...issues in The tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare is that of choice. The main question is do the characters have the ability to choose what they want, or are their fates simply left to destiny? There are many pieces of evidence of fate in the play, which greatly affect the plot and characters. Fate is the dominating force that foreshadows the ironic destinies of that protagonist, Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet. Fate is evident from the very beginning of the play. In the opening prologue it states that Romeo and Juliet “Are a pair of star-crossed lover/…Death marked/…[and] with their death bury their parents stifle”(6-9), which foreshadows their doom and ironically ends their parent’s feud. People say that when the stars are allied lovers meet and fall in love; however, with these two star crossed lovers their stars lined up and than crossed. Showing that the stars and universe are controlling the aspect of their life and are a metaphor for fate. The characters believe that their lives are controlled by destiny and luck, and Romeo is a prime example of this philosophy. When Romeo and his friends go to the Capulet’s ball, Romeo hesitates to go because he has had a bad dream: My mind misgives Some consequences, yet hanging in the sky Shall bitterly begin this fearful date With this night revels and expire the term Of a despised life closed, in my breast By some vile forfeit of untimely death (1, 4, 116-121). Romeo here states his fear...
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...decisions in their lifetime. In the play Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, almost every character makes a rash decision - from the star-crossed lovers getting married immediately after meeting, to Tybalt kills Mercutio, and Romeo killing himself when he thinks Juliet is dead. Juliet Capulet is a beautiful, kind person that is always wondering about how the world works or how to get out of something cleverly. She too makes rash decisions, but she is the one character to really think about choosing carefully throughout the play. The readers are able to see that Juliet is a very thoughtful, logical character through a convincing instinct Juliet has, the balcony scene monologue, and her soliloquy before taking the vile. Every teenager tries to influence their parents. Juliet tries to influence them by...
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...almost all of the conflicts in Romeo and Juliet, from the moment they met until they die together tragedy. Romeo and Juliet's fates were formed from the moment of their births. The Capulet ‘s and Montague’s hatred of each other is what pushed Romeo and Juliet together. The families were mortal enemies and Romeo and Juliet were never supposed to meet. Their relationship was doomed from the start. It was Fate that draws them together and it is fate that they are enemies. One example of how fate plays a part in the destinies of Romeo and Juliet is when Romeo goes to find Rosaline at the Capulet’s party. Instead he meets Juliet who was there to meet Paris. It was their first meeting and the immediate love for each other that strengthens the conflict between the Capulet’s and the Montague’s. Romeo and Juliet both believed that the stars controlled their fate and their actions weren’t always their own. Romeo, for example, 1.4.115-120, he says, "Some consequence yet hanging in the stars...by some vile forfeit of untimely death. But he that hath the steerage over my course Direct my sail." What he’s saying to his friends is that he had a dream that he will die young because of something in the stars, something that will happen to cause his death. Romeo finishes by saying "...he that hath steerage over my course..." which means that he does not have control over his life if he must look to another power above himself to direct his destiny. He doesn’t feel that he’s the...
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...but their families won’t allow it. In the play Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare, he writes in motifs for example light and dark or celestial motifs. Shakespeare writes these motifs to have a deeper meaning behind them. The Capulets and the Montagues are sworn enemies, neither are good or bad but these two families represent light and dark. Romeo’s father and mother notices Romeo’s depression because he stays in his room and barely eats. Benvolio tells Romeo’s parents that he will talk to him and see what’s wrong. Romeo tells Benvolio about Rosaline and after that Benvolio tells Romeo that they are going to a party that night to forget Rosaline, “compare her face with some that I shall...
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...Romeo and Juliet is the most epic love story of all time. It is said they were destined to fall in love, or maybe just destined to fall. Romeo and Juliet were two star-crossed lovers whose story played out in Verona, Italy. Romeo was from the family of the Montagues, whom are long-time enemies of the Capulets, the family from which Juliet came. Romeo crashed a party thrown by Capulet, Juliet’s father. At the party, he met Juliet, and they fell in love instantly. As destiny would have it, they get married, but the fateful, whirlwind love affair ultimately leads to the untimely deaths of both Romeo and Juliet. Friar Lawrence, Romeo’s priest, is often falsely accused of being responsible for the double suicide that ended the tragic love story of Romeo and Juliet. However, all of the major events that lead to the deaths...
