Preview

Fate In The Tragedy Of Romeo And Juliet

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1517 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Fate In The Tragedy Of Romeo And Juliet
Romeo and Juliet is the tale of starcrossed lovers, who come from two feuding families, the Capulets, and the Montagues. During the time period when the Montagues and Capulets lived, they believed that whatever arises amid their lives is imminent and all events are predetermined and arranged before them like a road map to life; otherwise known as, fate. In The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare supports that humans are sentenced to an inevitable fate through symbolism, the character of Romeo and irony. Throughout the play, Shakespeare uses symbolism to exemplify how fate is inevitable. The biggest symbol from the beginning to the end, is the stars. The stars represent one’s fate, and it was believed that the stars determined what happened …show more content…
After Juliet is wed to Romeo, he gets caught in another fight with the Capulets. His attempt to make peace between Mercutio and Tybalt, ends up in Mercutio’s death and an intensification of the war between the Capulets and Montagues. Romeo slaughters Tybalt, fating his exile, in which he heads to Verona. Instead of Romeo showing up to make peace, Mercutio is dead and as a part of his fate, he kills Mercutio’s slayer. While Romeo is in Verona, Juliet and Friar Lawrence concoct a potion to avoid a dual marriage of Romeo to Juliet, and Juliet to Paris. When Juliet is pronounced believably dead, Balthasar, Romeo’s man, comes to report the heartbreaking news, but the audience knows that Friar John is supposed to deliver him a letter. A letter in which would explain the overall idea of the plan he thought of, to help Romeo and Juliet be together without anymore trouble, but “It is in the execution of this plan that Friar Laurence next stumbles. He fails to inform Romeo that Juliet’s death is just a ruse. Romeo, thinking Juliet really is dead, comes to her in the tomb, drinks poison, and dies…. he (Friar Lawrence) does not tell Friar John of the significance of the missive he carries; hence, Friar John has no great commitment to the letter’s immediate delivery, and is, in fact, detained. Finally, after Friar Laurence learns that the letter has not been delivered, he hurries to the tomb, only to arrive too late—Romeo has already poisoned himself” (Stephen F.). Friar Lawrence’s plan develops into an entanglement of miscommunications and cursed timing. He neglected to tell Friar John that Romeo needed to be informed with this letter as soon as possible, for detrimental consequences may be following. It was only fate, that Friar John was contained for a feared disease, and that he was not able to hand over the

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    After learning about the arranged marriage between Juliet and Paris, Friar Lawrence’s motives are to simply reunite the two lovers, through an elaborate plan in which he’d notify Romeo of Juliet’s staged death. However, due to the lack of communication between the Friar and Romeo, the plan ultimately failed, pushing forth the notion that his plan had the potential to be successful under different circumstances. In fear of the Black Death spreading, residents of Verona are placed under quarantine, preventing Friar John from successfully delivering the letter to Romeo. As a result, Romeo lacks knowledge of Juliet's falsified death, as he was unable to receive the letter entailing Friar Lawrence’s plan. If successfully delivered, Romeo would…

    • 304 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Friar Lawrence is a priest of Verona. He is the person that married Romeo and juliet. When Juliet tells him that she would rather die than to marry Paris, that had an impact on him so he came up with a plan that was dangerous but if she's desperate enough then she will do it. His plan was for juliet to drink the potion which made her seem dead for two days, when she drinks the potion she is taken to her tomb. When Juliet is seen dead by Balthasar that led to him telling Romeo that she is dead. When Romeo goes to her tomb and sees her “dead” he gets depressed and doesn't want to live without her, this resulted in Romeo killing himself by drinking poison. When Friar Lawrence sees Juliet awake he tries to take her out of the tomb without her seeing…

