Fate’s Hold on Romeo and Juliet It is very debatable whether people’s lives are controlled by fate or free will, however, fate’s grasp on these two young lovers is clearly shown in the text of this Elizabethan era play. The text that is to be discussed is William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the topic is about whether it is fate affecting the outcome of the play. Fate determines the aftermath of the play, due to bad timing, misfortune, and love. Bad timing of the events in this play led to the deaths of Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet. Capulet allowing Paris to marry Juliet is one of these such events. Capulet states, “A Thursday, tell her, / She shall be married to this noble earl.” (3.4.21-22). He acts too hastily in him wanting Paris to marry Juliet. Fate had played a role in making Capulet wanting Paris to marry his daughter, after his original point where he did not want Paris to marry Juliet that early. Fate had changed his heart and his mindset which was one of the causes of Romeo and Juliet’s deaths. Another point of bad timing is that Juliet wakes up just after Romeo kills himself. Friar Laurence expresses his sorrow in his lines, “Come, come away. / Thy husband in thy bosom lies dead / and Paris too.” (5.3.160-162). It cannot be by Romeo’s free will and choices that allowed him to die just minutes before Juliet could wake up. Fate is definitely at work as if Romeo had waited for just a little longer to kill himself, Juliet would have woken up and the tragedy