Fate In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

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Madie Barker Fate in Romeo and Juliet Do we as human beings have control over what our future holds or are our lives predetermined by fate? In William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, two lovers are brought together by fate and destined for tragedy. An inevitable force called fate controls the emotions and choices the characters make. Fate creates new relationships with love, causes tragic deaths, and push characters to work against their conscience and trusts. Fate controls the outcome of all events in Romeo and Juliet. To begin, fate effects the relationships of characters in this story. During Act 1, Scene 2, Romeo and his cousin Benvolio cross paths with a servant from the Capulet’s house, Romeo reads the guest list as a favour to the servant who cannot read. He discovers the details to a party at the Capulet’s house and him and Benvolio decide to sneak in. Romeo plans to…show more content…
The first death was when Tybalt kills Mercutio. As Mercutio is dying he curses the Capulets and Montagues by yelling “A plague on both your houses!” (3.1.87). Romeo retaliates and avenges Mercutio by killing Tybalt. Knowing he is in trouble with the police and the Montagues he cries “O, I am a fortune's fool!” (3.1.131). Both lines from Mercutio and Romeo give us insight to what fate has in store. Romeo knows he will have to pay for what he has done by being punished in Verona but also by fate. Romeo was next to die. It was fate that Friar John couldn't send the letter explaining Friar Lawrence’s plan and it was fate that drew Romeo to kill himself after he found Juliet “dead”. He yells out “Then I defy you, stars” (5.1.24) right before he kills himself because he knew this was coming and he wants defy fate himself by being with Juliet forever in the afterlife. When Juliet wakes to find Romeo dead she understands Romeo's intentions and stabs herself. It was fate that led to their deaths, they were destined to never be
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