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Examples Of Free Will In Romeo And Juliet

963 Words4 Pages

Anaya Jayaswal
Ms. Jordyn O’ Leary
9th Literature & Composition Honors
30 March 2023
The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet: Fate of Free Will?
An age old tale, an ancient feud between two families, and a story ending in the bloodshed of two lovers. The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet follows two young lovers, Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet, each coming from two feuding families that despise each other. The pair fights to keep their love alive, but to their despair, it all ends in devastation. When reading Romeo and Juliet, the line between fate and free will is hard to decipher, but not nonexistent. So the question persists: Were Romeo and Juliet’s decisions their own or made due to an external force, such as fate? Although many other factors coexist …show more content…

As said by Matrix education, “From this, we can see that Shakespeare has used repetition in Shylock’s monologue to confront his audience with the existing prejudice in society and its consequences - the persecuted seeks revenge. So the repetition here is emphasis on the cycle of hatred and anger that results from the existing social prejudice”(Dang). Although this doesn’t directly prove that Romeo and Juliet incorporates elements of fate, it shows readers how Shakespeare uses repetition in order to emphasize points that are significant in his writing. Similarly, Shakespeare uses repetition in Romeo and Juliet for the same purpose, when he referenced fortune or multiple things that symbolized fortune throughout the play.For example, Romeo said, “O, I am a fortune’s fool!” (Shakespeare 3.1.134). Romeo is trying to emphasize that he will always be binded down by his fortune, and the fortune that he has personified into a being will follow him throughout his …show more content…

However, the majority of the evidence points to the conclusion that it was in fact an external force, namely fate. As said by the Internet Public Library, “ Their ‘fate’ was determined by events that could have been prevented by some people’s decisions. Romeo and Juliet led towards the path of death because of their own choices!” (Internet Public Library). One may say that Romeo and Juliet’s deaths were due to their own decisions, and could have been prevented if it wasn’t for their impulsiveness. Which in a way is true, but through foreshadowing you can see the true reasoning behind it all. But as I previously mentioned, Romeo and Juliet’s death is caused due to fate. One example of this is when Romeo says, “I fear, too early: for my 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 my breast / By some vile forfeit of untimely death.” (Shakespeare 1.4.106-111). Before Romeo goes to the Capulet’s Ball, he has a dream in which he imagines that if he goes to the ball, he will have an “untimely death”. This is another way that Shakespeare shows the readers that Romeo and Juliet’s death is written into stone, and

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However, that is not the case. Romeo and Juliet’s irresponsible decisions were responsible for what happened to them because they could have fought to change their fate. It was their irresponsible decisions that caused all the losses. As said by Stephen A. Diamond, “There is a time to resolutely accept fate, and a time to furiously fight it. The responsibility is ours,” (Doc E).

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However, the people responsible for their deaths are Fate, Friar Lawrence, and Balthasar. Fate is the development of events beyond a person's control; therefore, Fate was one of the main reasons for Romeo and Juliet’s deaths. They were considered to be“two star-crossed lovers” (Doc. A) meaning no matter what happens they are both going to die in the end.

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Imagine yourself in 1595 in Verona, Italy, there is a fight going on between two families: Capulets and Montagues but this is an everyday thing. This describes the freewill of the characters in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Freewill is the fate of the star-crossed lovers because of Romeo and Juliet’s inpatients, Romeo and Juliet’s secrets, and Friar Lawrence’s hopefulness. Freewill is the fate of the star-crossed lovers because of Romeo and Juliet’s inpatients Romeo and Juliet fall in love one night at a party, the very next day they get married.

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William Shakespeare develops Romeo and Juliet as victims of free will in the play Romeo and Juliet. Throughout the story, the characters make impulsive decisions that would eventually lead to their downfall. Some of their decisions, such as rushing into marriage shortly after meeting, paved the way for their untimely demise. This impulsive behavior illustrates their susceptibility to the consequences of acting without considering the ramifications. The characters of Romeo and Juliet are victims of free will because they decided to be hasty with their decisions.

