The stories of Romeo and Juliet and Pyramus and Thisbe tell the tale of two lovers suffering a tragic end. Both of the star-crossed lovers were fated to die. However, their personal choices were the real perpetrators of their untimely ends. The first piece of evidence to back up the personal choice claim is Romeo rushing to drink the dram of poison and not looking at Juliet properly. According to the text: O my love, my wife, Death, that hath sucked the honey of thy breath, Hath had no power yet upon thy beauty. Thou art not conquered; beauty’s ensign yet Is crimson in thy lips and in thy cheeks, And death’s pale flag is not advanced there: (Shakespeare, 840) Because he was rushing to drink the poison, he didn’t notice that Juliet …show more content…
Either thou or I, or both, must go with him: (Shakespeare, 787) If Romeo had just let bygones be bygones and accepted Mercutio’s death, he wouldn’t have fought and killed Tybalt. Killing Tybalt led to the banishment of Romeo. This fiasco was all personal choice, not destiny. The third piece of evidence comes from the short story of Pyramus and Thisbe and the misunderstanding. According to the text, “Before him lay the bloodstained shreds of the cloak and clear in the dust were the tracks of the lioness. The conclusion was inevitable. He never doubted that he knew all. Thisbe was dead. (Ovid, 488).” Because he rushed to a conclusion about Thisbe, he thought she was dead and killed himself. If he had done his due diligence and looked for Thisbe’s body, he would have realized that Thisbe was still. Personal choice was the cause, not destiny. Some may argue that destiny was behind all the bloodshed in these two stories. The beginning of Romeo and Juliet is evidence that backs up this claim. According to the text, “A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life; Whose misadventure piteous overthrow. (Shakespeare, 731)” They use this evidence to prove that they never had a chance to live. However, things would have been different if they had just been