what role does fate play in romeo and juliet
Fate plays a major role in the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. The prologue describes Romeo's and Juliet's fate, which we see come up many times later on in the play. In the Elizabethan era, fate plays an important role in people's lives. Many people believe it to be written in stone, and unchangeable. They also believed in some of the superstitions which are around today, an example is: Not to walk under ladders - considered bad luck as ladders are associated with the gallows and executions. In Romeo and Juliet, fate is one of the main themes, described as having power over many of the events in the play. Throughout the play, Romeo and Juliet unwittingly realize they cannot exist in such reality and that a tragic fate awaits them. The two families, the Montagues and the Capulets continue being rivals all the way to the end of the play until the inevitable event takes its place. In this essay I will concentrate on Act 1 Scene 4, Act 1 Scene 5 and Act 5 Scene 3.
In the play, there are many pieces of evidence that further present the prologues sad foretold reality. It points out that Romeo and Juliet have fate against them. It says that their love is "death-marked," and they have no control over what happens. It is their misfortune that leads to the sorrowful and tragic ending of the play. It also says Romeo and Juliet are destined from the day that they are born, "from forth the fatal loins of these two foes a pair of star-crossed lovers take their life..." To these two ill-fated hostile families are born two lovers who are destined by the stars (as in fate) to disaster. In Romeo and Juliet Shakespeare is playing the role of fate and he has told the fate of the two lovers in the prologue. Shakespeare is showing that it is like normal peoples lives that fate has been decided for everyone.
The reason Romeo meets Juliet is at the Capulet party. The servant runs into Romeo and Benvolio on the street, and asks Romeo to read the guest list to him as he is illiterate, and so when reading the guest list Romeo also adds on his name. It is this encounter that enables Romeo to read the list of names of guests for the Capulet party. Had Romeo not run into the servant, he would have never gone to the party, and hence, never even met Juliet. It is fate that makes this encounter possible.
In Act 1 Scene 4 Romeos speech shows that fate is already playing a part in the play, even before he has met Juliet. Romeo has fears from the start about going to the party, 'I fear too early...' He is saying that he has a feeling that he should not go to the party. He also says 'my mind misgives.' He is imagining something bad is going to happen to him, and he is seeing things that are not actually there. Romeo believes that something has been set out for him, his life story and from this ...
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In Act 1 Scene 4 Romeos speech shows that fate is already playing a part in the play, even before he has met Juliet. Romeo has fears from the start about going to the party, 'I fear too early...' He is saying that he has a feeling that he should not go to the party. He also says 'my mind misgives.' He is imagining something bad is going to happen to him, and he is seeing things that are not actually there. Romeo believes that something has been set out for him, his life story and from this period onwards it will be the period till his death. With this night his time will come when he dies, 'expire the term....' His heart will stop beating as he will have to give up his life for something he has done.
He also says 'The steerage of my course.'
But what is meant to happen will happen, as if his life has already been planed for him, He speaks about an unknown danger 'hanging in the stars.' This notion of events expected to occur being written in the stars explains how life is predetermined by fate. Romeo senses that something bad may occur and it is this sense of foreboding from the beginning that indicates fate is rife.
In Act 1 Scene 5 there are a number of events that lead up to the meeting of the two lovers. The events take place while he is at the Capulet party, and this is where he catches sight of Juliet. He asks a servant who she is, "what lady's that which doth enrich the hand of yonder knight?"
The servant replies saying "I know not sir." This is odd because he was the servant of Juliet's father and so he not knowing who Juliet is almost impossible.
Then Tybalt sees Romeo at the party, he goes to tell Capulet, who orders him to do nothing, 'let him alone' and 'he shall be endured.' This is unusual as both the families are sworn enemies; never would Capulet allow a Montague to be at his party. With these two events taken place Romeo is fated to meet Juliet.
