Explore the importance of fate in Romeo and Juliet

Explore the Importance of Fate in the Play ‘Romeo and Juliet’

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Fate, a concept often linked with the stars, is a main theme that runs throughout the play. Romeo and Juliet, ‘a pair of star crossed lovers’ are always destined for a tragic and ‘untimely’ death. There are many interpretations on the role of fate in the play: as a ‘greater power’ that has ultimate control over the lives of the characters; a force that has arisen out of the society lived in by Romeo and Juliet, which influences their choices and causes them to be impulsive and at times foolish, and some think that fate may be put down to the personalities of the lovers, and their fatal flaws which often cause the situation to deteriorate further.

In my opinion Romeo’s fatal flaw is impetuousness: he is ‘hot-headed’ and acts impulsively and hastily on several occasions. For example at the beginning of the play, Romeo decides to go to the party of his enemy Capulet, even though her knows it will make the feud worse and anger Tybalt and any other Capulet with a similarly fiery temperament. He also has his reservations and worries about going. Saying, ‘my mind missives some consequence’. Soon after this, he kills Tybalt, filled with ‘fire-eyed fury’ and ‘woe’ for the death of Mercutio, his ‘very friend’ and ‘the prince’s near ally.’ He knows that this will make his situation with Juliet all the more impossible and will end in extreme punishments, but his reckless nature prohibits him from minding this. Finally, if Romeo had thought to ask the friar about the death of Juliet, or if he had been less hasty and stayed with her longer in the tomb, he would have met the Friar, who would arrive and explain everything to him, resulting in a very different jubilant ending.

Juliet’s chief flaw is similar to Romeo’s. She shares in his rash nature and this is displayed in the balcony scene, although this is only a few hours after their first meeting. She proposes marriage, and rushes Romeo into it, ‘if … thy purpose marriage, send me word tomorrow. She is only fourteen and might be unaware of the depth of her feelings. Some feel that she may have mistaken her infatuation with Romeo for love. She kills herself so that she can spend the eternity with Romeo, even though she is unacquainted to what could lie ahead of her.

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It could be said too that friar Lawrence has a deadly flaw that aids fate on its path to tragedy. This is that he feels it is necessary for him to help solve the problems of Romeo and Juliet. Sometimes, he is so involved in helping the couple with the countless obstacles lying in their path, that he is not able to see the imperfections and flaws in his plan. He offers to marry the couple, although he is just going on Romeo’s word of the strength and power of their love, even though he has misgivings, thinking Romeo to be fickle in love, ‘What change is there here! Is Rosaline … so soon forsaken? Young men’s love then lies not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes. He decides, however, that by marrying the young couple he could help to end the feud: ‘For this alliance may so happy prove to turn your households’ rancour to pure love’. The plan he concocts, with the aim of helping Juliet escape her marriage to Paris, is badly thought out, especially as by this time the characters are aware of the bad fate that bestowed onto them. It has flaws and loopholes that could result in an unpleasant outcome, which is what ensues.

Their love is never given time to prosper and is, from the beginning of the play, ‘death marked’. Already in the prologue, we are told their love is doomed, and from here many more allusions to fate are made. The characters are aware of their fate, and see omens and often make allusions to it. The sorrowful role of fate in the play makes the ending all the more tragic due to their flagrant misfortune and inability to prevent it. It is their determination to be together for eternity that leads to their deaths.

Shakespeare himself was wary of fate as he explained by saying of it, ‘What need I fear of thee? But yet I'll make assurance double sure, and take a bond of fate: thou shalt not live; that I may tell pale-hearted fear it lies, And sleep in spite of thunder’. This is conveyed in the play as it is clearly shown from the beginning that fate is in control and will thrust misfortune and desolation on Romeo and Juliet.

All areas surrounding the lovers are manifested by fate: the feud between their families, that causes them to go to such extremes to be together; the death of Mercutio that causes Romeo to seek revenge on Tybalt; Juliet’s parents’ determination for her to be married to county Paris; the series of misfortunes that mean Friar Lawrence’s plan goes devastatingly wrong; and the tragic, heart-wrenching timings of Romeo’s suicide and Juliet’s awakening.

