Who Was Responsible For The Deaths Of Romeo And Juliet

Improved Essays
In the play “Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare, Shakespeare tells the story of two young lovers and the event leading up to there tragic death. This play explains how two teenagers from feuding families fall in love but the feud creates obstacles that the young lovers must work through with some help. The play ends with the death of the two teens which breaks the family feud. Both fate and their own individual choice had to do with the deaths of the young lovers. However, the deaths of Romeo and Juliet was fate it was supposed to happen so their family feud would end.

In the play “Romeo and Juliet”, fate played a big part in their deaths. In the play, Romeo says, “I fear, too early; for my mind misgives some consequences 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.” In other words, Romeo is saying he fears that something bad will happen and will lead to his tragic untimely death. This evidence is important because it shows that it was in the stars that Romeo death would be untimely. In the end, fate played a big part in the deaths of Romeo and Juliet.
…show more content…
In the play, Romeo says, “Is it e´en so? Then I defy you stars!” In other words, Romeo is saying he will go against his fate and make his own choice is his life and make it the way he wants. This evidence is important because it shows that he was going against his fate and that his and Juliet’s deaths were caused by their own choices and actions. In the end, choice played a big part in the deaths of Romeo and

Related Documents

  • Decent Essays

    1.) In the play Romeo and Juliet, the role of fate is stupendous, as it is implied in several of the situations throughout the play. It all begins with Romeo spotting Juliet, then falling head over heels at first sight, and due to the fact that their relationship was simply forbidden, it was bound to end one way or another in a black and white sort of manner. This is when things all begin to fall apart. Juliet's “death” is a fake, and Romeo discovers her, actually believing that she has truly passed away, and then he commits suicide.…

    • 208 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Romeo and Juliet is arguably the most famous play of all time. All people read Romeo and Juliet at one time in another during their lifetimes, but to this day people still argue if Romeo and Juliet's deaths were a result of fate or pretending. Through the play there are examples of both fate and pretending. Many characters explicitly talk to fate, while others often deceive others leaving death in their wake. Although there are examples of both fate and pretending the examples of fate have more weight than the examples of pretending.…

    • 391 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Life is full of interferences in which we try to steer ourselves towards the pursuit of our own enjoyment. Occasionally, we are presented with obstacles that further us from achieving our ultimate happiness, and when attempting to reach our own contentment we may need others to help guide us towards the correct path towards happiness. We attempt to achieve our happiness through discovering the path that will appease our emotions and help gain individual complacency. So, in order to achieve true bliss, shall we search within ourselves or seek refuge in our encounters with other people? In William Shakespeare 's play Romeo and Juliet, Romeo is aware that he will only truly be happy by receiving his heart’s dear love Juliet and the love she will…

    • 1361 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare constructs a play about two star-crossed lovers and their untimely deaths. There is an abundance of reasons as to why the two lovers had to part, but the most prominent one was Romeo’s impetuousness. Romeo acts without thinking because his love for Juliet clouds his judgment. Although most of the play revolves around the concept of fate, it was Romeo and Juliet’s actions that contribute to their deaths. Many negative events lead up to the death of the two star-crossed lovers; Romeo’s banishment for killing his cousin–in-law and Juliet faking her death.…

    • 1109 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Interwoven within Shakespeare’s great play Romeo and Juliet are the ever present concepts of fate and destiny. The concept is portrayed in the characters, structure, and happenings of the story. Fate drives the story and gives the audience reason to ponder the struggle between fate and free will creating the famous story that has been read by hundreds of…

    • 522 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    People of the Italian Renaissance placed a great importance on the stars, and believed that the different alignments controlled their fate. Romeo and Juliet had to have been victims of fate because stars controlled them. Shakespeare uses careful word choice to directly and indirectly reveal that his characters believe this. On the way to Capulet’s party, Romeo and his friends are talking. Romeo suddenly says, “My mind misgives / Some consequence yet hanging in the stars” (1.4.106-7), and continues to announce his foreboding feelings that the outcome of that night would not be in his favor.…

