Shakespeare was famous for his tragedy plays and it was him who controlled the characters but he uses the words of the characters themselves to map out there own fate.
We must look at what the characters say to see how they suggest fate in their lives. The three key scenes where fate is shown are at the Capulet’s party, the fight scene with Tybalt, Romeo and Mercutio, and the death of Romeo and Juliet.
At the Capulet party, Romeo knows that he shouldn’t be there, but comes along anyway not knowing what to expect. He notices that his ex love Rosaline is that the party and as he loves her no more his heart is open for a new women. It was by pure chance that he happens to meet Juliet at the exact time he did, and manage to get a chance to talk with her and kiss her. He says, " Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For ne'er saw true beauty till this night."
He is already declaring his love to Juliet and wants to contain their love with marriage.
After Tybalt has seen Romeo and Capulet stops him from causing trouble, Tybalt states “I will withdraw, but this intrusion shall, Now seeming sweet, convert to bitt’rest gall”
This gives the idea that Tybalt will not let this go and the two will meet again in the future.
In the same scene it cuts to Juliet and her Nurse. She says “If he be married, My grave is like to be my wedding bed”. So if Romeo were already taken then she would never fall in love with anyone else. This ties the Romeo and Juliet together as they can only love one another and no one else.
Friar Lawrence warns Romeo that rushing into things with Juliet is unwise and can only have a negative outcome. “ Wisely and slowly, they stumble that run fast”
This in turn tells us that something may go wrong as it is at the end of the scene and has some significance.
In the fight scene with Tybalt and Mercutio is again pure coincidence they meet up and as the fight ensues, Romeo also happens to turn up. Mercutio’s death allows Tybalt and Romeo to have a showdown that Tybalt had wanted after not getting him at the party. They fight and Romeo comes victorious. He knows although he won he is in trouble with the law and he utters the words “O, I am fortunes fall”
This however was not natural fate, but it was of Romeos doing as he attacked in anger at Tybalt for revenge of Mercutio’s death.
The Banishment of Romeo means that he could not be with Juliet which is the worst thing that could to happen to them so extreme measures have to be taken for them to see each other. To spell an end to Romeo, Shakespeare made Friar John the messenger to late to deliver the message to Romeo
In conclusion Romeo and Juliet are not only victims of fate, but also of coincidence. All the scenes of coincidence fit perfectly into to play to form a tragic tale. From Romeo and Juliet first meeting, to Rome dying minutes before Juliet wakes up, it is all perfectly staged.
It is however the Capulet party scene where the characters fate begins to unfold. It is where the two main characters meet, where in the end they will die. It is where Tybalt begins his undying hatred of Romeo, which ultimately leads to his death. From Tybalts death Romeo gets banished and it’s from his banishment that the final plan to reunite them fails and both Romeo and Juliet die.
