In society, people have varying opinions on fate. Many question whether life’s events are pre-determined by fate or whether people have a destiny to serve a greater purpose. Fate versus free will is an archaic topic among philosophers that is ultimately up for interpretation.The question on whether or not something else is controlling life’s events or if they are simply a coincidence faces us in some point of our lives. In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare plays with the idea of fate and its control on the events in the play. He forces us to realize the destiny between Romeo and Juliet involves the fate between the two opposing households as well. Shakespeare blurs the line between fate and free will in his play Romeo and Juliet to show that the outstanding cause of Romeo and Juliet’s tragedy was not something decided- it was fate. It is evident by the events in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet that fate was the main cause of the tragedy in the play, and that Romeo and Juliet held the destiny to finally end the feud between the Capulets and the Montagues.
From the very first words of the play’s introduction, we are reminded of the lover’s fate in Romeo and Juliet and how it affects their world. The prologue in a work of literature is meant to introduce the story, as shakespeare so often does in his plays such as Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare introduces Romeo and Juliet with the lines “From forth the fatal loins of two foes/A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;Whose misadventured piteous overthrows/Do with their death bury their parents' strife.” (I.I.V-VIII) It may seem as if Shakespeare decided to spoil the end of his tragedy for his audience before it even started. In fact, some might have been angry at Shakesp...
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...cides. Romeo and Juliet were fated to serve a greater purpose: Despite attempts at controlling their destiny, they ended the feud between their families with death, revealing the story was destined to become a tragedy from the start. From the prologue, every event Romeo and Juliet fell into led to their unavoidable deaths. However, if the two had not killed themselves, the Capulets and the Montagues would have most likely kept fighting forever. The “star-crossed lovers” (I.I.VI) served a greater purpose, and created finer days for the generations of Capulets and Montagues thereafter. Not many individuals choose to conform to their fate in order to serve their purpose, but in the end, we must succumb to our fate, despite any circumstances we have. Our destiny is not always revealed to us, as in Romeo and Juliet, yet the stars always finds a way to fulfill our destiny.
In efforts to overcome such hindrances to their love, Juliet feigns her death as planned. However, as a result of miscommunication, Romeo takes the news seriously, and thus, being propelled by zealous devotion, both use death as the key to unity. A variety of themes are implicated throughout the play. Fate, in particular, is well demonstrated. By using the motif of stars and characters such as Friar Lawrence, Juliet, and Romeo, Shakespeare truly and masterfully conveys that fate is the inevitable, unalterable and omnipotent force that controls all actions unto their consequences.
Romeo and Juliet, written by William Shakespeare, is a story of two young lovers. These two hearts, Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet belong to feuding families. The family feud causes them to keep their love a secret and therefore only Romeo, Juliet, Benvolio, the Nurse and Friar Lawrence know of their love. Romeo and Juliet are able to look past the feud and let themselves fall in mad love with the other. They let themselves do almost anything for the other and at times it seems like too much to do, even for the one they love. Although fate and character traits play a key role in the play, ultimately Rome and Juliet’s personal choices lead to their downfall.Fate originates all of the conflicts in Romeo and Juliet, from when they met until they die.
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.
The reader realizes this when the prologue states, “Two households, both alike in dignity/ In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, / From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,/ Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean./ From forth the fatal loins of these two foes/ A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life” (I 1-6). This translates to say two families have been rivals for many years. Romeo and Juliet are two from separate rivaling families that fall in love. The reader can acknowledge that these two individuals meet one another due to fate. However, they know that because of their parents’ hatred of each other, they can never be together. “My only love sprung from my only hate!/ Too early seen unknown, and known too late!/ Prodigious birth of love it is to me,/ That I must love a loathed enemy” (I v138-140). A decision is made that the only way to be happy is to take their lives. As soon as the play begins, the audience can foresee a tragic ending because of the language used.
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.
think this is the case as, in spite of his arrogance, he does care for
Imagine living a tragic existence, not even two entire decades long. Imagine being controlled by an invisible, yet limitless puppet string conducted by “the stars”. When fate is your enemy and time reveals each unraveling tragedy to your dismay, you understand how it feels to be the protagonist’s of Shakespeare’s most famous love story, The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. Tradition, heredity, and ancestry symbolize the celestial psychology that is the stars. Controlling every miniscule detail of the play from human behavior to action sequences, to the ultimate climax of the tale. The power that fate has is surprisingly destructible yet inevitable to audiences as they come to realize the given characteristics that cannot be changed, even to avoid death. The moment Romeo and Juliet initially saw one another, they were sure their love was meant to be. This feeling was brought on because their love was the solution of the stars, or forefathers, to cure the rivaling families’ animosity. Fate contributes to the development of The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by relating to astrological terms, human behavior, and fate as an agent of destruction.
