Fate and Freewill

• What is fate?

  Fate is the concept that there are forces outside of human control which

  predetermine what happens in our lives, there’s nothing we can do to change what is happening to us now or what will happen to us in the future.
• What is freewill?

  Freewill claims that there are no outside forces and all the actions we take are just a result of us exercising our own choices. We therefore have the ability to change what happens to us in the future based on the choices we decide to make in the present.
• How does the prologue represent fate?

  It tells the audience what is going to happen in the play- a dramatic tool used to create tension. Therefore, it is evident that the characters are unable to escape their impending doom, and that fate is in control.

  Shakespeare references the “two hours’ traffic of our stage”. This reference to the length of the play increases the tension as the audience are in constant anticipation of the protagonists.

  The tension and anticipation is resolved when the prophecy is finally fulfilled; the emotions of the audience climax which result in catharsis.
• Analyse 'Star-crossed lovers'

  The Elizabethan era was a very superstitious time, many believed in concepts such as destiny and many believed that their lives were written in the stars.

  Through referring to the lovers as “star-crossed” Shakespeare shows how even the planets have an opposition to this relationship. It could also show the audience that their love is different from others and how it has a spiritual connection.

  'Crossed' could be a biblical reference to Jesus's cross, referencing the lovers' deaths.
• How does the Friar use natural imagery to reference fate?

  “baleful weeds”, “precious-juiced flowers”

  In Act 1 Scene 4, the Friar discusses the duality within flowers and other elements of nature, suggesting a coexistence between good and evil. , Shakespeare creates almost a sense of certainty in this coexistence.

  “burying grave that is [a mother's] womb”

  The Friar discusses the natural and definite cycle of birth and death, which foreshadows the death that comes up later in the play.
• How does Juliet use spiritual imagery to reference fate?

  “heaven [could] be so envious”

  This is what Juliet asks when she thinks that Romeo is dead, instead of regarding the possible things on Earth that could have killed him. This shows that she could only think of the spiritual world as having the ability to intervene in their relationship.

  Once more Shakespeare is reminding the audience of fate, and how much of a role the spiritual world plays in this play.
• Analyse 'I defy the stars' (Romeo- Act 5, Scene 1)


  . Romeo’s belief that he can “defy the stars” shows his self-assured hubris and belief that he is bigger than fate, destiny and the stars . This allows his character to be defiant and arrogant.

  . This phrase in itself is paradoxical as the stars by definition are inevitable. However, it reveals a lot about Romeo's character, as even though it is impossible to defy the stars Romeo is persistent.

  . It could also suggest that there are consequences of going against fate, ultimately leading to Romeo's demise.
• How is Romeo's death foreshadowed?

  When Juliet compares Romeo’s love to “lightning”:

  Lightning has connotations of destruction and intensity, which almost foreshadows the destruction that the love between Romeo and

  Juliet creates. Alternatively, it suggests the power and overwhelming and quick nature of their love.
• How does Shakespeare contrast fate and freewill in the play?

  Ideas of fate and destiny can be perceived as contradictory to the religious beliefs of the time. While many people were superstitious and believed in fate, many people were religious and believed that God gave humans free will to do as they please:

  • Shakespeare uses this tension between the two beliefs to introduce a philosophical argument on freewill vs. predestination. Arguments for each side are explored through the play.
• Analyse 'these violent delights have violent ends' (Friar- Act 2 Scene 6)


  This warning by the Friar could foreshadow the end of the play and proves that fate is working. However, R&J were given multiple warnings but still decided to follow their desires. It could therefore be argued as not being fate but a result of teenagers following their own desires.
• What is a sonnet?

  Sonnets are poetry of love and Shakespeare’s use of the form adds to the romance of the two lovers’ growing romance. The form could also be used by Shakespeare because it has a very regular rhyme scheme and rhythm. The regularity of the form adds to the theme of fate as through it the audience is able to anticipate the inevitable rhythmic timing.
• Why is the sonnet form used in the prologue?

  Shakespeare could be reinforcing the idea that everything in the world is predestined and that nothing we do is ever spontaneous because it is already written in the stars. This revelation can have one of two effects on the audience:

  ● It could be comforting to the reader, filling them with a sense of hope that if things are meant to happen they will.

  ● It could be unsettling to the audience as predestination would also mean that no one really has control of what they do and so free will as a concept doesn't really exist.