Romeo And Juliet Theme Of Fate
William Shakespeare’s theatrical masterpiece The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet has been an eminent literary work for generations and still continues to be. Not only is its romantic plot captivating, it also has underlying morals that make the play more than just a teenage love story. Of the many messages, the role of fate is a significant component of the tragedy. It essentially drives Romeo and Juliet to their demise through inevitable conditions. As The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet correlates with the theme of fate, Shakespeare incorporates this message and its effect throughout The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. Even within the prologue preceding the first act, there is evidence of fate being utilized in this tragedy. On line 6 of the prologue,
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As stated by Shakespeare, “Is it e'en so? Then I defy you, stars!” (Shakespeare V. i. 24). This scene depicts Romeo’s realization of the route his life is taking and attempting to outmaneuver the course of fate when Balthasar tells Romeo of Juliet’s “death.” He believes that if he commits suicide by ingesting poison, he can be with Juliet. Little does he know that Juliet is alive. Romeo hearing of Juliet’s death commences a domino effect of events. Romeo goes to the Capulet tomb, slays Count Paris, and ends his own life by means of poison. This leads to Juliet’s incomprehensible despair and her own suicide by means of a dagger. While Juliet is the less erratic of the couple, the repercussions of fate for her are also present in her background. According to Anne Marie Hacht’s article, “Romeo and Juliet”, “...she lives in a family where her father does not know how to express his love except to make decisions for Juliet that he thinks are in her best interest. Her mother is too cold and distant to give her good advice, and her nurse, though she loves Juliet, is too crude to understand the delicacies and dangers of first love...as a young girl practically restricted to her house by the social customs of her time, she has very little control over anything anyway” (Hacht). These conditions are inevitable for Juliet. Considering her situation with her family, she cannot change their personalities, which contributes to her tribulations. Her father is led to assume that marrying her off to Paris will help her overcome her anguish over Tybalt's death. Her mother’s withdrawn relationship with her inhibits the number of people that she can confide in. The Nurse underestimates the power of the bond between Romeo and Juliet, a bond so powerful that it leads to their
As stated by Shakespeare, “Is it e'en so? Then I defy you, stars!” (Shakespeare V. i. 24). This scene depicts Romeo’s realization of the route his life is taking and attempting to outmaneuver the course of fate when Balthasar tells Romeo of Juliet’s “death.” He believes that if he commits suicide by ingesting poison, he can be with Juliet. Little does he know that Juliet is alive. Romeo hearing of Juliet’s death commences a domino effect of events. Romeo goes to the Capulet tomb, slays Count Paris, and ends his own life by means of poison. This leads to Juliet’s incomprehensible despair and her own suicide by means of a dagger. While Juliet is the less erratic of the couple, the repercussions of fate for her are also present in her background. According to Anne Marie Hacht’s article, “Romeo and Juliet”, “...she lives in a family where her father does not know how to express his love except to make decisions for Juliet that he thinks are in her best interest. Her mother is too cold and distant to give her good advice, and her nurse, though she loves Juliet, is too crude to understand the delicacies and dangers of first love...as a young girl practically restricted to her house by the social customs of her time, she has very little control over anything anyway” (Hacht). These conditions are inevitable for Juliet. Considering her situation with her family, she cannot change their personalities, which contributes to her tribulations. Her father is led to assume that marrying her off to Paris will help her overcome her anguish over Tybalt's death. Her mother’s withdrawn relationship with her inhibits the number of people that she can confide in. The Nurse underestimates the power of the bond between Romeo and Juliet, a bond so powerful that it leads to their