fate in r&j

• what is fate?

  - the concept that there are forces outside of human control which predetermine what happens in our lives
• what is freewill?

  - the exact antithesis of fate

  - idea which claims there are no outside forces & that all the actions we take are just a result of us exercising our own choices
• how does shakespeare explore the theme of fate in the play?

  - he allows the audience to be party to his characters' destiny, creating dramatic irony
• how does shakespeare present ideas about defying fate in the play?

  - the play as a whole explores the power of love and the idea that it can defy societal norms and even fate itself
• how is the theme of fate established from the start of the play?

  - the audience is told in the prolodue that "a pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life"
• "a pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life"


  - "star-cross'd"; shakespeare shows how even the stars & planets have an opposition to this relationship

  - their love is doomed by fate because of their birth to warring families

  - they are fated to suffer from circumstances beyond their control
• "a plague on both your houses"


  - mercutio shouts this in act 3 scene 1, reminding us of the fate of the protagonists

  - this is a very bloody scene where characters are killed, which gives us a glimpse of what fate has in store for the lovers; this marks the beginning of romeo & juliet's tragic downfall

  - also links the the letter which never reaches romeo as friar john is forbidden from passing through the village in which the "plague" has infected

  - refers to feud and devastation it causes: foreshadows loss that both families will soon feel
• "unhappy fortune!"


  - friar lawrence says this in act 5 scene 1 when he discovers the letter did not reach romeo

  - exclamation mark adds tension and shows his frustration at his helpless attempts to avoid fate

  - oxymoron as "fortune" has positive connotations of money and prosperity however it is juxtaposed with the adjective "unhappy"

  - blame is put onto fate rather than anyone in particular; link to context of belief that people's lives were predestined
• "some consequence yet hanging in the stars"


  - shakespeare uses diction to remind the audience that romeo's future is out of his control

  - "hanging" implies romeo's destiny has already been set and is out of romeo's reach to change

  - "the stars" links back to "star-cross'd lovers" in prologue
• what are possible perspectives of the metaphor of "stars" to represent fate?

  - the use of the "stars" metaphor could be seen as shakespeare encouraging his audience to take a more benign view of fate and that its positive aspects are reflected in the beauty of the stars; after all, the "star-cross'd lovers" were only brought together by fate and it is also ultimately what brings peace between the warring families

  - alternatively, a less naive analysis of fate may also be shown through this metaphor as stars are powerful balls of burning gas, far beyond our reach, similar to how none of the characters can overpower their fates
• "i am fortune's fool"


  - this could demonstrate romeo's irritability and sulkiness however it could also help the audience to sympathise with romeo, who was doomed to follow the wrong path due to forces out of his control

  - romeo is blaming fate for tybalt's death rather than himself: suggests that fate had control of his actions; is romeo a puppet with no control of his own body and decisions? no, he isn't which shows his lack of good judgement by blaming fortune; shakespeare supported freewill and therefore is arguing that romeo's idea of "fortune" is ludicrous

  - romeo feels that fortune is being especially cruel: he just got married and he might be put to death
• "some vile forfeit of untimely death"


  - romeo foreshadows his "untimely death" which is "vile" as he drinks poison to kill himself

  - "vile" sounds like vial which also foreshadows how he will drink poison from a vial to reach his "untimely death"
• "my grave is like to be my wedding bed"


  - juliet is already in love with romeo before knowing his name and worries that he is already married to someone, in which case she'll die

  - shakespeare is foreshadowing how she does die as a newly made wife by making juliet predict her own fate

  - to die means to have an orgasm in elizabethan slang which foreshadows how she will sleep with him too
• "i would the fool were married to her grave"


  - lady capulet mirrors juliet's earlier words which makes this line prophetic and another reminder of their fate

  - "fool" implies that lady capulet has no respect for juliet
• "me thinks i see thee, now thou art below, as one dead in the bottom of a tomb"


  - foreshadows the end of the play; when juliet next sees romeo, he will be dead

  - last moment they spend alive in each other's company

  - juliet is reminding audience that all love comes with a fear of loss
• "then i defy you stars"


  - this declaration emphasises the theme of fate and free will

  - romeo's decision to "defy" fate reflects his belief in the power of human agency

  - the fact he is willing to challenge the supposed inevitability of their tragic fate and an important idea in elizabethan era shows his love and determination for juliet

  - verb "defy" conveys a sense of rebellion and desperation emphasising the depth of his emotions and the extreme measures he's willing to go to to be with juliet

  - also highlights romeo's intense & impulsive nature; this is a testament to the passionate and unwavering love he feels for juliet

  - shakespeare is trying to highlight the all-encompassing and transcendent nature of romeo and juliet's love

  - irony is that his death has already been predetermined by the "stars" in prologue
• "o fortune, fortune! all men call thee fickle"


  - juliet feels helpless when she says goodbye to her new husband romeo after their wedding night

  - dame fortuna is the goddess of fortune and fate and is often seen as a "fickle" (unpredictable) goddess because she could raise men up to great heights or cast them down at any moment

  - juliet is begging "fortune" to be kind to romeo and reasons that romeo is so full of "faith" that "fickle" fortune should want nothing to do with him
• what do romeo and juliet's struggles against fate do for their love?


  - no matter what they do, what plans they make, or how much they love each other, their struggles against fate only help to propel their love
• what does their determination to struggle against fate in order to be together show?

  - it shows the fiery passion of their love, which makes that love eternal
• how does shakespeare allow the audience to experience the fate?

  - employment of foreshadowing
• what is shakespeare's message about fate?

  - it is a force that neither the audience nor the characters can escape
• why may romeo and juliet have been fated to love and die?

  - for the greater good of verona: their death is a catalyst for change there as the duelling families are united in grief, creating a political shift in the city