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Some may think it was fate that lead to Romeo and Juliet's death but this is inaccurate because the quote in the prologue "A pair of star cross'd lovers take their life" shows how this is fate. This quote is not accurate because they chose to kill themselves not fate. Fate did not force them to stab and poison

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“I defy you, stars,” the famous quote spoken by Romeo Montague, suggests the idea that fate and destiny is the one bringing him all of his troubles, not free will. Many have debated the causes of the two young lovers deaths, even blaming Romeo himself. But the one that stands out the most is fate and destiny. The force that should be held accountable for the outcome of the Romeo and Juliet’s plot is fate and destiny, because of the prologue, and how the characters of the play often refer fate and destiny to their actions. Before the play even begins, it sets the stage for our entire story, the “Prologue”.

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What is responsible for Romeo and Juliet’s death? Fate or free will? What freewill means is that it is the ability to have self-control, which would not be classified as fate. Others think it was only fate which had controlled them and not freewill. In Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare,it was free will that had caused Romeo and Juliet's death, because they had ended themselves which shows they were very desperate which does not make them look good.

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Do you think Romeo and Juliet was a result of fate or freewill? Romeo and Juliet came together by fate. Romeo came to the party to see a girl and he seen Juliet. They were so in love. Juliet could not stop talking how in love she was with Romeo.

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Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss, I die” (5.3.120). Fate has already stated that their deaths are imminent, and Romeo’s suicide shows that fate played a part in his death. Taking everything into account, fate is not all to blame, as with Friar Lawrence, but it played an important role in the conclusion of Romeo and Juliet. Not all the blame is put on fate, although the Elizabethans would have believed that.

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1041 Words | 5 Pages

Fate Versus Freewill Most people will ask the question after reading the play The tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare and the poem ¨Pyramus and Thisbe¨ by Ovid are these lovers stories impacted greater by unkind fate or just plain personal choice. Both of these stories focus on two young lovers who are forbidden to meet by their families and decide to break the rules in order to be together, however this reckless rule breaking eventually leads to both couples untimely deaths. The stories of Romeo and Juliet as well as “Pyramus and Thisbe” were impacted greater by unwise personal choices rather than fate. The first part of evidence that shows Romeo and Juliet’s as well as Pyramus and Thisbe’s stories were greatly impacted

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The lovers were destined to fall in love and die, and they were of houses that had been cursed by a dying Mercutio. The hurried time span of the story forced all of the events to happen much too quickly for the characters to be able to make reasonable decisions. The numerous times the characters were put into coincidental situations led to a series of events that concluded with the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. For all of these reasons, the blame of who caused the deaths of the star-crossed Romeo and Juliet can be put on no one other than Fate. The tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is another reminder of the fact that we are all powerless to Fate when the courses of our lives have been

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’s free will? In Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, the use of free will throughout the play would give Romeo and Juliet a one way ticket to their deaths. Their “fate” was determined by events that could have been prevented by some people’s decisions. Romeo and Juliet led towards the path of death because of their own choices! Times in the play when the characters use their free will include Tybalt’s decision to fight Mercutio, the Prince ordering Romeo to be banished (instead of being executed), and, Juliet’s decision to disobey her parents to marry Romeo.

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After Romeo being asked to read the guest list, Juliet having terrible visions, and the plague, it is clear that the death of the two star-crossed lovers was not decided by free will, but by fate. Everything that happened was totally out of there control, but it happened in this way because it was fate, and it was supposed to happen this way. A lot of people like to think that they have all control of everything that happens in there life, but some things happen for a reason, and free will cannot determine what the outcome will

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Was it fate or free will that killed Romeo and Juliet? In the prologue of this play, Shakespeare refers to Romeo and Juliet as “A pair of star-cross'd lovers.” Star crossed lovers are people whose love is destined to end in tragedy. Free will is when people are able to make their own decisions and have consequences based off their decisions instead of predetermined consequences. Fate was definitely the reason for Romeo and Juliet’s tragic deaths because of the unexplainable coincidences, uncharacterized choices, and conscious decisions that all lead to the same inescapable outcome.

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The theme of Fate vs. Free Will is dominant in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet; however the theme of fate is more significant than free will. In the play both Romeo and Juliet meeting was contributed by fate as Shakespeare mentioned in the prologue that Romeo and Juliet were star-crossed lovers that were meant to meet, fall in love and their death would be the reason for the feud to end between the two families. Fate was the reason Capulet’s servant asked Romeo and Benvolio to help him read the invitation for him that contained all the names of the people that were invited to the ball Capulet hosted. “…If you be not of the house of Montagues, I pray come and crush a cup of wine.

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