Romeo approaches Juliet, and speaks to her for the very first time. This first conversation between them two forms a sonnet, which stands out from the rest of the play which is showing that they are a unique couple. A sonnet is a fourteen-line lyric poem in mainly iambic pentameter, with a formal rhyme scheme, and they are mainly love poems which were popular in the Elizabethan era. It is the most accepted form for the language of love. This is fate, one without the other would not have been able to form this sonnet, and the two halves show that they need each other. Romeo speaks of Juliet's hand as the shrine to which pilgrims (his lips) travel to worship (kiss). Juliet says 'o then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do', and they kiss. Juliet is presented as unearthly, this is related to fate as if to show that she should not be on this earth and this is what happens at the end. This is an extended metaphor that Shakespeare used to show the importance of Romeo and Juliets relationship.
While they are kissing, the nurse interrupts with a message that Juliet's mother wishes to speak to her. Romeo asks the nurse who Juliet is and learns that she is a Capulet, 'o dear account, my life is my foe's debt', and he is saying that his life depends on his enemy. Juliet says 'my grave is like to be my wedding-bed', if Romeo is married then she does not want to live. Then Juliet realises Romeo is a Montague. She says, 'my only love sprung from my only hate, too early seen unknown, and known too late!' She is saying that once she saw Romeo she fell in love with him, even before she knew who he was. Now she knows who he is it is too late for her to change her feelings.
In Act 3 Scene 1 Romeo kills Tybalt. He shouts, "O, I am fortune's fool!" He is saying that he is being controlled like a puppet which is in the hands of fate. Here Romeo clearly understands the full impact of this tragic event on his future, and how everything that has happened to him after he met Juliet was not in his favour. Fate is so strong that it works within the characters, and Juliet says "If all else fail, myself have power to die." once she sees how all the events lead to a tragic end. Juliet tells Romeo of her vision of him dead at the bottom of a tomb. This is foreshadowing to the already destined event these two lovers will soon face, death. Romeo has a dream that Juliet finds him dead. Shakespeare uses dreams in the play to forebode what is going to happen. In Elizabethan times dreams were seen as portents, as if they predicted what was going to happen. This is yet another example where fate has a role in the lives of Romeo and Juliet; it is something that they cannot control.
In Act 5 Scene 3; this is when Romeo kills Paris. He is not sorry about killing Paris as he believes his fate had already been decided, he says '...sour misfortunes book.' As in his life has been written down in this book as in fate has been decided.
Romeo notices that 'death' has not yet had an effect on Juliet's beauty (even though she is not actually dead yet), but death and beauty are linked in this play. 'Hath had no power yet upon thy beauty.' Death has no power over her beauty, 'beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear' and 'Too beautiful for world to posses'; this is telling us that she does not belong on this earth and because she does not belong on it she will die, she is meant to die it is fate controlled. Romeo thinks that Juliet is dead so he is really angry; he wants to 'shake the yoke of inauspicious stars.' This meaning he wants to shake fate as if it is a person that has controlled everything he has done. This is linked to the beginning of the play where it Romeo and Juliet are described as 'star-crossed lovers', fate driven lovers who are meant for each other. When Romeo kisses Juliet the first time they meet, he is getting rid of his sin by passing it to Juliet, 'Thus from my lips, by thine, my sin is purged.' And then when he kisses her again in Act 5 Scene 3 he is taking his sin back, 'The doors of breath, seal with a righteous kiss a dateless bargain to engrossing death.' After this kiss he has taken the sin back, this is fate that he is meant to die. It is like a curse for something he has done that just before Juliet wakes up he drinks the poison and dies. Juliet wakes up from the sleeping potion and asks the friar where Romeo is. The friar responds by saying, 'A greater power than we can contradict hath thwarted our intents.' That some higher power has changed their original plans. This higher power is what people have no control over - fate. Through fate, the friar does not make it to Juliet's tomb on time. Romeo kills himself before the friar can tell him that Juliet is not really dead. This is not the friar's fault. Rather, it is fate that he did not get there on time.
Overall I believe that the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is fate driven. All the events that happen in the play lead to one major event, for which the play is said to be tragic, in which for most part fate plays a large role. I think Shakespeare used this play to discuss fate because he wanted to show the audience that everyone has their own fate which has been set for them just like Romeo and Juliet's.
Explore the role of fate in Romeo and Juliet
Nikhil Khagram 10U
