The Effect of Fate on the Outcome of a Drama

1090 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Romeo and juliet: development of juliet

Every day, humans wonder whether they control the choices they make or if a greater force controls them. From the first page of Shakespeare’s romantic drama, The Most Excellent and Lamentable Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, fate is out to get the players. This deplorable catastrophe is set in Verona, Italy, where two feuding households war with each other. Romeo and Juliet, children of the fighting heads of the households, secretly wed each other and eventually kill themselves because society declares the couple cannot be together. Most individuals like to attribute blame on people when bad occurrences happen. Even though most people blame personal responsibility, they do so because they cannot control the actions of fate. Humans accuse others solely because they wish to completely disregard the impact fate has on the tragic outcome. In fact, circumstance alone is the reason Romeo and Juliet suffer a tragic ending.

Since before the birth of Romeo and Juliet, fate knows of the impending doom approaching and affects the turn of events to ensure the ‘correct’ outcome. Even Romeo knows that he is doomed to some “consequence yet hanging in the stars” (Shakespeare I.iv.114). He begins to recognize that he is a pawn in this play and has no real affect on the outcome due to this supernatural feeling. Chance has control over this play’s course and does not relinquish its grip until the end. Later in the play, Romeo and Tybalt battle and the latter dies, causing the foolish Romeo to be banished to Mantua. The young man realizes that “[he is] Fortune’s fool!” (III.i.142). The gallant lover is now sure of fate’s plan to make an example of him. Chance avoids the boy’s pitiful attempt to escape with Juliet by “seal[ing] up the doors [of Friar Joh...

... middle of paper ...

... Michael. “Suicide.” Internet Shakespeare Editions. University of Victoria. 4 Jan. 2011.

Web. 14 Jan. 2012. < internetshakespeare.uvic.ca>.

“Elizabethan Women.” William Shakespeare Info. 2005. Web. 14 Jan. 2012.

< www.william-shakespeare.info>.

Lehmann, Courtney. Screen Adaptations: Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet: The Relationship

Between Text and Film. London: Methuen Drama, 2010. Web.

Marlowe, Christopher. “Hero and Leander: A Poem”. Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation.

2011. Web. 15 Jan. 2012. .

Risen, Jane L. “Why People are Reluctant to Tempt Fate.” Journal of Personality and Social

Psychology Vol. 95.2 (August 2008): 293-307. Web. 3 Jan. 2012.

http://psycnet.apa.org>.

Shakespeare, William. The Strange and Lamentable Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. New York:

Simon & Schuster, 2009. Print.

Show More
Related

  • Fate In Zeffirelli's Romeo And Juliet

    797 Words  | 2 Pages

    Since the beginning of the play, the existence of fate has been leading Romeo and Juliet to their deaths. This is first evident in the play’s dialogue when the Serving man asks Romeo to help him read the guest list for Capulet’s party. Shakespeare writes, “God’I’ good e’en. I pray, sir, can you read?/ Ay, mine own fortune in my misery” (I,ii,58-59). This demonstrates the theme of fate because Verona is a large city and the Serving man can be in any street in Verona asking any individual to help him read, but he coincidentally encounters

    Read More

  • Fate, Traits, And Choices in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

    1212 Words  | 3 Pages

    At the end of the fight when Romeo kills Tybalt and then realizes what he has done he yells out, “O, I am Fortune’s fool!” (Shakespeare.3.1.143). And he and Juliet both are little toys for fate. But, they never give up on their love.Romeo and Juliet’s traits cause them to go along with their fate and contributes to their downfall.

    Read More

  • Who Was Responsible For Romeo And Juliet's Death

    307 Words  | 1 Pages

    Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare is a romance book about two teenagers who fall in love but their love is impossible. They belong to two different families. But the real question is: Why are Romeo and Juliet dead, and who is responsible? Who is to blame for Romeo and Juliet”s suicide? This paper will tell you why Juliet’s parents, Friar Lawrence, and Fate all share responsibility for Romeo and Juliet’s deaths.