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...far do you think Shakespeare presents Romeo and Juliet as victims of fate? “Romeo and Juliet” is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare in 1597, when people believed that their lives were controlled by fate, like a force or spirit that decides the course a person’s life should take. They believed in magic, horoscopes and that the Sun, Moon and stars could change their destiny. In this play Shakespeare presents Romeo and Juliet as victims of fate in many different ways. At the prologue of the play the chorus describes Romeo and Juliet as "star-crossed lovers". This suggests that they fight against (or cross) their fate, which is written in the stars. It means that they are in love but fate is against them, their families have been arguing for years, so they have grown up hating each other, however Rome and Juliet are inseparable. Secondly, the Capulets and Montagues are at odds with each other. After the prologue, members of each house, as well as their servants break into a sword fight, crossing swords with each other. Sampson says "Draw, if you be men. Gregory, remember thy swashing blow." (Act 1, Scene 1, Line 60). The feuding between the two families motivates Sampson to challenge the Capulets. Another example of how the two houses despise each other is what Romeo and his friends have to do to get into the Capulet feast. So they will not be recognized, Romeo, Mercutio, and Benvolio wear comic masks to hide their faces. Romeo and his friends would never have known...
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...“Tybalt, the reason that I have for loving you helps me overcome the anger I should really feel… I see you don’t really know me” (Shakespeare, 3.1). This quote shows that overcoming differences is a hard quality to have. When being in someone else’s shoes it is easy to comprehend other troubles. This quote relates to the theme of Romeo and Juliet because of the family’s differences that they have to overcome. Romeo is someone who acts quickly, loyal, and an impulsive character, and this leads to his death. Romeo impacts the events in many ways because he is one of the protagonists. Romeo is a character who acts out of vain multiple times and acts quickly. This leads to his inevitable death because he kills his wives’ cousin, Tybalt, and this...
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...foretold after watching just the first scene for it is easily noticed from the hints given on the first part of the play. Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet, on the other hand, can’t be, for the events are consequent. You cannot tell what’s going to happen until someone from the play has done something that will affect the story, for example, the death of Polonius made Ophelia mad, and later on she killed herself. It is not perceived that Ophelia will die. Since Oedipus Rex’s sequence of events is laid easily, the pacing of the story is fast; no doubt the whole story happened in just a day, while Shakespearean ones could have happened in weeks or even months. The Greek tragedies are always affected by destinies as for in Oedipus Rex, it is Oedipus’ destiny to kill his father and marry his mother, while the other one, the story happened in persons’ judgment throughout the event. The characters in Oedipus are very few compared to Shakespearean Tragedies that is composed of maybe 20 characters, more or less. It can’t be blame; the story can be completed without a lot of characters. Greek tragedies have been famous for its chorus which narrates or commentates and can even be a part of the play. Shakespearean tragedies have verbose characters, in which they say everything they feel or think as if doing a monologue, like when Juliet is in the terrace missing her Romeo after their first meeting. The presentation of the Oedipus Rex is aided with flashbacks, with the first scene with Oedipus, already...
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...How Does Fate Play A Part In Romeo and Juliet'? Romeo and Juliet' was written during a period when Shakespeare had found the strength of his writing, it is believed that it was written around 1595 and he would have been about 26 years old when he wrote it. The play is a widely known tragedy concerning the fate of two young "star-cross'd lovers". It is one of the most famous of Shakespeare's plays and one of his earliest theatrical triumphs. In Romeo and Juliet', fate plays an extremely powerful role throughout the story. Romeo and Juliet are "star-crossed lovers," as the prologue at the start of the play indicated, they had fate against them. In that time, people were very wary of what the stars said. If two people's stars were crossed in the sky, they would never remain together. Obviously, Romeo and Juliet did not live happily ever after, as they both died at the end of the play. The prologue also shows fate was against Romeo and Juliet through the negative language and the foregrounds of their deaths: "The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love, And the continuance of their parents' rage, Which, but their children's end, nought could remove" This insight into the plot provides the audience with the anticipation of the finale and causes them to think negatively throughout the play. It also allows Shakespeare to make use of dramatic irony, as the audience knows something that the characters do not. This increases dramatic tension for the audience, which in turn...
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...Star-crossed lovers or just impetuous decisions made by Romeo and Juliet? In the story of Romeo and Juliet there are a series of event that take place that lead up tp the tragic ending. Everything that happens were choices made by Romeo and Juliet it was not their fate that caused their demise. Juliet could have told her parents about her and Romeo. When Lady Capulet states “Marry, my child, early next thursday morn” (shakespeare 84). Juliet could have told her mother why she can't marry paris. It was because she was already married to Romeo. Another time that she could have told her parents was the morning after the party. “What o’clock tomorrow shall i send thee” (shakespeare 41). With this Romeo replies “by the hour of nine” (shakespeare 42). Given this time we know that Juliet had enough time to tell her parents before sending the nurse to Romeo. Given the situation Juliet was in she could have also told the prince about Romeo. “My blood for your rude brawls doth lie a-bleeding” (shakespeare 67). The prince was mad that his relative was killed. If Juliet would have told the prince that her and Romeo were married the prince would have found out that Romeo was the one who tried to stop the...
