How does Shakespeare evaluate and reevaluate themes regarding fate vs freewill? What is the difference between love and infatuation? In William Shakespeare’s play The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare defines fate as a predetermined result and no matter what decisions the characters make, it will always end the same. A tale of star-crossed lovers, Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet who comes from feuding families, fall in love at first sight and gets married secretly. Romeo Montague is son of both Lady Montague and Montague. Juliet daughter of Lady Capulet and Capulet. William Shakespeare paints a story of two star-crossed lovers who are destined to end in a tragic way. Shakespeare defines free will as making choices that will have different results. In William Shakespeare’s play The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, though Shakespeare does not clearly show his belief of fate and freewill, his characters can be divided into the belief of fate or freewill.
In Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, Romeo shows his belief in fate through his words and actions. “ O, i am fortune's fool” ( Shakespeare: III: i). Romeo said
…show more content…
The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet brings out the theme of fate and how people should not make irrational bad decisions without thinking about the outcome. Throughout Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the characters’ own impetuous and free will , not fate, bring about the deaths. Characters repeatedly used fate as an excuse by saying the series of events were completely out of their control. In contrast, everything could have been avoided if the characters just decided to think rationally. By having them blame fate, Shakespeare is asserting that people need to take responsibility for their own actions. They should realize it is their own choices that affect the future, not fate. People’s destinies can be changed, and it is not predetermined by an all-powerful
ned his unfavourable destiny (as having been written in the perpetual book of misfortune). Shakespeare admirably and cleverly utilizes Romeo to develop and convey the substantial theme of fate. Shakespeare ingeniously expresses his view of fate through this renowned literary work, Romeo and Juliet. He conveys that fate exists as the inevitable, unalterable, and omnipotent force that predetermines one's actions, consequences, and thereby one's destiny.
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.
Poor choices can cause tragic outcomes. Fate, on the other hand, is beyond someone's control. Many people believe that regardless of their actions, fate and destiny determine the outcome of their lives. However, in The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, the outcome of Romeo and Juliet's lives were controlled by the choices that they made. Although the deaths of Romeo and Juliet were mentioned in the prologue of the story as star-crossed lovers, the tragic ending of the couple was determined by their free will as a result of unwise decisions.
“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.
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.
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.
In Romeo and Juliet fate is evidently a major theme occurring in the play. For instance, people believed the future was written in the stars. In its first address to the audience, the Chorus states that Romeo and Juliet are “star-crossed lovers”, that is to say that fate (meaning a power often vested in the movements of the stars) controls them. This sense of fate permeates the play, and not just for
Fate can be defined as being “a power that determines and controls everything that is or happens,” (Newfeldt (Ed.) p.431) while destiny can be described as “what is predetermined to happen in spite of all efforts to change or prevent it.” (Newfeldt (Ed.) p.321) Therefore, fate is the entity that decides all that will occur, and destiny is the decision made by fate. Tragedy can be defined as the dramatic representation of serious and important actions that turn out disastrously for the main character. This indicates that the tragedies in Romeo and Juliet were the deaths of Romeo and Juliet, and to say fate and destiny were not responsible for these tragedies, is to say the characters of the play, rather than some intangible force, were aware and in control of the actions that caused Romeo’s and Juliet’s
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
...east, By some vile forfeit of untimely death”(shakespeare act 1 scene 5). 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.Romeo also believed in fate to much he let it control his life,it was like a book to him 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. these are examples why romeo is at fault for his own demise.
To a great extent, the misfortunes in Romeo and Juliet occur as a consequence of fate, which controls both luck and disaster. ...
Fate plays an important role in Romeo and Juliet. Who thought this four letter word would play such a big part in this play? In this play we see that the characters believe fate is what rules their lives, and that it is their reality. Their lives lie in the hands of fate. It always brings trouble, especially between the Capulet and Montague families. The fates of both Romeo and Juliet were predetermined in the prologue when it said “a pair of star crossed lovers take their life.”(Prologue) As their love for each other progresses, so does the ominous signs of death that show up. Characters start having premonitions and dreams of their unhappy ending. Even after the omens and signs, the lovers loved each other so deeply that they did not care about them as they just easily dismissed them. We as the audience know that Romeo and Juliet will die in the end, and their fate is shown and unraveled throughout the plot.
inexorable powers of fate. In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare demonstrates that the principle of fate
In Romeo and Juliet, fate plays a big part in the events of the story. In Shakespeare’s time, the idea of fate was taken very seriously and Elizabethans believed that their lives were already planned out for them, in the stars, and there was nothing that could be done to change that. Because the idea of fate was taken so seriously, the audience would understand each reference Shakespeare made to fate throughout the play.
To begin with, the theme of fate over freewill is brought up recurrently in the catastrophic play, Romeo and Juliet. Before the beginning of the play, Shakespeare introduces the idea of fate within the prologue. “A pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life [sic]” (Shakespeare, Act 1 Prologue L.6). The term “star crossed lovers” is used to...