How Shakespeare Utilizes Fate in his Production Of Love And Death
How Shakespeare Explores Fate in Romeo and Juliet
Fate,noun
The development of events outside a person’s control, regarded as predetermined by a supernatural power e.g God.
“fate decided his course for him”
William Shakespeare explores the idea of fate in Romeo and Juliet by adding little references throughout the play. Their love is described as “death marked” and they are a “pair of star crossed lovers”. This means that their love is cursed by death, therefore they are set up for a fall, and it will never work. Furthermore, they are called “Star crossed lovers” because their love is strong and they will stop at nothing to be together. Astrology at that time was taken very seriously therefore if Romeo and Juliet’s love is compared to it, this reinforces the fact that their love is powerful.
The Montague’s and Capulet’s have been in a family feud for many generations.
Romeo is a Montague and Juliet is a Capulet so this means their families cannot be friends. Fate is the idea that before you are born your life is already on a set path and cannot be changed, so the fact that Romeo and Juliet’s families were already feuding before they were born, is a result of fate. When Mercutio shouts “a plague on both your houses” in Act 3 Scene 1, we are then reminded of the protagonists’ fate, E.G = When Tybalt kills Mercutio, the attributes of a comedy die with him.This bloody scene reminds us of when characters are killed,Then the comedy becomes sinister. Gives us a hint of what fate has in store, indicating the beginning of Romeo and Juliet’s tragic End
Time: Shakespeare explores time to show that all things are meant to happen at their own time and their own place. In Shakespeare’s magnificent Romeo and Juliet, the characters are constantly trying to push time forward. This movement of time, results in tragic ends, in which we learn that time and fate go hand in hand , neither one is meant to be quarrelled with. For example in act 1 Romeo immediately falls in love with Juliet at first glance.
Alternatively, in act two where Romeo visits Juliet at her balcony, where the two immediately confess their love for one another.
Death: The Apothecary from whom Romeo buys the poison is described as looking like death, thin, starving and with hollow eyes. Romeo buys his suicide weapon from a man that symbolizes death. Juliet in act 3 scene 5 says, “I have a ill divining soul”.
Romeo says that money is worse than the vile of poison because it causes so many unmentionable events and that instead of the apothecary giving Romeo the Vile, Romeo has given the Vile to the apothecary.
E.G = A lot of murders, robberies, rape, and kidnappings happen because of money and greed.
Religion: In the Times of Shakespeare, Christianity was the default religion and many people where Christian at the time. Some of The extracts from the play that include religion are, Juliet Act 3, Scene 5: where Juliet speaks almost in prayer: “O God, I have an ill-divining soul. Methinks I see thee now, thou art as low as one dead in the bottom of a tomb are. Either my eyesight fails, or thou look so pale”. In this, Juliet speaks of her love and passion for Romeo. Towards the end of the play Romeo says “Then I defy you, stars,”
After Romeo learned that Juliet was dead. The stars in the sky are part of God’s creation and therefore instruments that preach the person’s fate in the stars.
“The moon is an illusion”, so Shakespeare may have used this term to show that although Romeo is fond of Juliet, he needs to give himself more time to understand the significance of love. Romeo does not realize this and takes time by arranging for the new couple to be married by Friar Lawrence the next day.
Fate takes a life from the Capulets in act 3 by taking Mercutio, Romeos best friend and companion, so Romeo retaliates and kills his enemy Tybalt, Juliet’s cousin. Romeo is then banished from Verona and the strength of their love is the only thing that holds Romeo and Juliet together even though they are pulled further and further away.
When Lord Capulet plans Juliet’s marriage to young and eligible Paris, the friar does not approve “On Thursday sir? The time is very short and bitter”. This shows that the Friar understands not to meddle with the hands of fate.
