Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

It is fascinating how the most famous plays in history have the most tragic endings. They are not what we would imagine a normal fairy tale ending to be like. In the play, Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet are portrayed as star-crossed lovers. In the opening scene, the chorus states that Romeo and Juliet are two young lovers from opposing families who were destined to fall in love and eventually die together. Juliet’s parents have the perfect life planned for Juliet. She has the perfect fiancé, she was going to have a great family, and live happily until the day she died. But then it was love at first sight for Romeo and Juliet. They both know it was the wrong thing to do, but they went with it. Despite their best intentions to be together and to change their fate, the play proves that there destiny’s are predetermined.

Free will has a part to play in Romeo and Juliet’s future. Free will is the ability to choose what our actions are and it is not controlled by fate (Merriam-Webster). At the Capulet’s party, Juliet is talking with the nurse when she asks “What’s he that follows there, / […] / Go ask his name” (I.V., 146-147). Juliet is asking the nurse to go get more information on Romeo, even though she has a fiancé. She is showing some interest in Romeo.

One-way we know Romeo and Juliet fate is predetermined is shown through Shakespeare’s use of foreshadowing through out the play to let the ready know about their impending deaths. At the beginning of the play, the prologue says, “fearful passage of their death mark’d love […] is now the two hours’ traffic of our stage” (William Shakespeare, Prologue, 7). From this, we know that Romeo and Juliet are heading for death from the beginning of the play, an...

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...er-perch these walls; / For stony limits cannot hold love out, /And what love can so that dares love attempts” (II.II, 71-74). This is an echo of the biblical Songs of Songs (Shmoop Editorial Team). This can also be referred to as the Song of Solomon, a collection of love poems, which are in the Old Testament. Juliet is also mad that she has fallen in love with Romeo. Juliet says that her “only love sprung from my only hate! Too early unknown to late! Prodigious birth of lave it is to me, that I must love a loathed enemy” (I.V, 152-155). Juliet has never considered that she would date her enemy, but that makes love sound a lot like fate. Even these star-crossed lovers hint that despite their love for each other, tragic fate may intervene at the end.

Even these star-crossed lovers know that despite their love for each other, tragic fate may intervene at the end.