What Role Does Fate Play In The Elizabethan Era

Fate can be defined as the development of events beyond a persons control. Fate played a huge role in the Elizabethan era and in the book Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. It is even questioned if fate is responsible for the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. Although fate was the biggest belief, people also believed in fortune and astrology and they also impacted people greatly. In the Elizabethan era, people believed in and relied on fate for anything and everything.
People from the Elizabethan era had many common beliefs. First was the Great Chain of Being. The Great Chain of Being was a hierarchical system that every existing thing in the universe had a place in. An objects place depended on the amount of spirit and matter it contained.

If an object had less spirit and more matter, it would stand lower on the chain.

Mainly inanimate objects stood at the bottom of the chain. Above the inanimate objects were trees, plants, and flowers. Then came animals, then humans, then angels, and then above all of those was God. Inside this big hierarchy, there were smaller hierarchies that put items in one category in order of importance. The people believed that the Great Chain of Being was created by God, and they all believed in God, so they believed it was true. They believed that you could not break the chain and if you did, it would cause a universal disorder. The second common belief was the Order of the Universe. People believed that everything was assigned a place by God and that was the reason why the planets and people were in the position they were in. They believed that the Earth was the center of the universe and everything moved around it in their own specific routes. They believed this because, once again, everyone believed that God had given them their special places. The third and last common belief is the Wheel of Fortune. The Wheel of

Fortune was based on the belief that fate and fortune controlled life. The Wheel of Fortune was not an actual wheel, but it was believed that the wheel could either help you by using your favor, or hurt you by reducing your status and bringing misfortune. A person would be placed on the wheel based on their status. The poor were at the bottom of the wheel while the noblemen were at the top. People believed in the wheel because they thought fate and fortune controlled their life.
During the Elizabethan era, astrology had a huge impact on people. To begin, the stars influenced people. Zodiac signs were developed based on the lunar cycles existing. Horoscopes were used, telling people what would happen to them based on their zodiac sign. People believed that the stars were important and powerful. The stars held power over people. Also, people made life predictions based off of the stars. Astrology also helped people in many ways. People believed that astrology could tell them things about themselves that they didn't know. People relied on astrology to tell them what kind of person they would be, what kind of life they would live, and what death they would face. They also used astrology to tell them the best time to plant crops. During the Elizabethan era, astrology was divided into only three categories; medical astrology, electional astrology, and natal astrology. Medical astrology would tell people what was wrong with them or why they were ill. Electional astrology told people the best time to do something they wanted to, or if they should do it at all. Lastly, natal astrology was the branch that told you things about yourself.
Along with astrology, fortune also played a big role in people's lives. Fortune impacted people's lives by keeping them on the edge. People strongly believed in the wheel of fortune and its powers. It was also believed that people had no control over their lives and that their life had already been fully planned prior to their existence. It was believed that your life could be turned around at any minute due to the wheel. Improvements in fortune were often linked to the renewal of life in spring, or fruitfulness in summer. Declines in fortune were usually linked to the approach of winter, or the beginning of autumn. When winter, spring, summer, and autumn are mentioned, it does not mean the seasons. On the wheel of fortune, there are four people, two of which are good and you want the wheel to land on, spring and summer, and the other two, winter and autumn, are bad.
Fate played a huge role in the Elizabethan era and in the people's lives. Fate influenced people of the Elizabethan era greatly. As stated previously, most people believed that they had no control over their lives. They thought that fate had already planned out their entire lives and they couldn't change it. Although most people believed in fate, some people believed in fate by free will. People that believed in fate by free will thought that they had control over their lives. They believed that their lives were not predetermined and that the decisions they made lead to their destiny. Shakespeare believed in and supported fate by free will throughout his lifetime.
During the Elizabethan era, society was very different from today. One of the most popular formal events that happened during this time period was masquerade balls. Masquerades were extremely popular and were only for the upper class. Guests were required to arrive in "costume", meaning masks. During masquerades, people would dance, and try to guess other guests identities. It is said that masquerades quickly turned into guessing games and guests arrived in a variety of styles of masks. Another popular phenomenon during the Elizabethan era was medicine. Medicine during this time period was made by an apothecary. Medicine was discovered long before the Elizabethan era, by Egyptians in 3000 B.C. They used medicines to fight disease and cure illness, although it was at a very basic stage. During the Elizabethan era, medicine was made from a mixture of herbs and was very basic. Apothecaries had to have knowledge on herbs and what they were capable of, because if they put the wrong amount of herbs or ingredients into the medicine it could turn lethal or simply not do anything.
Fate also played a big role in Romeo and Juliet.

Fate is referenced many times throughout the play. One example is when Romeo has slain Tybalt and says "O, I am fortune's fool."(act 3, scene 1, line 132). Here Romeo doesn't specifically mention fate, but fortune and fate are intertwined, so fate is indirectly mentioned. Another time fate is referenced is in the very beginning of the play when the chorus is speaking and says "From forth the fatal loins of these two foes, A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life," (prologue, line 5-6). The chorus says that it was fate that took the lives of Romeo and Juliet. A common question about fate in Romeo and Juliet is: "Was fate responsible for the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet?" If someone was asked that in the Elizabethan era, the answer would be yes because they believed that fate was responsible for everything that happens to you, but if you asked someone from modern times, the answer would be much different. People today tend not to believe in or rely on fate, so they would say that fate wasn't responsible for the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet because every action leads to your ending, therefore it would be Romeo and Juliet's

faults.
In conclusion, people from the Elizabethan era believed in and relied on fate for everything. Different uses of fate were developed and they used fate for many different things. Fortune and astrology also impacted people in great ways and created more beliefs. Different types of astrology were developed and used in different ways to benefit people. It is through research of the Elizabethan era that readers of Romeo and Juliet can recognize how important fate was during this time and how deeply people relied on it.