Control In Romeo And Juliet

Are people in control of their destiny? Having no power over one’s destiny is an important theme in William Shakespeare’s, Romeo and Juliet. We are in told in the prologue that fate is going to drive the story. Romeo and Juliet are not in control of their lives. It is predetermined destiny, not free choice that manipulates the lives of these two lovers. In Romeo and Juliet, the idea that the main characters have no control over their destiny is proven through the long existing feud between the families, Romeo and Juliet’s chance meeting and Mercutio’s and Tybalt’s deaths. The long existing feud between the Capulets and Montagues is one of the factors that Romeo and Juliet have no control over, but which influences their fate. Romeo and Juliet

The fact that these two lovers still had the chance to cross each other’s paths despite the clash of their families, shows that fate was in full control of their lives. In the first act, a Capulet serving man comes across Romeo and Benvolio and unaware that they’re Montagues, he invites them to the Capulet party, “My master is the great rich Capulet, and if you be not of the house of Montagues, I pray come and crush a cup of wine.” (l.ii.80-82). It is by fate that Romeo and Benvolio ran into the illiterate Capulet serving man who asked for their help and by gratitude, invites them to the party, at which Romeo is destined that he will meet his love, Juliet. When Romeo attends the party, he already foreshadows what destiny had in store for him, “With this night’s revels and expire the term/Of a despised life clos’d in my breast,/By some vile forfeit of untimely death.” (I.iv.109-111). Romeo unconsciously predicts that something bad might happen if he shows up at the party, where he meets Juliet. Romeo says it himself, so it’s fate that they meet. Their deaths are the “consequence” that he speaks of. Since they are supposed to be foes, the bitterness that starts the pathway to their ultimate tragedy is their first encounter. Romeo and Juliet’s first meet not only sparked a fiery romance between the two, it also dramatically affected the fight and tension between the Montagues and the

It controlled every event in their lives, from the beginning of their families’ ancient feud, to when they met and when they died. The story of Romeo and Juliet had long before been written by fate ever since the start of the dispute between the Capulets and Montagues. Had it not been for this feud, the couple would not have been forced to make such drastic choices to end their lives just so they could be together. This meant anything, even killing themselves. For them to spot each other from across the room in a place where Romeo would normally have been forbidden, is concrete proof that fate was in full command. There are many deaths in the story of Romeo and Juliet. Mercutio’s and Tybalt’s had been one of those that were most influential to the story. The passing of Tybalt created chaos between the two families, especially the two lovers. With Romeo banished, Juliet came to the resort of faking her death so that Romeo could save her, but as we all know, that plan