“Romeo and Juliet”: Fate or Choice

Jim Morrison once said, “Love cannot save you from your own fate.” This connects to the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare because, although Romeo and Juliet’s love was strong, it didn’t stop them from reaching their ultimate fate: an premature death. In the play, Shakespeare shows that fate is an unstoppable force that cannot be changed and uses foreshadowing in order to describe their fate. The characters think that they are deciding their own future, but no matter what decisions they make, it does not alter their eventual death. As you read the prologue you could see that Shakespeare language seems to be related to the idea of fate because he’s using words such as death-marked and such, basicly foreshadowing Romeo and Juliet's death.

The term death-marked is especially related to fate because it tells how there's nothing they could do this is just the type of love their destined to haveIn the prologue of the play, Shakespeare foreshadows the death of the main characters by writing, “A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life: whose misadventured piteous overthrows, Doth with their deaths bury their parents strife. The fearful passage of their death-marked love.” (Prologue; 6-9). By calling their love “death-marked,” Shakespeare is drawing attention to the fact that they have no control over what happens to them. The characters also have premonitions of their own deaths. In one instance, Juliet tells Romeo. “O God, I have an ill-divining soul. Methinks I see thee now, thou art so low As one dead in the bottom of a tomb.

Either my eyesight fails, or thou look’st pale.” (III.V.54-57) She is describing a vision of him dead at the bottom of a tomb. Similarly, right before the party romeo has this weird feeling that something is going to happen, Romeo thinks to himself “I fear too early, for my mind misgives Some consequence yet hanging in the stars Shall bitterly begin his fearful date With this night’s revels, and expire the term Of a despisèd life closed in my breast By some vile forfeit of untimely death. But he that hath the steerage of my course, Direct my sail. On, lusty gentlemen” on (I.iiii.106-113). Before Romeo enters the house of the Capulets, he speaks about an unknown probability 'hanging in the stars.' This concept of events expected to happen being written in the stars explains how life is established by fate. Romeo feels that something dreadful might occur. The reason that this is relevant is because it seems to me that Shakespeare is making a commentary on fate because the characters have no reason to think these things, they just do. In this way it does seem like Shakespeare is saying that there really is something underlying that people don't realize is working in their lives but yet you get these feelings and by putting those words in his character mouth and by making that something that they are aware of he shows that that fate works in our lives everyday we just don't realize it.

Fate is also central to the accidental/chanced run ins and missed opportunities . Read by Romeo, “Stay, fellow, I can read ‘Singnor Sartino and his wife and daughters; country anselm and his beauteous sisters; the lady widow of utruvio; Signor Placentio and his lovely nieces; Mercutio and his brother Valentine; mine uncle Capulet, his wife and daughters; my fair niece Rosaline and Livia; Signor Valentino and his cousin Tybalt; Lucio and the lively Helena.’ ” on (I.ii.65-73). This shows how because an encounter between Peter, Romeo and Benvolio on the street and how this encounter that enables Romeo to read the list of names of guests for the Capulet feast. Had Romeo not run into Peter, he would have never went to the party and interacted with juliet there for never meeting her. This is a crucial part to the story of the play because them meeting each other is what led to their love there for leading to the tragic end. A conversation between Friar Lawrence and Friar John “‘I could not send it- here it is again nor get a messenger to bring it thee so fearful were they of infection.’ unhappy fortune! By my brotherhood, the letter was not nice but full of charge, of dear import, and the neglecting it may do much danger.’”on (V.ii.232). Here you could see that Friar John was unable to deliver the letter to Romeo explaining that Juliet is not really dead and about the plan they have.

With not delivering this letter Romeo will most likely find out about this and go through with his plan to kill himself and die with Juliet. Fate could be seen here because this missed opportunity to tell Romeo about the plan leads to his and Juliet's death at the end of the book. In the play, Shakespeare shows that fate is an unstoppable force that cannot be changed and uses foreshadowing in order to describe their fate. The characters think that they are deciding their own future, but no matter what decisions they make, it does not alter their eventual death. As you read the prologue you could see that shakespeare language seems to be related to the idea of fate because he’s using words like death-marked and such basicly foreshadowing romeo and juliet's death. The term death-marked is especially related to fate because it tells how there's nothing they could do this is just the type of love their destined to have. Throughout the book fate plays with concepts such as Shakespeare language and prologue, the way that characters interact with each other and chance encounters, and the perminision/vision that the characters have of death. Overall the big message about fate is that fate plays a role in every second of our lives even if you can't really see it just like gravity, you can't see it but yet you know it's there and it plays a huge role in your life.

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