What really controls the future, one's own actions, or predetermined fate? In the play Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, the theme of fate versus free will is a relevant discourse. Characters, throughout the story, will often base their actions on their belief in fate. Sadly, the accumulation of all of the character's actions leads to tragedy. Through the work of Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare demonstrates that people who believe in predetermined fate highlight their ignorance when faced with the unforeseen consequences of their actions. Shakespeare emphasizes this point through his use of nautical motifs, the characterization of Mercutio, and the recurring principle shared by Friar Lawrence. Romeo and Juliet incorporates nautical motifs into the play to foreshadow the unforeseen consequence …show more content…
In this case, Juliet's own emotions have control over her, and are affecting her future, foreshadowing act 5 when Juliet kills herself over her grief for Romeo. The use of nautical motifs in Romeo and Juliet, substantially represent the unforeseen consequences of a character's actions. Remove space between paragraph Through the characterization of Mercutio, Shakespeare illustrates that our actions are not controlled by fate, and that they can have unforeseen consequences if one is not careful. Mercutio, who serves as a foil to Romeo, often holds the protagonist accountable for his belief in fate. In one instance, he challenges Romeo's perception of how dreams are premonitions of fate: Romeo: Peace, peace, Mercutio, peace! Thou talk'st of nothing. Mercutio: True, I talk of dreams, Which are the children of an idle brain, Begot of nothing but vain fantasy, Which is as thin of substance as the air, (1.4.96-99)same point, (no period). Mercutio is warning of Romeo's immaturity, which clouds his
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 The tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, written by the ever-famous William Shakespeare, is an eloquent story of passionate love between two teenage individuals of a time long ago. These individuals, Romeo and Juliet, fall helplessly in love with each other, in spite of the fact that their families, both upper class, have been enemies for generations. The two lovers therefore strive to maintain their ardent bond with each other in secret. They also encounter various obstacles along the way and suffer serious consequences, such as Romeo's banishment to Mantua and the obligatory marriage of Juliet to Paris.
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.
think this is the case as, in spite of his arrogance, he does care for
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)
FLE: Romeo and Juliet: Fate Versus Free Will? “.A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;/.Do with their death bury their parents' strife./ The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,/ And the continuance of their parents' rage,/ Which, but their children's end, naught could remove,/ Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage;/ The which if you with patient ears attend,/ What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.” (Prologue, lines 6-14, p.7) Romeo and Julie He describes Romeo and Juliet as “star-cross’d” (Prologue, line 6, p.7) and their love as “death-mark’d”
A timeless topic--fate and free will--still captivates society today. Fortune cookies, physics, and horoscopes all contribute to the obsession people have with this controversial debate over who manipulates life; fate or free will. No one is sure who really pulls the strings, but everyone has an opinion on the matter. Many famous plays center on this topic, and one such play that features characters’ views on fate and free will is Romeo and Juliet. This legendary play, written by William Shakespeare, has been beloved by people for centuries, as they contemplate who is the guiding force in life? The play discusses just this, while depicting the lives of Romeo and Juliet: two desperate teenagers each trapped in their own worlds, seeking love and freedom. The two “star-crossed lovers” are from feuding households, and each has their own distinct problems. Romeo jumps from girl to girl, never finding anyone to reciprocate his feelings until he meets Juliet. She is hidden from the world, and with every decision being made for her, she wants to control her own life, which she does with marrying Romeo. Although fate and free will are both undeniably found in the lives of Juliet and Romeo, it is ultimately fate and the way it manipulates the events, time, and the characters that brings about the untimely death of the two iconic teen lovers.
"Two households, both alike in dignity, / In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, / From ancient grudge brakes to new mutiny, / Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. / From forth the fatal lions of these foes / A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life; / Whose misadventured piteous overthrows / Doth with their death bury their parent’s strife. / The fearful passage of their death-marked love, / And the continuance of their parent’s rage, / Which, but their children’s end, naught could remove…" -The Prologue, Romeo and Juliet (by William Shakespeare).
Predetermined destiny writes out our stories before we experience them and is essential to Romeo and Juliet. The star-cross’d lovers gig basically fueled the whole love-filled dramatic play. Although, Romeo and Juliet both learn this, the hard way, costing their lives, as their love was fated to end in death, unfortunately. In the prologue, lines 6-11 state, “A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life; Whose misadventures piteous overthrows, Do with their death bury their parents’ strife. The fearful passage of their parents’ rage, Which but their children’s end naught could remove” (Beers 807). Due to these lines 6-11, it proves that Romeo and Juliet’s destiny was already written previously in the stars above, and the pair of lovers could do nothing but face it, together, hand in hand, with all that they had left.
Belief is a fickle thing. You really don’t get any physical benefit or lack thereof simply for belief. Psychologically, however, belief can be a very powerful thing. It can also be so in ways that we are simply incapable of understanding with our limited knowledge. But in any case, I would have to say that simply believing in fate is not enough to avoid physical consequences, but can occasionally lift some psychological burden off one’s metaphysical shoulders. This theme comes time and time again in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The characters in the play often believe strongly in fate, using it to avoid psychological burden, but more often than not, their belief is in vain.
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?
Predetermined destiny is expressed very strongly by Shakespeare since he always hints the ending since the beginning of the book. Even if you wouldn’t know the ending of the book, if you start reading, you could kind of find out in what tragic way the book ends.
thou art so low / as one dead in the bottom of a tomb.' Romeo and
Even though nobody likes it, bad luck exists. There is no way to get rid of it, it is just a part of life. Not everything can go the way someone wants it to. If something random happens to someone and it favours them, like winning the lottery, then that is good luck for that person. Likewise, if something random happens to someone and it is unfavourable, like a rampaging rhinoceros escaping from a nearby zoo and brutally slaughtering them and 23 other people, that would be bad luck. Just like everybody else, William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet are victims of bad luck. The Capulets and Montagues hate each other, Juliet has an arranged marriage to Paris, and there is a plague in the city of the messenger. And so it is bad luck and fate that ultimately cause the deaths of Romeo and Juliet.
The lovers of Shakespeare’s famous tragedy Romeo and Juliet are perhaps the most famous pair of lovers in history. Their story has been told and remade in countless ways, with a variety of endings. The original piece however ends with tragedy in Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet. Throughout Shakespeare’s tragedy Romeo and Juliet, fate is the driving force in that the star-cross lovers are destined to have a tragic end. Throughout the play, Shakespeare uses literary elements to reveal that our actions are not what controls our life, but it is fate that determines what will happen to us.