In the prologue, Shakespeare uses phrases such as “death-marked love” and “star-cross’d lovers” to show that fortune and fate are responsible for the tragedy. Shakespeare also describes Romeo and Juliet’s defiance of their parents as “misadventured piteous overthrows.” This description suggests that the lovers’ efforts to be together will be hopeless against what fate has in store for
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.
From the beginning of the play it is clear that Romeo and Juliet are doomed to die, They are considered victims of circumstance but the question is did they have responsibility for their fate? Could things have been different? Was it a bad series of events, was it a coincidence that fate was against them, were outside forces against them, It is not just a coincidence the language used in the prologue 'star-crossed lovers' and 'death-marked love' shows that it was all meant to happen from the beginning of the play, the words 'star-crossed' refers to an astrological outlook on destiny that was widely accepted in the period the play was written in, reference to this so early in the play creates a sense of anticipation for the audience and from the start they know what is going to be the outcome of the play but the question left on their minds is 'Why?' and 'How?'
In the beginning of the play it is told, “A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life;” (Prologue.6) this sentence indicates that from the very beginning the fate of Romeo and Juliet is written in the stars. Their fate was to fall in love and die with a passion in order to end their family’s feud. Since their fate was bond in a silent promise it might be a reason for their meeting at the Capulet’s party. Romeo, who is broken-hearted, did not feel like joining Mercutio at all until seen Rosaline’s name upon the invitation list. The first meeting between Romeo and Juliet was a memorable one. The two lovers locked eyes and as if fate, fell head-over-heels in love with each other. Romeo forgot at once all about his once beloved Rosaline and Juliet abandoning her thoughts of marrying Paris. The lovers moved too fast and were too rash in their decision-making, but as fate would have it’s way and the two decided to marry right the next day. Right the next morning Mercutio and Tybalt engage in a heated duel. When Romeo arrived on the scene he was still light-headed and giddy from just marrying Juliet and therefore causing him to be soft and loving towards Tybalt. As Mercutio and Tybalt fight a giddy Romeo runs to separate the fight and fate would yet again let Tybalt kill Mercutio as mainly an accident. Romeo been mad and angered due to the loss of his best friend jumps in and demands to fight Tybalt and slews Tybalt. The night before everything was fine but now Romeo is banished and Juliet is short of a cousin and a husband. Many of Romeo’s actions were rash and uncalled for but as a result to fate it all ties together to the beginning of Romeo and Juliet’s story.
Fate and free-will are both widely discussed topics in the world today. In William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, fate and free-will greatly influenced Romeo and Juliet’s lives at every opportunity. That influence was both good and bad, and led to their premature deaths at the end of the play. Fate can be described as the development of events beyond a person’s control, while free-will is the power of acting without the constraint of necessity or fate. Free-will caused Romeo and Juliet to fall in love with each other, make poor choices, and ultimately die an untimely death.
In Shakespeare’s famous 1597 play Romeo and Juliet, the two-star crossed lovers die tragically. Famous for the simplicity of its characters and the language, the play analyses the ramifications that are set upon the two main protagonists. This is correspondingly due to the ongoing conflict between both families, the Montagues and the Capulets. The deaths of the two characters circulate around the concept on whether it was free will or fate. However, the resultant consequences of events for the characters in this tragedy was highly affected by the hands of fate, and not by freewill. It is evident that fate is to blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet due to the
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.
In regards to Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare chose fate to be a strong underlying theme which constructs the basis of the story line. Fate has the ability to control the characters’ lives and one minor change in the way it had acted would have changed the entire outcome. Through Romeo and Juliet’s spontaneous encounter, fate was largely responsible for love at first sight alongside controlling the misfortunate events that occur as a result of their love. Apart from love and misfortune, Shakespeare suggests that Romeo and Juliet were destined to die the way they did, despite the fact that it was their choice to end their lives. The outcome of the play was a direct result of fate, which to a notable extent was responsible for the many events which were destined to occur.