Juliet then decides that she would rather die than marry Paris, so she and Friar Lawrence devise a plan to fake her death and then awake to a life with Romeo. The Friar then writes a letter to Romeo describing the master plan for eternal love. However when fate is given a chance, it proceeds when Friar Lawrence hands the letter to Friar John as the messenger, fate intervenes and a plague has started over Mantua and they are confined to the city. No one is let out, therefore Friar John could not deliver his message to Romeo.
So then Balthazar hears the news that Juliet is dead but not hearing about the plan and is quick to tell Romeo about the news. Romeo then makes an outburst and quickly arrives at the Capulet tombs, by then the potion’s effect on Juliet has not yet worn off so Romeo, out of grief, drinks his instant death vile and dies beside her.
In Romeo and Juliet many many coincidences occurred, unexpectedly. Romeo and Juliet are Mortal enemies from two different feuding families and they are in undying love. The night of the Capulet Masquerade is the day Benvolio (Romeos cousin) wants to cheer up Romeo. Both Romeo and Juliet consume elixirs but luckily Juliet’s was only temporary. These three unexpected coincidences make Romeo and Juliet move the story along into a unfortunate path.
The Conclusion : Then we must then ask our selves who is to blame ? What did fate achieve by having their souls taken away ?
Perhaps Romeo and Juliet were fated to love and die for the greater good of Verona.
12 Words From Shakespeare
1. Quarrel,Noun
An Angry Disagreement
“Thou wilt quarrel with a man that hath a hair more or a hair less in his beard than thou hast.”
Mercutio “your quarrel will escalate a proper fight if you don’t stop.”
2. Tension,Noun
A Stress Feeling
“in fewer than a hundred lines Shakespeare has created an Atmosphere of Tension where the least word or gesture can trigger off unthinking violence.
Benvolio : “I pray thee good Mercutio, let’s retire the day is hot the Capulets abroad
And if we meet we shall not scape a brawl for now these hot dayside the mad blood stirring”
The Tension is High
3.Honour,Noun
A sense of pride
Nurse : “An honour that I dream not of”
“I fight for honour”
4.Hoodwink’d,noun
To be Tricked
Benvolio:the date is out of prolixity we’ll have no Cupid Hoodwink’d with a scarf.
5.Woe , noun
Great sorrow or distress
Paris: Sweet flower, with flowers thy bridal bed I strew,–
O woe! thy canopy is dust and stones;–
Which with sweet water nightly I will dew,
Or, wanting that, with tears distill’d by moans:
The obsequies that I for thee will keep
Nightly shall be to strew thy grave and weep.
6.Tyrannous,noun
oppressive: marked by unjust severity or arbitrary behavior; “the oppressive government”; “oppressive laws”; “a tyrannical parent”; “tyrannous disregard of human rights”
Benvolio: alas that love,so gentle in his views,should be so tyrannous and rough in proof!
7.Splendour,noun
magnificent and splendid appearance; grandeur.
Romeo:Ill go along no such sight to be shown but to rejoice in Splendour of mine now.
8.Lammas,noun
In the first day of August formerly observed in Britain as the harvest festival.
Nurse: Even or odd ,of all days in the year, come Lammas-eve at night shall she be fourteen. Susan and she -God rest all Christian souls!
9.Grudge,noun
A persistent feeling of ill will or resentment resulting from a past insult or injury.
Chorus: From ancient grudge break to new mutiny , where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
10.Partisan,noun
A member of a armed group who secretly attacks the opposing side
Citizens:Clubs,bills, and partisans! Strike ! Beat them down with the capulets! Down with the montagues!
11.Confine,noun
keep or restrict someone or something within certain limits of (space, scope, or time).
Thou art like one of those fellows that when he
enters the confines of a tavern claps me his sword
upon the table and says ‘God send me no need of
thee!’ and by the operation of the second cup draws
it on the drawer, when indeed there is no need.
12. Pilcher,noun
A scabbard, as of a sword.
