Fate vs. Free Will

602 Words2 Pages

Free will ultimately brought about the death of Romeo and Juliet. Obviously Juliet and Romeo’s ending was predetermined for them because it is after all a play. Which in some ways invalidates the debate of whether or not they had free will. However with a willing suspension of reality we can analyze the events that take place had this been a real situation. The events leading up to Romeo and Juliet’s untimely death are at best circumstantial, and each one is individually preventable. Some of the events could be considered fate on the premise of a chain reaction, however for my purposes I will say that had they not made the choice that had started the chain reaction it would not have happened. Therefore, it is still based upon free will.

One of the most obvious examples of free will in Romeo and Juliet is when Romeo makes the choice to go to the Capulet party despite the fact that his family, the Montague’s, who are feuding with the Capulet’s. Romeo was in complete control over his decision to attend the party, and had he not attended the party he would not have met Juliet and set i...

Open Document