The Capulet feast and the circumstances surrounding it, is where fate begins to take a leading role in this play. It is left to the reader to determine whether, Peter and Romeo and Benvolio’s meeting was a significant coincidence, or an encounter set up by fate. Romeo therefore learns of the party and urged by Benvolio, decides to go, with the hope that by seeing other beautiful woman he shall ‘think thy swan a crow’.

As Romeo, Benvolio and Mercutio prepare for the feast, Romeo has his misgivings. He has dreamt foreboding dream and fears some unpleasant ‘consequence yet hanging in the stars’. This mention of stars shows Romeo’s belief in a life predetermined by fate. He explains how he anticipates an ‘untimely death’ and through his use of legal language we see that he is genuinely scared of what hardship the future may hold.

In Act 2 Scene 3, Friar Lawrence warns Romeo that ‘they stumble that run fast’. He is telling Romeo that if he rushes into a marriage with Juliet, it may have bad consequences. As he says later in the play, often ‘violent delights have violent ends’. It acts as a reminder to the audience of Romeo’s predetermined fate.

Mercutio’s shouts as her dies ‘A plague o' both your houses’. It is probably the most known quote from the play that involves fate. The line is greatly emphasised in Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet, and I think it is very significant. It reminds us that Romeo and Juliet’s tragic end is fated, and it is misfortune and fate alone that lead to their deaths.

After the deaths of both Mercutio and Tybalt, Romeo regrets his Realising that fate is responsible for the volatile occurrences playing out in his life, Romeo says: ‘I am fortune’s fool’. He knows that even darker times lie ahead.

As Romeo says farewell to Juliet, as he leaves for Mantua, to where he has been exiled, she suddenly imagines that she sees him lying in a grave: ‘Methinks I see thee now, thou art so low, as one dead in the bottom of a tomb.’ Once again this foreshadows the deaths of both Romeo and Juliet. It makes the story even more poignant, as all along, we are subconsciously thinking how short-lived any joys the couple share will be.

As Juliet lies asleep in her tomb, Romeo dreams in Mantua that Juliet finds him dead. However, he takes this as ‘joyful news’ as in the dream Juliet ‘breathed such life with kisses’ into Romeo and ‘revived’ him.

However, as soon as Romeo finishes explaining his dream, Balthasar comes with the news that Juliet is ‘dead’. This is a major turning point in the book, and from here on the death that faces the two lovers is imminent. Romeo refuses to accept that Juliet is dead saying ‘I defy you stars’, which is as though he is in opposition to destiny. Shakespeare shows that however resolved Romeo is to change what is written in the stars, no amount of anger or motivation will accomplish this. This same concept is shown in these words:

“Fate is like gravity. You can jump up and down until your heart’s content, but the earth still falls into the sun, and the sun still courses through the galaxy, both indifferent to your short-lived and insignificant defiance.”

He decides to kill himself in the Capulet monument where Juliet is buried.

Friar John explains to Friar Lawrence that the ‘searchers of the town’ would not ‘let us forth’ as he had been visiting the sick, and therefore, he failed to deliver the letter to Romeo. Friar Lawrence realises the impact this trick of fate will have and says ‘unhappy fortune!’ It is fate that accounts for this dire mischance and that will result in the deaths of four characters. Romeo has brought poison from a ‘caitiff wretch’ – a penniless apothecary, and has gone to the Juliet’s tomb to kill himself along side his love. It is fate that allows Romeo to find an apothecary so poor that he has to sell Romeo poison, in order that he can ‘buy food, and get thyself in flesh’.

Again fate inflicts devastation, when it doesn’t allow Friar Lawrence to reach the Capulet tomb in time to stop Romeo from committing suicide and explain to him their plan to elude Juliet’s marriage to Paris and the circumstances therefore surrounding her death. Romeo says before he drinks the poison, that dying will mean he is able to ‘Shake the yoke of inauspicious stars’. What he means by that by death, he will escape the horrific fate that has been thrust on him.

He is however there when Juliet wakes up and explains to her ‘a greater power than we can contradict has thwarted our intents’. He is informing her of the failure of the plan and is trying to tell her that her ‘Husband there lies dead’. The ‘greater power’ he talks of is in fact fate.