Who or what is responsible for the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet

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Who or what is responsible for the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy mainly because of the downfall of the main characters through weakness or misfortune, which lead to their deaths but these flaws are not the only reasons for this tragedy, it is possible that their fate was “written in the stars” as there are many references made about these stars.

   Fate (the fact that life is already planned out and is out of human control) must be one of the key factors in causing the tragedy of the “star-crossed lovers” Romeo and Juliet. It is possible that there was “some consequence yet hanging in the stars”(I iv) that already had their lives scripted down and no matter how much Romeo wanted to defy them “I defy you stars”(I, vi) he could not. This must mean that Romeo’s life was already planned out. But fate was not only interpreted in the stars, somehow it seemed that some of the characters foreshadowed their own fate, like Friar Lawrence foreshadowed “love so gentle in [Romeo’s] view, should be so tyrannous in proof”(I, I), this meaning that Romeo may see the love he has now, as wonderful, but as it continues it causes trouble. The friar also foreshadows the result of Romeo and Juliet’s love again when he predicts that their “violent delights have violent ends” this again hints the ending of Romeo and Juliet’s love. This is not the only incident of foreshadowing more is done by Juliet when she predicts, “[her] grave is like to be [her] wedding bed” this is an obvious hint that Juliet will die soon after she is married. She doesn’t only foretell her death; she also foretells Romeo’s death as well. She sees Romeo “so low, as one in the bottom of a tomb”(III, v). The most obvious foreshadowing is done by Romeo when he dreams that his “lady came and found [him] dead… and breathed such life with kisses in [his] lips” this foretells the end of the play when Juliet tries to kill her self with poison from Romeos lips. All of these foreshadowing’s give a lot of evidence that Romeo and Juliet were destined to die, as was known by some of the characters. It is for these reasons that fate could have been responsible for the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, as some of the characters foreshadowed their own fates.

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   But it would be rather simplistic however, to dismiss the fact that coincidence could be responsible for the tragedy. It may have just been a coincidence that Juliet didn’t wake in time to stop Romeo before he killed himself, and it could have been plain coincidence that the letter from the friar didn’t reach Romeo.

   But we cannot assume that fate and other things beyond the characters control caused the deaths of Romeo and Juliet, as the tragedy was possibly caused by their own lust and adolescent passion. Throughout the play Shakespeare keeps the audience pondering as ...

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