Free Will In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

Decisions and choices- an act of or need for making up one's mind, and the right, power, or opportunity to choose. Fate- a four letter word, a noun defined as the development of events beyond a person's control, regarded as being determined by a supernatural power. These are what many can believe as the most powerful forces that shape our future. The playwright, William Shakespeare, wrote a tragedy of two youngsters in love. This tale was filled with drama, mixed-emotions, laughs, heartbreaks, and affection. Written as a tragedy, the play had ended like other Shakespearean tragedies had ended; in death. The death was inevitable because of decisions and choices made fates were shaped and had played a part in the events that blossomed the love of two star-crossed lovers. As an illustration, picture two families at war with each other, a feud that everyone gets caught in the crossfire. For instance, when innocent citizens are tired of watching their supposed ‘peaceful’ streets get disturbed by the feud, and as the prologue states, “A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life.” (Prologue.6) The feud was poison for the city of Verona and its citizens. Besides crummy choices were made, therefore a cursed destiny was created for two naive lovers.

In William Shakespeare's tragic play Romeo and Juliet, there are four quotes about fate and choice. The characters in the play choose their own fate, it happens because of their choices or actions. First, in the beginning of the play Romeo and Juliet are referred to as 'a pair of star-crossed lovers' (Romeo and Juliet, Prologue). Second, Romeo explains to Mercutio how he has a dream that if he goes to the Montague party he will die, but Romeo chooses to go to the party anyway. Third, Romeo kills Tybalt right after his marriage to Juliet. Fourth, Romeo decides to commit suicide because he hears of Juliet's death.

The play Romeo and Juliet was one of the most famous love tragedies ever written. This love story unfortunately had a fatal ending. Many people argue over why the lovers had died, was it over Free Will or Fate?

Rosa Parks overcame adversity in society to become an activist in the civil rights movement. In the famous play Romeo & Juliet, by Shakespeare, two teenagers from rival houses, Capulet and Montague, meet at a masquerade, fall in love, get married, and meet a tragic end. The theme of Romeo & Juliet is free will is fundamentally more in control of determining our destiny than fate is.

The concept of fate has touched many lives throughout the centuries, and over time it, along with its counterpart free will, has [been?] transcended into the form of literature. Its influence is evident in Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, particularly in how Pip, and his object of affection, Estella, are repeatedly subjected to preordained events. Furthermore, free will, or the ability to determine our own destiny, also holds sway over the characters in Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, specifically Romeo and Juliet themselves. Free will has a greater influence on the characters in Romeo and Juliet than fate, while in Great Expectations, it proves to be the opposite, with fate having more heavily impacted Pip, and his associates.

In the beginning of “Romeo and Juliet”, Shakespeare states them as star crossed lovers and locks them into the fate of death. Star crossed lovers indicate fate and destiny and the whole conclusion of Romeo and Juliet is based on fate and destiny and that everything that happened was bound to happen. Throughout the storyline many event took place because it was written, it was going to happen, it was simply destiny. The whole story of the two lovers could’ve been massively different of what it is now, if just destiny had chosen them to be together. Destiny and fate play a major role in this story because the final tragedy and the destruction of the protagonists were based upon it.

Although the play “Romeo and Juliet” is lauded as one which excellently portrays unconquerable love, the most prominent theme of the play is not that of unconquerable love but rather of the death and tragedy that stems out from Romeo and Juliet disobeying fate for their own desires. This theme of relationship between fate and free will is present throughout the play and even emphasized through the use of literary elements. One such example of this theme being emphasized through the use of literary elements is the prologue. The prologue of the play employs the literary elements of alliteration, rhyme and foreshadowing to convey the theme of the relationship between fate and freewill, claiming that attempting to defy fate will leads to misfortune.

The deaths of Romeo and Juliet were freewill because of the choices they decided to make along the way.There was many times throughout the story where Romeo and Juliet could have prevented their deaths. For instance, Romeo could have handled Tybalt better, Juliet followed the priest plan, and finally it was Romeos free will to kill himself.

One of the biggest questions regarding to the play "Romeo and Juliet" is who was responsible for their deaths? People all blame different characters in the play such as: Friar Laurence, their parents, themselves, and even fate. Even though some people might disagree with what I am about to say, I think that the only people at blame for this is no one else but Romeo and Juliet. I believe that at the end of the day it was their own, free will, decision. It was Romeo's decision to go to the ball, both, Romeo and Juliet's decision to keep their relationship going, and finally it was their decision at the end to kill themselves.

Fate is the development of events beyond a person's control, regarded as determined by a supernatural power. Free will is the ability to choose between different possible courses of action unimpeded. Free will is closely linked to the concepts of responsibility, praise, guilt, sin and other judgements which apply only to actions that are freely chosen. A choice is something that you make.

Romeo and Juliet is a play about two young lovers who strives to be together, they are trying to change their fate using their own decisions. The decisions Romeo and Juliet make are based off of their own free will, which causes their ultimate demise. Through the decisions they make, causing a chain of events, the emotions which influence and fuel those decisions, and the consequences of each decision which causes the next choices that will need to be made.

Romeo and Juliet?s first meeting was utterly coincidental. Neither person had the intention to find each other. It was fate that had Romeo to see her at that exact point in time when he asked the server who she was and the server could not tell him. When Romeo discovers who Juliet is, he says to himself, "O dear account! My life is my foe's debt." (Romeo and Juliet I v, 132) Despite the fact that they were born into feuding families, Romeo can't help but love Juliet because he already loves her

Brainstorm: Thesis: When is it okay to try to control our fate or should we just try to let fate and destiny guide us to our fate and destiny. We should let fate and destiny take us to our destination rather than try to control it. When you try to control your fate, it does not end well like it did for Romeo and Juliet. -friar lawrence tries to control romeo and juliet being together and family feud→ doesn't exactly work out because they both end up dead, but family feud is resolved - should juliet just have married paris? is that what her fate intended her to do? not go after romeo?

Lastly, Act Four contains the falling action, and Act Five contains the denouncement. The characters regain their free will in Act Four, which is the falling action. Theseus states, Egeus, “I will overbear your wil; For in the temple by and by with us, these couples shall eternally be knit” (4.1, 180-80, Shakespeare). Theseus denies Eqeus’ request and allows Hermia to marry Lysander, and Helena to marry Demetrius. In Act Four, all characters have free will and can marry who they wish. In Act Five, which is the denouncement, or end of the play, all the characters are well. In the lines,

Written during the early 17th century, literary tragedies of the time often have a protagonist with power and insight, yet he or she has an imperfection that in to blame for their downfall. In order to popularize his work, William Shakespeare’s “The Tragedy of Macbeth” is believed to be made to curry favor King James I due to the inclusion of the supernatural witches. The play’s namesake, Macbeth, encounters the three witches and learns that he will become the King of Scotland with supernatural help; but not without ambition.