Fate in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet Romeo & Juliet were star crossed lovers form the beginning, In the prologue it told us that their relationship would come to an end, but the audience still wills them to live happily ever after. There are a lot of people to blame in the play such as Benvolio, Mercutio, Balthazar, Romeo & Juliet, Friar Lawrence, Paris and the Nurse. Also there is the Capulet & Montague family and one of the most important things in it this was fate. Benvolio & Mercutio are the main people to start the dice rolling by gate crashing the Capulet party. If they hadn’t have done this then Romeo wouldn’t have seen Juliet and still think he was madly in love with Rosalie.

Apart from being one of the major themes, fate is also a main contributor to the outcome of the play. Shakespeare implies that love occurs as a result of fate which to a large extent, is responsible for Romeo and Juliet’s encounter. In the first few scenes of the play, there are several events which suggests that fate is responsible for the destined events which instigate their love. The servant is predestined to tell Romeo “come and crush a cup of wine” (act 1, scene 2, 79) due to the fact that Romeo would never have met Juliet if he was uninformed of this party. It is also fate which causes Romeo to attend the party and defy his instincts despite knowing that the event could “forfeit [his] untimely death” (act 1, scene 4, 113).

William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is a tragic story about two lovers who are from two disputing families, and their eventual suicides. Shakespeare uses dramatic irony throughout the play to create tension for the audience and foreshadow the ending. Dramatic irony is when the words or actions of characters in a story have a different meaning to the reader than to the characters. This is because the reader knows something that the characters do not. Romeo and Juliet’s death could have been prevented if the characters in the story weren’t so ignorant of their situations, and often times the reader recognizes this.

William Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet Romeo and Juliet written by William Shakespeare, tells the story of too unfortunate lovers caught up in their family’s hatred which in the end leads to the tragic deaths of both lovers. Classical Greek tragedy influenced Renaissance writers greatly Shakespeare was no exception. According to the dictionary, fate is ‘the supposed force, principle, or power that predetermines event.’ Which means that it is out of our hands. I believe Shakespeare wanted his audience to believe that fate was to blame rather than the actions of the characters. In “Romeo and Juliet” there are many references to the stars and fate; this makes it clear that the play is a classical tragedy.

Especially as the characters in the play that affect the lovers path to their deathbed, such as Mercutio, the Nurse and Friar Lawrence, are the people who appear as their best and most trusted friends. Therefore I think the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet was destined by fate as a result of a series of coincidences. Mercutio, one of Romeo's friends and a supporter of the Montague household, changed the course of events by encouraging Romeo to go the Capulet's masquerade and duelling with Tybalt in town. If Mercutio had not encouraged Romeo to go to the Capulet's dance, the couple would never have met and their deaths would have been averted. But was Romeo destined to meet Juliet, regardless of the actions of others?

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare Many people consider a tragedy to be a play or story, which includes an element of death and disaster, the play Romeo and Juliet fits into this category. With their fate already mapped out, Shakespeare ends the secret love affair of Romeo and Juliet with their deaths. The tragedy has a didactic purpose; Shakespeare wants the audience to learn how to avoid making the same mistakes as the characters. Shakespeare cleverly begins the play with a prologue, which sets the scene for the rest of the play. The prologue tells us about an “ancient grudge” between two families and how only the deaths of “star-crossed lovers”, one from each enemy, could end the feud.

Before Shakespeare started writing, there was a great playwright called Aristotle, who had his own definition of the tragic genre. He believed tragedy was, "the imitation of an action that is serious… with incidents arousing pity and fear, where with to accomplish…its catharsis of such emotions... ... middle of paper ... ...moron's used in the first scene in act 1; would be "Cold fire", and "Sick Health". These are used when Romeo is explaining to Benvolio about Rosaline. Through his eyes he thinks it is real love but through Shakespeare we find out that it is jus merely a crush. Romeo and Juliet is a tragic play which I believe did change expectations as it is very common and well known.

As Romeo moved from Rosaline to Juliet, for the simple fact that he believed Juliet is more beautiful than Rosaline, gives the perfect example that the play is based on desperation. Juliet says to Romeo, showing her desperation, “Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow / that I shall say good night till it be morrow” (II ii 188-189). When Romeo and Juliet say they cannot spend another night away from each other, it sets a perfect example of obsession in the play. Even Romeo knows he is anxious to force love when he says, “Th’ exchange of thy love’s faithful vow for mine” (II ii 127).

While some may argue that the characters are to blame due to their choices, which, the readers may claim, were acts or free will, the reality of the situation is that Fate is to blame for causing Romeo and Juliet to fall in love as well as causing the situations that led to their deaths. To begin, Romeo and Juliet falling in love was all by the wicked hands of Fate. One example of Fate being behind the doomed love is seen at the beginning of the play, when Lord Capulet sends a servant out to invite people on a list he is given to a party at the Capulet house. The servant, unable to read, happens to bump into Romeo and asks for his help. Romeo, happy to oblige, sees Rosaline, his "love," is on the list and, after the servant kindly invites him to attend the party, Romeo debates whether or not he should go to the Capulet's house.

It is Capulet’s servant’s responsibility to hand out the invites but he is illiterate and therefore asks Romeo to read the guest list. Upon reading the guest list Romeo discovers that Rosaline is also to attend the party. Rosaline is the person whom Romeo loves dearly although she doesn’t reciprocate any feelings towards him. Benvolio who is with Romeo at the time persuades him to attend the party so that Romeo can compare other ladies with Rosaline and thereby rid himself of this obsession. It was at this party that Romeo first sets his eyes upon Juliet and falls in love with her.