    Read More

  • Fate is the Leading Cause of Death in Rome and Juliet by William Shakespeare

    635 Words  | 2 Pages

    “It lies not in our power to love, or hate, for will in us is over-rul'd by fate.” In William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet, it is clear that the leading theme is fate, as it is mentioned several times. Shakespeare allows the audience to see everything that happens “behind closed doors.” While some characters’ actions did affect the outcome of the play, fate is the ruling force.

    Read More

  • Possible People Responsible for the Death of Romeo & Juliet

    1042 Words  | 3 Pages

    As these words echoed through the hall of the Globe theatre little did William Shakespeare know that this tragedy, Romeo and Juliet, would be examined and admired by playwrights for decades to come. So does fate play a major part in this tragedy? Or does their blood stain the garments of civil hands? Could it have been the loyal Mercutio, who swore on both their houses?? Tybalt the hated enemy? or was it Friar Lawrence who tried to end the fighting between households. Or does the blame go on the ancestors who began it. Many would agree that the death of these lovers cannot be blamed on anyone but themselves. This question cannot be answered without looking deeply into each characters involvement in the tragedy.

    Read More

  • How Poor Decisions Brought Misfortune in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

    1056 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, all the choices made by the star crossed lovers have consequences. The two lovers blame fate for their misfortune. They refuse to believe that fate does not determine the end result, only that they can do that. At the beginning of the play, Romeo is presented with a plethora of choices. The audience is introduced to Romeo as he sulks over his lover Rosaline.

    Read More

  • The Consequences of Reckless Decisions in Romeo and Juliet by Willam Shakespeare

    1412 Words  | 3 Pages

    Actions are caused by ones personal choices, thus actions indeed speak louder than words. In today's society, people make a variety of decisions throughout their everyday lives. These decisions often lead to different outcomes and sometimes, they may cause a person to suffer consequences from his/her choices. Some people believe that everything happens for a reason; that everything happens because of fate. Others beg to differ as they consider that their decisions drive what fate has for them in the future and so they think that they are in control of their own destiny. In Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, two star-crossed lovers betrayed their own family in order to be with each other. Given that both Romeo and Juliet are both young, they made endless sacrifices and decisions just for them to be together without considering the consequences. All of their sacrifices resulted in vain as their tragic conclusion was their own death. Although fate played a significant role in the star-crossed lovers' downfall, Romeo and Juliet paid the consequences of their dreadful decisions due to their reckless rebellion which eventually led to their catastrophic ending.

    Read More

  • Choice Not Fate: The True Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet

    1674 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Romeo And Juliet Deaths

    1087 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the play The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, many people lead to the outcome of Romeo and Juliet’s deaths. The play is about a boy, Romeo, and a girl, Juliet, from two rival families that fall in love. The two families, the Montagues and Capulets, have been fighting for a long time and it affects the entire city of Verona, where they live. It is debated whether or not the deaths of the star-crossed lovers could be blamed on numerous people. The tragedy of their deaths was the faults of multiple characters and could have been prevented.

    Read More

  • Romeo And Juliet Reckless Quotes

    1078 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout the play, it is clearly shown that fate has a huge role in the “star-crossed lovers” dire downfall. This is written in the prologue to foreshadow the ending. The prologue provides the audience with Romeos thought provoking promotion further warming the reader of the omnipresent force of fate which is looking over him, “Some consequence, yet hanging in the stars.” Here Shakespeare use literary techniques such as a metaphor to demonstrates that there is a deathly consequence written in fate for Romeo. Overall this provides the reader with the knowledge of what Romeo is thinking and foreshadows the end of the story. Shakespeare uses clever diction to imply that Juliet’s death is inevitable, "If all else fail, myself have power to die.” This clearly illustrates that fate is involved in the upcoming disaster. Not only have the lovers realized that there is a greater fore involved, but Friar Lawrence has too realized, “a greater power than we can contradict, hath thwarted our intents.” This shows that fate is a subjugate factor in the lover’s untimely

