With close reference to act 1 scene 5, discuss the theme of fate within Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet'.

As Shakespeare identifies where and when the play is happening it becomes clearer to the reader why the characters are how they are. And ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is no acception being set in Venice in Italy to allow them to become very agitated about the smaller things and leave a lot of anger for their hatred of either Capulet of Montague under the hot weather. This proves the three civil brawls to be able to come under their aggravation as well as the known destiny to loathe each other.

When meeting Romeo by the seaside of Venice for the first time it’s hard to hear such pain from a broken heart as he tells the viewer of his misfortune with his past girlfriend. He’s even shown to still be in love with ‘Rosaline’ no matter how distant they now were. But as Romeo takes a look around at the Caplet party they attended that evening he finds another beautiful lady and forgets all about Rosaline. This brings out the side of his young immature thinking and that he was impatient with love at the time to be in love with two separate girls in one night. Romeo did not even compare their values but shot away from Rosaline and into the forbidden love with Juliet without thinking.

At this time it is where the play finally opens up towards more characters and their relationships with others and this lands of Juliet. Being the daughter of the Capulet ‘King’ and ‘Queen’ Juliet did not expect to see her parents that much in the loving way she would’ve liked but just to conform to their commands as any other Capulet would’ve done in that day. So she is shown to have this relationship with a nurse who hired to take care of her. But to be able to have that bond it opens the mind to believe that the nurse may have wanted a baby but could not have one for many reasons and would treat Juliet as that child. Stages of childhood that may’ve done that was breast-feeding at a young age to keep Juliet close for years to come. But during and after act 1 scene 5 we see those feelings drift off onto someone else for Juliet beginning to see a life outside her family, even more possible to cope and live with for longer. For just the first few moments they spent together she comments on their dying love for each other that they already know is there and Juliet says, ‘my grave is like to be my wedding bed.’ And they start off a spectacular loving relationship from there.

During the party Romeo was meant, by his friends, to have fun and forget about his lost love Rosaline for the evening and if he had done this then he would not have met Juliet for the first time there, or even anywhere else for that matter. But Romeo did step aside at the party to wash his face and take it all in when he caught his first glimpse of Juliet and she of him when he then follows her to find out more of the beautiful figure he had just met. These events not matter how many families in-between them there was caused their relationship to unfold and truly discusses fate in that way to have been this ‘chance’ of meeting to find out they had to go on with a forbidden love and relationship but end their families feud and hatred by doing so later on in the play.  

As Romeo and Juliet set off down the path of fate, it is hard not to relate most outcomes to their first sighting in the play. Of course their marriage was determined by their meeting, but was also the start of his dream to end the brawls between the families. Then as Mercutio is killed because Tybalt was still not as ease about them gate-crashing their party even though at first he was after Romeo but Mercutio stepped in which saved Romeo’s chances of making it (therefore keeping the hope of ending the fight alive). Tybalt’s death was to come afterwards when Romeo’s anger filled up inside at seeing his best friend killed but then banishing himself from Venice to Mantua which again evened out his survival and hope of his relationship with Juliet. Juliet’s parents were still unaware of Romeo and Juliet’s marriage and put forward her date to be wed to the bachelor Paris which they had created a liking to at the same party the two star-crossed lovers did which wouldn’t have happened if Juliet had got to him first. From this event timed to be soon after Romeo had been banished Juliet decided to stay with her love and take a sleeping potion to step pass the wedding and fool all but the friar to be dead. This was also to fool Romeo as he did not receive the letter to inform what was happening and led to kill himself for their misfortune and then staring fate right in the eyes at nearly making it when Juliet awakes but was too late for the lovers and she too kills herself. Making the path free for the end of the feud between their families and to help lead a better life for everyone else.