    • 187 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    After Romeo got kicked out of Verona, Juliet was upset and didn’t know what to do, so friar was keeping Romeo in the basement until Juliet came to see him. The priest told them the plan that Romeo had to go to a different town to live until he got the prince to let him back in Verona. Juliet was upset because Romeo was kicked out of Verona, but her father thought she was sad because of Tybalt’s death. So he arranged a marriage not knowing that she already married to Romeo. Juliet said she didn’t want to marry Paris. Her father got really angry and told her she will marry him or be kicked out of the house. “Go home, be careful, say you will marry him, sleep alone without the nurse, drink this vile of liquid that will put you in a death-like coma for 42 hours. Then, when you go in the family vault when the 42 hours are up, Romeo and I will be there to get you to Mancha with Romeo.” (2, 3 6) Friar is telling Juliet how to get out of marrying Paris. She wouldn’t have to do this if Friar Lawrence had just said no to this in the first place. Friar sends a letter to Romeo to tell him of the plan, but he doesn’t get the letter so he believes that Juliet is dead. Romeo then goes to an apothecary to get a poison that will kill him so he can be with Juliet. Poison has brought him to an immediate end. He killed himself to be with her, so she picked up his dagger and drove it though…

    • 868 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The play Romeo and Juliet written by William Shakespeare, involves Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet who are two "star-crossed lovers". Their families are sworn enemies and an ongoing feud continues between the two. In the book you are shown many different examples of fate and the role that fate played in the story. It isn't just a coincidence that things happened they way they through the story, its all because of fate.…

    • 722 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    He made a plan to get Romeo and Juliet together, but didn’t fully think through any obstacles that could occur. His plan was to give Juliet a potion that would make her family think she was dead, and then he would send a letter to Romeo explaining that she was alive and where he could meet her. He sent the letter through Friar John but did not think to explain how important it was. When Friar John later comes to see Friar Lawrence he reveals the letter could not be sent. “I could not send it – here it is again – Nor get a messenger to bring it thee, so fearful were they of infection.” (5.2.14-16). Friar John was put into quarantine for fear of being infected by sickness. Friar Lawrence showed disregard by not letting the other Friar know how much the letter needed to get to Romeo. The second way the friar show’s disregard is when he finds Juliet in the crypt. When Juliet had awoken to find her love Romeo dead the Friar heard a noise and was frightened by it. He tried to convince her to leave with him, but he let his fear take over leaving Juliet in her misery. “Come, go, good Juliet – I dare no longer stay.” (5.3.159-160). The friar says to Juliet using the word ‘I’ proving that he is disregarding Juliet’s feelings about leaving Romeo, and only cares about his fear. If the friar had regarded the consequences of his actions both Romeo and Juliet would be…

    • 590 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Additionally, Fate is another hurdle Romeo and Juliet have to jump over,except this one appears in several scenes as the source of blame for death of the two. In the play’s Prologue the line, ”A pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life”, appears. This line suggests Romeo and Juliet were bound to fall in love with each from their first breath because it is stating their love was written in the stars and the families they were born to wasn’t a coincidence but a destined event. As the Prologue continues it announces how the star-cross’d lovers have a death-mark’d love. Their love being described as death-mark’d is a bad omen because it is foretelling how Romeo and Juliet’s destinies are entwined,which will bring their deaths. Fate has already decided these…

    • 430 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The famous author Lemony Snicket once said, “Fate is like a strange, unpopular restaurant filled with odd little waiters who bring you things you never asked for and don't always like.” I blame fate for Romeo and Juliet’s death because I believe fate is the thing that controls everything and cannot be changed or altered, it is what it is. Everyone has an end at some point and Romeo and Juliet’s had to be at young age. I also blame fate for a different reason, it isn’t just the end for everyone, but it also gives you the lead up to your end. It was Romeo’s fate to be banished and kill Tybalt, it was his Fate to not get the letter and find Juliet ‘dead’ and it was Juliet’s fate to wake up from her sleep and find him…

    • 309 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Fate in Romeo and Juliet

    • 1004 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Some people may not believe that fate is something that truthfully exists in the world. They trust that whatever occurs in their lives comes as a result of the decisions that they make with their own free will. Others, however, believe that whatever happens during the course of their lives is inevitable and every event predestined and laid out before them like a roadmap to life; in other words, fate. William Shakespeare's play, Romeo and Juliet has fate as an exceptionally crucial force, pulling the characters into a more animated state. Because of fate, the play becomes thrilling and it is exactly what manages the two young lovers to meet each other in the first place. The moment that Romeo and Juliet meet is the exact incident that leads to their death, however unaware these "star-crossed lovers" are to that fact. Thus, fate is undoubtedly the most responsible influence for the couple's heartbreaking tragedy.…