    Read More

  • Fate and Free Will in Literature

    758 Words  | 2 Pages

    Oedipus Rex, Candide, Macbeth, The Cherry Orchard, and the Metamorphosis all have one obvious recurring theme; fate v.s. freewill. In Oedipus Rex, Oedipus tries to beat his fate. He leaves home and travels because he is afraid of the prophecy made of him. Despite this, in the case of Oedipus, his fate was inescapable. Candide, on the other hand, defies his fate. He is fated to be separated from Cunegonde, but he keeps trying and trying to be with her. Candide goes through many obstacles, learns about life, and by the end, he learns that he must accept what life throws at him, and “cultivate his garden.” Macbeth believes that fate is on his side. When he hears about his prophecy, he immediately believes that nothing can hurt him, that he will remain King, and his children with inherit the throne. But, from the witches point of view, Macbeth’s crimes and misfortunes were fated to happen and nothing could change it. In The Cherry Orchard, it can be inferred that it was always Lyubov’s fate to lose the Cherry Orchard. It can also be debated that if enough action was taken, Lyubov could have kept the Orchard. Finally, in The Metamorphosis Kafka tries to make the point that the freewill of humans in the end cause people to be dehumanized. The big picture is that despite all these books being written in different eras with different ideals, they all have that same ambivalence about fate and freewill. And even now, that ambivalence remains. People are unsure of whether we have freewill, or all of our actions are part of a predetermined plan. So, why is it that throughout history and the present, the debate between fate and freewill remains?

    Read More

  • Who is to Blame in Romeo and Juliet?

    759 Words  | 2 Pages

    Shakespeare's play of “Romeo and Juliet” is well known, and leaves the audience asking: Who is to blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet? Most of the play’s characters closely related to Romeo and Juliet carry some responsibility, but there are three characters or groups who had the greatest influence on the story’s outcome. Friar Laurence could be blamed for marrying them and keeping it secret. Juliet’s nurse encouraged Romeo’s pursuit of Juliet, even helping Juliet sneak out to marry. Last and most deserving of blame, however, are the parents, Lord and Lady Capulet and Lord and Lady Montague. If not for the family feud and hatred, Romeo and Juliet would’ve lived, not tasting the bittersweetness of death.

    Read More

  • Romeo Tragic Hero Analysis

    684 Words  | 2 Pages

    When Romeo and Mercutio go to the to the Capulet’s ball, he says”My mind misgives Some consequence, yet hanging in the stars, Shall bitterly begin his fearful date With this night’s revels and expire the term Of a despised life, closed in my breast, By some vile forfeit of untimely death”(shakespeare which he's basically saying i will wait and see what fate has in store for me,also he saying he's destined to die. I think romeo believes in fate to much that he thinks that everything revolves around fate, even though some of it could've been his fault and other peoples faults.like when mercutio died (shakespeare act 3 scene 1) tybalt caused the fight not fate he could of just let it go but he persisted on fighting which caused the death of mercutio. like he had to follow code. As a result it got him into bad situations,in turn caused his own demise. If Romeo believed in fate so much than he should of realized that him and Juliet weren't meant to be.

    Read More

  • Irresponsibility In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

    848 Words  | 2 Pages

    In William Shakespeare’s play ‘Romeo and Juliet’ the main characters are responsible for their own deaths because they refuse to accept responsibility for their own actions. Romeo acts irresponsibly throughout the play making inappropriate decisions. Juliet is persuaded out of her apprehensions by Romeo and is blinded by her unrealistic love for Romeo. However, the two lovers cannot be blamed entirely for their own deaths as other characters and the two lovers’ feuding families hold responsibility.

    Read More

  • Fate vs Freewill in Romeo and Juliet

    889 Words  | 2 Pages

    Romeo and Juliet made many choices out of their own free will, including an irreversible decision that ended in despair for all characters. “All are punished!”(5.3.305). In the play “Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare, the actions of Romeo, the actions of Juliet, and the actions of others prove that free will is more paramount than fate in the plot of the play.

    Read More

More about The Effect of Fate on the Outcome of a Drama

Open Document