With astrology being a key part of Elizabethan age culture Shakespeare uses this throughout to help the crowd relate to the characters in the play. Some cases of this are when Romeo refers to “the yoke of unsuspicious stars” at the end of the play and before Capulet feast when Romeo says “I fear, too early; for my mind misgives some consequence yet hanging in the stars”.
This last quote is possibly one of the most important relating to fate and destiny in the play. What happens after this is Romeo meets and falls for Juliet and the story told in the prologue begins to all fall into place.
The role of fate may be held responsible for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet as if one of a series of events hadn’t taken place perhaps the deaths of Romeo and Juliet wouldn’t have either. Also with the superstitious audience when Mercutio calls for “A plague on both your houses” the crowd may hold him responsible for the deaths. Also if it was destiny that brought the two together surely fate could tear them apart again.
The main idea of fate to me is the fact that Romeo and Juliet’s love was forbidden due to a family feud. Had it not been for this feud then the couples love could have been made public and the deaths would almost certainly been avoided. However due to this feud Juliet’s cousin Tybalt’s hatred for the Montague’s lead to the death of Mercutio who then puts “A plague on both your houses” but perhaps more importantly leads to the revenge killing of Tybalt by Romeo which is the reason for his banishment. Tybalt’s anger must be seen as a clear representation of how the families feel about each other, which is exactly why the relationship had to be kept quiet.
Even Friar Lawrence who married the couple only done so because he wanted the feud to be patched up, but of course this couldn’t happen in time for the deaths to be prevented.
Another form of fate and destiny, which plays a major part in the play, is the premonition. A good example of this is Juliet’s saying in Act 3, Scene 5 “Methinks I see now thou art so low. As one dead in the bottom of a tomb” This directly points to the plays outcome and the deaths of both Romeo and Juliet which both happen in the tomb.
Another interesting moment in the play is when Mercutio plays up Tybalt’s swordsmanship, saying he “keeps time, distance, and proportion” Is it therefore coincidence that it’s these skills which end up killing Mercutio himself?
Talk of fate and destiny however must surely come from and be heavily linked with the gods. Shakespeare uses references to god’s and goddess’ also in the play in act 4 when Juliet speaks of Venus, the goddess of love, and how she “smiles not in a house of tears”, possibly a metaphor for the forbidden love of herself and Romeo, The house being the feud of the families with the tears of these two within.
Overall I feel that fate and destiny plays an important role in the play, not only in keeping the audience interested and relating to the characters but as a true belief of the people of the time. Therefore the part played by fate and destiny in Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ forms a solid argument that it is to blame for the deaths of the lovers and this may be why Shakespeare included it significantly in ‘Romeo and Juliet’.
