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Fate In Romeo and Juliet Essay

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Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, is a famous tragic love story that bases on a young couple from the rival families, the Montagues, and the Capulets, in which the death of the young couple finally end the ‘ancient grudge’ between the two families. Their result of death is believed to be cause mostly by the fate, which brings them closer and closer to their inevitable destiny, death. In many places in the play Shakespeare also uses words like ‘fortune’, ‘sail’, ‘stars’ to reveal that fate and destiny, are the main elements in the play that causes their untimely death. In the Prologue, it is mentioned that’ A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life’ (l.6), which outlines the destinies of both Romeo and Juliet, and is already …show more content…

This premonition explains how Romeo’s life is predetermined by fate. Base on his fate he can senses some ominous things are going to happen. In Act 3 Scene 5, line 53~56, Juliet also has a premonition, she knows that she is an ‘ill-divining soul’, and has a feeling of ‘either my eyesight fails, or thou look’st pale.’ Again at the end of the play it happens as well. Juliet closes her eyes and Romeo is found pale when Juliet wakes up. In Act 1 Scene 5 Juliet foreshadows her own death. In line 148~149 Juliet mentioned:’ Go ask his name: if he be married. /My grave is like to be my wedding bed.’ At the end of the story Juliet is dead- with the grave as her wedding bed. It reflects that fate has already controlled where Juliet is going to ‘stay’ until the end of her life. Once again premonitions of Juliet show us how Romeo and Juliet’s destinies are preordained; but unfortunately they ignore their premonitions. If they are aware of it, they may not have died. Fate has ‘sent messages’ to them, but it is up to them ‘whether taking it or not’, and Romeo and Juliet choose not to in the story. Also, not only the audience think they are controlled, the characters also think their lives are controlled by fate as well. Another example of fate is in Act 1 Scene 2, when the servant of the Capulets meets Romeo and Benvolio. It is fate that causes Peter the servant to run into them, and enables Romeo to read

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