Romeo And Juliet Free Will Analysis

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Romeo and Juliet Essay Chaos in the streets of Verona erupt again. A day after a fight with the Capulet and Montague family, Tybalt kills Mercutio. Soon after, Romeo kills Tybalt for revenge. Is this controlled by fate, or by the character’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.
One example of the character’s decisions made out of free will is the fight between Tybalt and Mercutio. In III.i, Tybalt tries to provoke a fight with Romeo. Instead, Mercutio fights Tybalt and loses. In revenge, Romeo kills Tybalt. In III.i of Romeo and Juliet, Romeo says “Gentlemen, for shame forbear this outrage! /Tybalt! Mercutio! The Prince expressly hath/ Forbid this bandying in Verona streets. Hold, Tybalt! Good, Mercutio!” (Romeo and Juliet, III.i 88-81). This shows that Tybalt and Mercutio use their free will to duel, as they disobeyed the Prince’s order. Also, Tybalt and Mercutio knew that they were disobeying the Prince’s order, however, it was their choice to