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...Mindi Warren Mrs Capps Period 6 22, April 2015 The Terrible Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet When people meet tragedy in life, they can react in two ways; either by losing hope and falling into self destructive habits or by using the challenge they face to find their inner strength and willpower. In The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet , by Shakespeare, the main characters face many trials to test their willpower. During these many trials, they make numerous mistakes due to the lack of guidance, which might also be due to their adolescence. Romeo and Juliet fits the qualifications of a tragedy by the presence of a fatal flaw in the character, fatal predestination, and the responsibility for their own misfortune. Many fatal flaws are present in Shakespeare’s...
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...far do you think Shakespeare presents Romeo and Juliet as victims of fate? “Romeo and Juliet” is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare in 1597, when people believed that their lives were controlled by fate, like a force or spirit that decides the course a person’s life should take. They believed in magic, horoscopes and that the Sun, Moon and stars could change their destiny. In this play Shakespeare presents Romeo and Juliet as victims of fate in many different ways. At the prologue of the play the chorus describes Romeo and Juliet as "star-crossed lovers". This suggests that they fight against (or cross) their fate, which is written in the stars. It means that they are in love but fate is against them, their families have been arguing for years, so they have grown up hating each other, however Rome and Juliet are inseparable. Secondly, the Capulets and Montagues are at odds with each other. After the prologue, members of each house, as well as their servants break into a sword fight, crossing swords with each other. Sampson says "Draw, if you be men. Gregory, remember thy swashing blow." (Act 1, Scene 1, Line 60). The feuding between the two families motivates Sampson to challenge the Capulets. Another example of how the two houses despise each other is what Romeo and his friends have to do to get into the Capulet feast. So they will not be recognized, Romeo, Mercutio, and Benvolio wear comic masks to hide their faces. Romeo and his friends would never have known...
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...How does Fate play a role in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet Change Slide: What is fate? Fate is the idea that the future is already planned even if people do not know what is going to happen to them. I’m going to talk about Romeo and Juliet, a play by William Shakespeare's, one of the greatest love stories of all time. This story has been known to be timeless even though it was written around 1595. This play is a story of forbidden love that is resolved in two tragic deaths of Romeo and Juliet, who come from feuding families. Their ignorance of defy and falling in love is not accepted by their families. For the five short days they share love, many events take place. All of the events surround characters from both the Montague and Capulet families. The powers and affects of love and hate are also very evident between the two families throughout the play. In the end, Romeo and Juliet's love finds a tragic way to overcome the hate between their families. The story mainly revolves around Juliet while she grows up and falls in love, only to have fate keep her from complete happiness. Change Slide: Juliet is the beautiful, courageous young daughter of Capulet, a rich man in Verona. Shakespeare made her character a mere thirteen years old, but she acts very mature compared to her age. She appears to be practical, honest, and loyal to herself and her family. The play is about how she discovers and loses love. She appears to have thought very little about love and marriage...
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...Focus on Shakespeare 1. Romeo and Juliet is definitely one of the best and tragic films I have ever seen. Shortly I can say that it is an eternal love story where Romeo (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Juliet (Claire Danes) secretly fall in love with each other and go to confession. But their love is forbidden and the story goes over from being a romance to become a tragedy. DiCaprio needs a little time to get into the role, but soon he becomes a mind blowing and charming hero who is willing to sacrifice his life for Juliet. Claire Danes also, has a beautiful and conspicuous dramatic talent. What I liked most about the story was the setting. The director (Luhrmann) takes Shakespeare's history and puts it into a modern society and a modern film form, and he does so in a confident and smart way. The language and dialogue from Shakespeare are retained, while the costumes are an elegant blend of past and present. Luhrmann has in addition replaced the horses and swords with stylish vehicles and firearms. I also really liked the romantic feel throughout the film. One can spot several sequences showing the strong love between the couple. For example their secret marriage at the church. They do not take the bother of what others think, only their burning love counts. In contrast to traditional film style, where first and foremost acting and soundtrack is partially used to create different moods, Luhrmann has effectively implemented several stylistic devices. Editing, cinematography and...
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...First of all, Romeo ignores his instincts which is demonstrated by the numerous examples of foreshadowing within the play. His failure to listen to his inner voice ultimately leads to his own death. Romeo mentions how he fears “too early, for [his] mind misgives/Some consequence yet hanging in the stars/Shall bitterly begin his fearful date/With this night’s revels, and expire the term/Of a despised life closed in [his] breast/By some vile forfeit of untimely death./But he that hath the steerage of my course,/Direct [his] sail. On, lusty gentlemen” (1.4.107-114). As a result of Romeo’s ongoing depression and his inability to take charge of his life, he leaves his destiny up to fate. Before going to the party, he mentions how his “mind misgives”...
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