The Fateful Ending in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

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Romeo and Juliet - Fateful Ending

The story of Romeo and Juliet is an inevitable tragedy. Many events take place, which are quite detrimental to the love Romeo and Juliet have for one another. By mentioning marriage and death together, Shakespeare foreshadows Romeo and Juliet's tragic ending. From the very beginning of the play throughout and to the end, there has always been the intent of a tragedy, and Shakespeare uses much dramatic irony to express this.

In Act I, just upon meeting Romeo, Juliet speaks of her grave in the same context as her wedding. When Capulet's party is breaking up in Act I scene V, Juliet sends her Nurse to find out Romeo's name. Juliet has already decided, "If he be married. / My grave is like to be my wedding bed" (1.5.135). She is saying that if Romeo is married, she will die unmarried. Without even knowing if her feelings are mutual she decides she will marry none other but Romeo. She is unknowingly foreshadowing her fate, in which her grave does become her wedding bed. The same night, when Romeo comes to visit Juliet, she expresses her fear for Romeo's safety. Rromeo replies "Life were better ended by their hate, / Than death prorogued, wanting of thy love" (2.2.77-78). He is willing to die to know he has her love, than for her not to love him, but die later on. In the same scene, Juliet tells Romeo "Yet I should kill thee with much cherishing" (2.2.183) Juliet feels she has so much love for Romeo that she feels that she might just love him to death. Juliet is willing to fake her death in order to remain married to only Romeo, even if it results in death to society. Lady Capulet gives Juliet what she thinks to be the joyous news of Paris having her hand in marriage. Capulet arrives, expecting to find his daughter excited at the news. When he finds Juliet upset, he asks his wife what has happened. She replies that she has given her the news and that Juliet is a fool for not accepting it. "I would the fool were married to her grave!" (3.5.140). This is another reference to Juliet being dead to society, but very much alive to Romeo.

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