Fate In Romeo And Juliet Essay

We have all heard of the famous terminology used by William Shakespeare, “star-crossed lovers'' or “death-marked” in his famous play, Romeo and Juliet. “Star-crossed lovers,” is a terminology used for a couple that is destined for failure, otherwise known as Romeo and Juliet who were fated to fail. To continue, “Death-marked,” is used to describe a couple’s desire for one another, which carries a sign or omen of inevitable death. Throughout the play, readers are introduced to the idea of fate or destiny. It becomes clear that while reading the story, it may not just be the characters to blame for their demise, but fate as well. Nonetheless, before we go into that, we must ask the question, What is fate? How does it relate to William Shakespeare’s

They were named Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos, who said that any of the three goddesses would determine human destinies, the particular span of a person's life, and his allotment of misery and suffering. Fate is important in the story as it determines its tragic direction. In Romeo and Juliet, their families act as the three goddesses, as from the beginning, the force of the families would oppose the pair. The prologue states, “Two households, both alike in dignity (In fair Verona, where we lay our scene), From ancient grudge break to new mutiny”, it's clear this feud had started long before Romeo and Juliet were born. From the bloom of their love, the lovers had to sneak around due to feuds, not daring to mention each other to their families. With the feud, both families would detest the marriage, and both Romeo and Juliet knew this as they carried out a secret wedding. However, due to this marriage, Romeo considered the Capulets as a family, giving him love. In contrast, this love was deeply unrequited by the famous prince of cats. Tybalt wanted to punish Romeo for showing up to the Capulet party, declaring, “Boy, this shall not excuse the injuries That thou hast done me. Therefore turn and draw” (3.1.69). Due to this long-standing conflict, Tybalt was brought up to despise the Montagues to the point where just the thought of one would make his blood boil. Mercutio

William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is a great example of this, as the setting takes place in the fifthtenth century. These gender norms highly impact the story, as for some characters, their role had already been decided at the moment they were born. In older times, it was thought that women should be wedded as teenagers, primarily at 12. Women were governed by their parents from the moment they were born until the day they were married, at which point they were handed over to their husbands, who inherit that role. In Romeo and Juliet, women are portrayed as being subservient to men and lacking independence because of men's superiority. In contrast, men were painted as honourable, masculine, and in charge of their households. An example of women being demanded to follow orders by men is when Capulet expressed to Paris, “My child is yet a stranger in the world, she hath not seen the change in fourteen years; let two more summers wither in their pride, ere we may think her ripe to be a bride” (1.2. 8-11). Capulet expresses his thoughts on Juliet and Paris’ marriages: it exhibits that men have power over women because Juliet was not even participating in discussions about her marriage, which is primarily about her. As she is the daughter of a wealthy family, it is for her family to decide when it is the right time for her to be married without her input. Later,