The stories The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet and ‘Pyramus and Thisbe’ both depict tales of two ‘ill-fated’ lovers and their ‘unavoidable’ deaths. But are their deaths really caused by fate? Are their lives truly controlled by destiny? If properly read, the truth about the two stories becomes clear. Their tragic ends are not the stars cursing against them, but rather the consequences of their actions coming back to haunt them.
In Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, we watch as a sad love story unravels between two young teenagers with lots of personal troubles even prior to meeting each other. Though nothing in their story has to do with fate even if it may be a recurring topic. Romeo is written to be very impulsive, as he never stops to consider another option or answer to what he comes across. For example, upon hearing about the ‘death’ of Juliet, his first response is to purchase poison to take his own life. He claims this is to ‘defy the stars,’ despite the issue here being Juliet’s miscommunicated plan. (The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, Act V Scene I) Though Juliet is no exception to this impulsivity. Upon seeing Romeo’s dead body
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Though their plan of meeting was much more well thought out than those in The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, there were many things the protagonists could have done differently to result in a better conclusion. One example of this is Pyramus’ quick assumption. The moment he sees Thisbe’s torn cloak, he jumps to conclusions. His solution is suicide instead of investigation. This ignorant decision affects Thisbe’s, as she sees his corpse and kills herself in response not even a few moments after. (‘Pyramus and Thisbe,’ page 489) This is also quite similar to the ending of The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, as both young lovers end their lives without considering anything else. It’s a result of their own decisions despite having other options