    • 1004 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The day after Romeo and Juliet meet, Romeo goes to Friar Laurence about his desire to marry Juliet. Friar Laurence is suspicious of the relationship between the two young lovers. Friar tells Romeo that “[young men’s] love […] lies not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes” (II.III.68-69). Romeo objects that he does indeed love Juliet and tells Friar that he should be grateful Romeo has buried his love for Rosaline. Foreshadowing occurs when Friar retorts that Romeo “[did not put his love] in a grave, [but made room] to lay [another] in” (II.III.85-86). Obviously, Friar realizes that the fate of the lovers will not be virtuous; however, he goes along to perform the marriage. Shortly after the marriage, Romeo is guilty for killing Tybalt and is banished from Verona. When Juliet’s parents wish for her to marry Paris Friar offers an alternative. Friar suggests to Juliet that if she would “[…] hast the strength of will to kill herself […] (IV.I.73) then she would not have to marry Paris and gives Juliet unknown drugs to make her appear to be dead. Friar has a responsibility to send Friar John to warn Romeo of Juliet’s false death; once again, another let down by Friar Lawrence. Romeo’s man, Balthasar, arrives to Romeo first. Balthasar tells Romeo that “[…] [Juliet’s] body sleeps in Capels’ monument” (V.1.18); creating dramatic irony. The miscommunication on Friar Lawrence’s behalf then contributes to Romeo finding Juliet unconscientious in a tomb; resulting in Romeo’s suicide. Shortly after Juliet awakes she finds that Romeo is dead; naturally, Friar Lawrence…

    • 757 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Fate manipulates characters to act in ways that they would not under usual circumstances. The day after the Capulet party, Tybalt gravely insults Romeo in anger that Romeo was in attendance. In response to Tybalt’s provocation to fight, Romeo responds, “Tybalt, the reason that I have to love thee/Doth much excuse the appertaining rage /to such a greeting. Villain I am none./Therefore farewell. I see thou knowest me not.” (3.1.63-66) Romeo says that he has “reason to love” Tybalt, which implies that he now considers Tybalt family after he married Juliet. This “reason to love” excuses “the appertaining rage/to such a greeting”, meaning that Romeo is willing to forgive Tybalt for an insult that warrants retaliation because of their new connection, which is still…

    • 338 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Modern day society promotes individualism and self-responsibility. Yet somehow, fate exists as an intrinsic part of many people’s lives. This paradox in mindset shows how logical reasoning, common sense, and science bow down for the supernatural force that guides one through life, fate, for better or worse. Such is seen clearly in the dialogue and actions of the characters in Romeo and Juliet, a play written by William Shakespeare. Taking place in 14th century Verona, Romeo and Juliet describes the tragedy that ensues when two feuding families’ children fall in love, but fate ensures both of their suicides. The villainous acts of fate prove that fate makes one helpless against decisions in life, belief in fate becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, and…

    • 1141 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare shares the archetypal love story between two lovers of opposing households. Aside from the title, Romeo and Juliet, meets the criteria of a tragedy by emphasizing the protagonists’ tragic flaw in the process of their fall. Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet falls best under phase two tragedy due to the tragedy of innocence and confusion in an adult situation.…

    • 576 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Fate is the development of events beyond a person’s control. In the Shakespearean play, Romeo and Juliet, there are “two star-crossed lovers” who fall in love. Romeo and Juliet are from different families of the same status and their love is essentially forbidden. After all these misfortunate events trying to tear their love apart, they eventually take their lives as a result. Every character in the story made choices out of free will but these choices ultimately lead to fate. Fate was the most responsible for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet because it is depicted by foreshadowing, the feud between the Montagues and Capulets and the power of the future.…

    • 1132 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When it comes to fate, there are two types of people. Those who believe it and those who don’t. The definition of fate, is the development of events beyond a person’s control; be destined to happen, to turn out, or act in a particular way. We see this definition put to use in both, “Oedipus the King”, and “Romeo and Juliet”. Is fate a real thing though? Or is it something we just see in books. Do we have control over everything that happens to us? Or is our life in the hands of “fate”. Everyone has their own opinion of whether fate is real or not.…

    • 928 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Capulet’s ball is entirely in the hands of destiny. By chance, a young knave of the…

    • 645 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics