“I am fortune’s fool”, “two star-crossed lovers”. These quotes give a clear reference to a recurring theme in Romeo and Juliet, which is fate and destiny. Throughout the play, the audience is told that it is Romeo’s and Juliet’s destiny to fall in love and commit suicide, and it is inescapable. However, how much have Romeo and Juliet shaped their own destiny? “Some consequence yet hanging in the stars/shall bitterly begin this fearful date/by some vile forfeit of untimely death.” Romeo believes that destiny will determine his course without realising that his decisions have consequences that affect his life and others, such as when he instinctively kills Tybalt to avenge Mercutio, which severely affects his relationship with Juliet because Tybalt is …show more content…
During the balcony scene, she pushes Romeo into a marriage by constantly questioning his love for her, “If thy purpose marriage, send me word tomorrow”. It is because of decisions like these that the rest of the events of the play follow. If Romeo had not made the decision to visit Juliet after the ball and if Juliet had not decided to rush Romeo into a marriage, then they never would have become tragic heroes. However, these flawed characters should not be blamed for their misfortunes. For example, when Mantua (the city where Romeo resided after he was banished) is placed in quarantine as a result of a plague, Romeo cannot receive the Friar’s message because there is limited communication. This misfortune is a result of fate, as it was out of Romeo’s and Juliet’s control. Furthermore, fate in this story is closely related to time, and Romeo’s and Juliet’s lives lie in the hands of time. If the wedding of Juliet and Paris was not pushed forward, then the Friar’s letter would have reached Romeo in time. If Romeo had arrived a few minutes later at the tomb, he would have met Friar Lawrence who could have prevented the