live. She is so in love with Romeo tha...
In regards to Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare chose fate to be a strong underlying theme which constructs the basis of the story line. Fate has the ability to control the characters’ lives and one minor change in the way it had acted would have changed the entire outcome. Through Romeo and Juliet’s spontaneous encounter, fate was largely responsible for love at first sight alongside controlling the misfortunate events that occur as a result of their love. Apart from love and misfortune, Shakespeare suggests that Romeo and Juliet were destined to die the way they did, despite the fact that it was their choice to end their lives. The outcome of the play was a direct result of fate, which to a notable extent was responsible for the many events which were destined to occur.
Fate is the controlling force of the events that lead up to, and cause, the deaths of Rome and Juliet. It is no coincidence that Romeo meets the Capulet servant and is invited to the party. Fate brought him to the house of the Capel?s where he was destined to meet his future wife, Juliet. At the risk of being killed, the two lovers married their supposed loathéd enemy and consummated the marriage without even the slightest hint of detection from anyone who did not know of the wedding. Unfortunately, their sweet success would be short lived and their lives would be a downward spiral staring with Romeo?s banishment and ending with their deaths. Taking into consideration that Romeo and Juliet are predetermined to meet, love and die together, fate is clearly the dominant force of the play.
The power of love controlled Romeo and Juliet's actions. They were so head over heels in love for each other that they were willing to do anything for their partner even if it meant to the extreme of things. Outside of “Romeo and Juliet”, a wise man named Hercules said “People do crazy things when they are in love…” This is perfectly said and true especially in showing Romeo and Juliet’s actions. Romeo and Juliet had only known each other for a day but their love had already taken over them. When Romeo and Juliet were confessing their love for each other during the balcony scene, Romeo said, “With love's light wings did I o'erperch these walls,/For stony limits cannot hold love out, /And what love can do, that dares love attempt./Therefore, thy kinsman are no stop to me."(Act II, Scene 2, Lines 71-74) Romeo is saying love will make a man try anything and even a stone wall couldn't keep him out. Love had the authority to make Romeo fearlessly climb the walls risking getting caught. Love seized Juliet’s actions. Juliet was so in love that she was willing to drink the potion and appear to be dead all to be with the banished Romeo in the end. “God knows we shall meet again./ I have a faint cold fear thrills through my veins… (ACT IV, Scene 3, Lines 15-16) Juliet was scared about doing this because she didn't know if it would work right or turn h...
Destiny is no matter of chance. It’s a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved,” quoted by William Jennings Bryan. One of the most debated questions in history is whether our lives are ruled by fate or by own choice. William Shakespeare brings this question into play in his production Romeo and Juliet. Although fate does seam to be ruling over every situation, I believe that choice has more to do with this story then it’s really credited to. Even in the opening lines, this play drills into your head the inevitable outcome of the two lover’s deaths. When the chorus uses the phrase Star crossed lovers (I, 1,6) it clearly shows William Shakespeare’s thoughts on what killed Romeo and Juliet. This play shows that fate is in control, but I believe it was Romeo, Juliet’s, and even the Friar’s horrible choices to dragged them into that situation.