is referring to Romeo and Juliet’s actions lying in the stars. This is once again brought up by Romeo at the end of Act 1, scene 4 when he has a premonition
“some consequences yet hanging in the stars”.
Right from the start the audience know there will be the deaths of Romeo and Juliet.
“Doth with their death bury their parent’s strife”.
When Romeo meets Juliet for the first time in Act 1, scene 5 at the Capulet’s party their relationship moves very quickly and they don’t know that they are supposedly enemies. However, at the end of this scene they are told of this. Romeo and Juliet would not have however met if Romeo had not been in “love” with Rosalie as she was the reason he attended the party.
Romeo and Juliet again meet outside the Capulet’s mansion in Act 2, scene2 when they confess their true feelings for one another.
Juliet makes her concerns about their relationship clear to Romeo and tells him if he is sincere then he will make arrangements for them to be marred. They agree that Juliet will send a messenger to see him the next morning.
“Thy propose marriage, send me word tomorrow”
This is when Juliet’s nurse gets involved in this secretive relationship in which Romeo and Juliet don’t appear to have thought about what will happen when they marry. This could lead to more complications in their relationship. The nurse is however not the only person involved in this illicit relationship. Before long Friar Lawrence is involved when he is persuaded by Romeo to perform his marriage to Juliet in Act 2, scene 2. This is however not the only time he gets involved. Soon after Romeo and Juliet’s marriage a fight starts between Mercutio and Tybalt when Tybalt demands to have a duel with Romeo who refuses because he is now related to Tybalt. The fight continues and Mercutio and Tybalt are killed.
This is another hint that things are going to end in a tragedy because Romeo is banished from Verona, which means he is unable to see Juliet. Again, Friar Lawrence gets involved by taking Romeo in and devising a plan for him to see Juliet. After Romeo gets to see Juliet that night she has a premonition that again is a hint of what is going to happen. In this premonition Juliet has a vision of Romeo dead at the bottom of a tomb.
“As one dead in the bottom of a tomb”, Act 3, scene 5.
The next day Capulet announces that he has arranged for Juliet to marry Paris because he believes it will make Juliet happy after the death of her cousin Tybalt. It is not this that upset her though but is the fact that she is now unable to see Romeo ever again.
At this part in the play the audience Friar Lawrence devises yet another plan that Juliet has her doubts about. The audience know this as she explain her fears in a soliloquy. Juliet drinks the potion that Friar Lawrence gives her in order to seem dead for many hours. When she awakens Romeo will be there for her because the Friar promises to send a letter to Romeo about the events. This plan seems like a good idea but when Romeo does not receive the letter. In Act 5, scene 1, Romeo has his first premonition. He sees himself dead but Juliet revives him with a kiss at this point the audience know something terrible is going to happen. It does so when Balthasar over sees Juliet’s “funeral” and returns the news to Romeo who’s first reaction is to go to the tomb to be with Juliet.
The tragedy happens in Act 5, scene 3 when Romeo goes to the Capulet’s tomb and kills himself with a poison he got from a poor apothecary. When Juliet awakens to see Romeo dead she to kills herself with a dagger.
There are many possibilities as to why Romeo and Juliet died the way they did. Throughout the play there are a number of possibilities. Fate is mentioned a lot by both Romeo and Juliet so perhaps it was in the stars for them to both die. Friar Lawrence could be to blame because he got so involved. If he had refused to help Romeo, he would never have got married to Juliet. However he was not the only person to get involved. If Juliet’s nurse had not agreed to be her messenger she would never have spoken to Romeo again. The deaths may have been a way of teaching the Montagues and the Capulets a lesson because of their continuous fighting. Adolescent passion may be to blame, Romeo and Juliet’s relationship moved very quickly without them stopping and thinking about what may happen. Whatever the reason there are a number of hints in the premonitions that suggest to the audience the play will end in tragedy.
Pamela Smith Candidate number: 3250 Romeo and Juliet English Coursework
