The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is one of William Shakespeare's most beloved and performed plays. There is a debate to be had about why the star crossed lovers reach their untimely ends and if and how it could have been prevented. The two prominent arguments are that the characters are controlled by fate, or the characters make their own decisions. Hasty decisions made by the main characters in the play such as their marriage proposal, marriage and the killing of Tybalt cause Romeo and Juliet’s deaths.
At Romeo and Juliet’s second meeting at her balcony, the pair plan to get married. This meeting takes place less than an hour after their first encounter at the Capulet’s party. Despite only knowing each other’s …show more content…
Romeo’s urgency causes the Friar to question his true feelings, especially after being so depressed from Rosaline refusing to be with him. After witnessing Romeo’s stubbornness, the Friar agrees to marry him, while issuing the warning of, “Wisely and slow. They stumble that run fast”(411). Friar Lawrence enables this doomed marriage to take place, still without revealing their plans to the parents. This is perhaps one of the most devastating mistakes made by any character in the play. The Friar did not consider the future consequences of this decision, a common theme throughout the play. This decision is the only reason the rest of the unfortunate events take place. The Friar’s warning foreshadows this marriage’s unfavorable …show more content…
This force of fate is implied to be an all powerful force that can make any person do any action, regardless of the situation. Romeo believes that he is controlled by fate, when, after killing Tybalt he exclaims “O, I am fortune’s fool!”(429). He does not want to accept that it was his fault for killing Tybalt, not fate or any other force. He puts this blame on fate to feel less guilty of what he has done. This theory exists only to excuse the couple of their own fault, because people do not want to blame the dead for dying, and would rather have the mystic force of fate take the