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Fate is a power that can conquer everything and nothing can alter it. It is the ultimate force that determines a person s life even before it starts and what people choose to do is only based on the luck they were given. Either positive or negative, fate is very often responsible for the final outcome of various situations. One example of fate affecting a plight is William Shakespeare s The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. In this play, two youngsters, Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet, from feuding families in Verona fall in love. However, because of unfortunate luck, their future together ended very shortly after in a catastrophe, death.
They were destined from the very beginning to die with and for each other. Fate caused the death of these two doomed lovers. Shakespeare made various points throughout his play and showed subtly that Romeo and Juliet were fated to die. It was pure fate that they were born in opposing families.
From the very beginning, it was mentioned that the lovers were born of fatal loins were star crossed and their love was death marked (Chorus Prologue) From then on, more and more incidents showed that destiny was the main cause of their death. The play would ve been very controversial if their love was ruled by positive fate instead of negative. It was fate that Lord Capulet s servant was illiterate and met Romeo in the streets of Verona and asked him what was written on the party guest list. If the servant knew what was written, he would not have asked Romeo and he would not have known about the Capulet s costume party at all. It was also fate that Romeo decided to go to the party to see Rosaline but ended up meeting Juliet. The next example was before Romeo entered the party.
He had a premonition that something evil would happen. His eerie feeling was real and things did get worse until their death. My mind misgives Some consequences, 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. (I. 4. 104 - 11) This premonition states that the consequences were hanging in the stars therefore it was fate that caused his premonition. After the party, they both had a feeling something had started and it would only get worse. The moment after they met, each lover has a similar foreboding that their love would end in a disaster. When Benvolio says Away, be gone.
The sport is at the best Romeo replies Ay, so I fear. (I. 5. 119 - 20) Romeo meant that he fears things can only get worse from now on. When Juliet learned Romeo s identity from the nurse, she said Prodigious birth of love is to me, that I must love a loathed enemy. (I. 5. 140 - 1) Their feelings added to the suspense and hinted that it was destiny that made them lovers from families that hated each other. An instance of Romeo s impetuosity that challenged fate would be the balcony scene. In this scene when they declared their love to each other, Juliet mistrusted sudden passion while Romeo acted impulsively.
Juliet desperately wanted to believe Romeos love to her was real so she asked for marriage. Romeo decided to marry Juliet with a challenge to fate. Then love devouring death do what he dare (II. 6. 7) As the lovers part, Juliet asked Romeo if he thought they would meet again. Romeo tried to reassure her that they will sometime in the future but she replied to him saying he seemed like he was dead in the bottom of a tomb because he seemed pale, white and far away. O god, I have an ill-divining soul! Methinks I see thee, now art so low, As one in the bottom of a tomb. (III. 5. 54 - 6) Ironically, the next time she saw Romeo, he really was dead.
This was a foreshadow that predicted Romeo would be dead by the end of the play. However, due to the fact that Juliet did not know, her feeling was an intuition and therefore this was fate. When banished Romeo was in Mantua waiting eagerly for news about Juliet, he had a dream that Juliet came and found him dead. I dreamt my lady came and found me dead (V. 1. 6) When Romeo finally heard news it was about Juliet s death, and he turned on fate and said I defy you, stars (V. 1. 24) This meant that Romeo believed that the stars had something to do with Juliet s death. Instead of interrogating the cause of her death, he turned to destiny and blamed it on fate. In a subtle way, Shakespeare introduced Juliet throughout the play as the bride of death.
Go ask his name, If he be married, My grave is like to be my wedding bed (I. 5. 134 - 5) When Juliet heard that Romeo was banished from Verona, she looked at the ropes that brought Romeo to her and said He made you for a highway to my bed, But I, a maid, die maiden widowed. Come, cords. Come nurse. I ll to my wedding bed, and death, not Romeo, take my maidenhead. (III. 2. 134 - 7) When Lady Capulet was angry at Juliet because she refused to marry Paris she said I would the fool were married to her grave. (III. 5. 140) And Lord Capulet speaks similarly when he thought Juliet dead when he first saw her lying on her that morning.
He said Death is my son-in-law. Death is my heir. My daughter he hath wedded. I will die and leave him all. Life, livings, all is death s. (IV. 5. 38 - 40) Another incident of pure luck was when Romeo drank the poison right before Juliet woke up. It was all a matter of timing; when Romeo drank the poison and when Juliet woke up.
When Romeo prepared to join Juliet in death, he thought about how death loved her and kept her beautiful. Ah, dear Juliet, Why art thou yet so fair? Shall I believe that insubstantial death is amorous, and that the lean abhorred monster keeps thee here in dark to be his paramour? (V. 3. 101 - 5) This whole incident was fate because if she had woken several minutes earlier and Romeo had waited a bit longer, then they would ve seen each other and Romeo wouldn t have drank the poison. This just happened completely by chance; even the characters in the play agreed. The characters themselves mentioned throughout the play that they were poor victims of fate. Romeo spoke of black fate on the day Mercutio was killed and when he killed Tybalt. (III.
i, 124) After killing Tybalt, Romeo exclaimed O, I am fortune s fool (III. 1. 136) and later he spoke of his be tossed soul He meant that it was as though he was in a ship being tossed around and controlled by destiny. When Juliet learned that she must marry Paris, she exclaimed in despair that she was a weak victim of fate s schemes. Alack, alack, that heaven should practice stratagems Upon so soft a subject as myself! As Romeo looked at the dead Paris, he thought of both of them as written in sour misfortune s book and he said he would Shake the yoke of inauspicious stars from this world-wearied flesh Romeo and Paris were written in sour misfortune s book because they both loved Juliet and they both died for her.
The Friar himself who had tried to help these star-crossed lovers, admitted there was nothing he could do against the fate that seemed to have worked against them. A greater power than we can contradict hath thwarted our intents He also said bear this work of heaven with patience (V, iii, 261) This was fate because it meant that their death was a work of heaven. The Prince said because of the two family s hatred towards each other, Romeo and Juliet s death was their punishment from heaven. Capulet, Montague, See, what scourge is laid upon you hate, that heaven finds means to kill your joys of love. (V, iii, 291 - 93) This was their destiny because their deaths were heaven s punishment.
Romeo and Juliet were destined to die together. Although Romeo s impetuosity contributed to the tragedy, it wasn t really the lovers actions that directly caused their deaths. Their marriage was not a wrong decision. It was fate that determined that the lovers should be born of enemy families, that Mercutio should be killed by Tybalt, that Friar Lawrence s letter should not be delivered and other situations similar to these that destroys them.
Each incident that happened led to the next since fate was a succession of events. Fate guided them towards their destinies. Romeo and Juliet were innocent victims of evil fate that was cast upon them.
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