Mercutio: Good king of cats, nothing but one of your nine
lives; that I mean to make bold withal, and as you
shall use me hereafter, dry beat the rest of the
eight. Will you pluck your sword out of his pitcher
by the ears? make haste, lest mine be about your
ears ere it be out.
Friar Lawrence And His Metaphors
Friar Lawrence’s speech : These violent delights have violent ends and in their triumph
Die,like fire and powder ,Which consume :the sweetest honey is loathsome in his own
Deliciousness and in the taste confounds the appetite :Therefore love moderately ; long love doth so ; Too swift arrives as tardy as too slow.
The Verdict : This means that the friar meant to say a little bit of a good thing is fair but too much of a good thing is bad because if you try honey it is sweet but if you have a lot it is too much and does not taste nice.
They both will have a violent end like fire and powder,which as they kiss consume;
When you throw powder into a fire it just makes a bigger flame.For instance Romeo is Fire and Juliet is powder so when they meet it goes Boom.
Act ||| Scene |||| By Eugene
Late on Monday evening Capulet and Paris discuss how Juliet’s grief over Tybalt’s death has prevented Paris from continuing his date with Juliet. Suddenly, as Paris prepares to leave Capulet offers him Juliet in marriage. He tells Paris that Juliet will obey his patriarchal wishes and marry Paris on Thursday. Paris eagerly agrees to the arrangements, and Lady Capulet is yet to speak to Juliet
Act || Scene ||||-|||||| BY Scoob
In the Capulet orchard, Juliet impatiently waits for her nurse, who she sent to meet Romeo three hours earlier. At last the Nurse returns, and Juliet anxiously presses her for news. The Nurse claims to be too tired, sore, and out of breath to tell this Juliet what has happened. Juliet grows frantic, and eventually the Nurse gives in and tells her that Romeo is waiting at Friar Lawrence cell to marry her. The Nurse departs to wait in the ally for Romeo’s servant, who is to bring a ladder for Romeo to use to climb up to Juliet’s chamber that night to complete their marriage.
Act ||| Scene ||| By Scoob
After the Prince Of Verona banishes Romeo from eternity,
The friar keeps Romeo in his basement but Romeo does
Not yet know his punishment =
FRIAR LAWRENCE
A gentler judgment vanished from his lips:
Not body’s death, but body’s banishment.
In m
He made a gentler decision. You won’t die, but you’ll be banished from the city.
The Nurse arrives and tells Romeo of Juliet’s grief. Hearing this, Romeo tries to take his own life, but is prevented by the Nurse. The Friar advises Romeo to go to Juliet that night as he had planned, and then before daybreak read.
Act || Scene ||||
Now, the morning after the Capulet feast, Mercutio and Benvolio search for Romeo. Mercutio blames Romeo for not being there , the “pale, hard-hearted wench,”. Benvolio has discovered that Tybalt has sent Romeo a challenge to duel, and Mercutio is amused at the thought of an encounter between Romeo the romantic, and Tybalt, the Prince of Cats. Romeo then arrives and engages in a long argument of cusses read
Act || Scene |||
Romeo goes to Friar Lawrence with him thinking that Romeo is talking about Rosalyn but then starts fantasizing about Juliet. Friar Lawrence then says to Romeo that it is a terrible idea but then Romeo convinces him and Friar
says that if Romeo marries Juliet the two households at war will come to piece.
Examples of Dramatic Irony : By Eugene (-(-_-)-)
Dramatic Irony is when the actors act scared ,afraid
Or angry to a response of merely nothing or Dramatic irony is when the audience,bystanders,readers are aware of what’s going on, but the characters aren’t.
-In the classroom the teacher was giving a speech about dramatic irony when a minuscule
Wasp enters through the air vent and a swarm of pupils jump across the class room interrupting the teacher and holding up the lesson.Until a pupil turns his workbook into a club and repeatedly whacks the air hoping to hit the helpless creature until impact and the class rejoins with writing paragraphs read.
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