    • 496 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Shakespeare uses foreshadowing in order to help convey the idea of fate during Romeo’s lines at the end of scene four. Romeo says that he is scared of an upcoming death that he senses and he fears a “consequence yet hanging in the stars.” Romeo believes that fate led him to the “night’s revels,” thus being the reason for his early death. Romeo’s reference to his own death which later occurs at the end of the play is a foreshadow that also demonstrates how his character perceives the idea of fate. Shakespeare also uses the stars in reference to fate.…

    • 192 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Fate and Free Will in Shakespearean Literature Within the field of Shakespearean literature, fate and free will is a central topic. The definition of fate is: “the universal principle or ultimate agency by which the order of things is presumably prescribed; the decreed cause of events; time” ("Fate"). The definition of free will is: “Philosophy. the doctrine that the conduct of human beings expresses personal choice and is not simply determined by physical or divine forces” ("Free will"). These two definitions relate to Shakespeare as he was born in the 15th century and the greater part of the English population believed in the concept of fate.…

    • 1232 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Fate In Romeo And Juliet

    • 385 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Personal choice and fate are both things that lead everyday lives. Both playing an equal role to outcomes in our lives just like in Romeo and Juliet. The play Romeo and Juliet is based on a family fued between the Capulets and Montagues, and two people from either of the family’s falling into forbidden love and end up killing themselves because they can’t be together. Romeo and Juliet are led to their deaths by both fate and personal choice; both play an equal role to the ending of this play. There is a greater force that controls some of the outcomes in this play.…

    • 385 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    “A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life, whose misadventured piteous overthrows doth with their death bury their parents strife” ( prologue.5-7 ). Romeo and Juliet were destine to be together, but the unruly actions of their fellow peers caused the unfortunate death of the couple. By the end this tragic incident lead to concluding their families feud. Everyone knows the story of Romeo and Juliet, but who is responsible for their death? To say they killed themselves would be the obvious response.…

    • 1209 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The words, love and choice are known for their positive, warm and pure meaning but Shakespeare proved it wrong. The story, Romeo and Juliet written by Shakespeare is both a loving and a heartbreaking drama. In this tragedy two star-crossed lovers named Romeo and Juliet try to be together despite their opposing family status which suggests otherwise. Examples of wrong choices made by this young and innocent couple will be discussed. You can interpret this tragedy in many ways, but undoubtedly Romeo and Juliet is suggesting that love blinds young people, and it leads them to making poor choices.…

    • 1259 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Macbeth Free Will Analysis

    • 1110 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Like Macbeth, a prophecy stated that Romeo and Juliet would end their lives in a tragedy. Romeo does eventually commit suicide, however, he voluntarily drank the poison, showing his free will was responsible for his death, not fate. Shakespeare used Macbeth’s actions to remind us that free will guided by the subconscious is what determines someone’s…

    • 1110 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The theme of Fate in Romeo and Juliet is widely discussed. Romeo and Juliet believed that they were not in control of what happened to them. They thought that everything that was going to happen to them was out of their control, and that their actions did not affect the way that their lives would turn out. Romeo himself even mentions “hanging in the stars” when he is talking about his fate. When Romeo mentions this idea, he is implying that his consequences are just waiting to happen.…

    • 1736 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The tragedy of Romeo and Juliet Shakespeare’s theory of tragedy is one in which the protagonists are led to their untimely death, usually because of inescapable fate, character flaws and harrowing sorrow. The well-known tragedy, Romeo and Juliet is one of many that fulfil this definition. It incorporates fate as well as character flaws and great sorrow. Fate in Romeo and Juliet plays a central role in many of the character’s lives. The audience is presented with the idea that the lives of the characters are controlled by a higher power.…

    • 648 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Perhaps, the most intriguing aspect, in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, is the role that fate plays in the final outcome of the lovers. This is prominent in the following: when Romeo meets Juliet, when Tybalt and Mercutio die and Romeo is banished and finally, when Friar Laurence’s letter about Juliet fails to reach Romeo. All of these events, as well as many others are connected. Unfortunately for Romeo and Juliet, this theme is so dominant that it leads to their ultimate demise. To begin, there are many examples of fate’s role in the events that play out in the story.…

    • 1904 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays