The Role of Fate in Shakespeares Romeo and Juiliet

Fate. Who would have guessed that this four letter, one-syllable word would play such a big role in Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet? Many people believed that it was free choices that led to the tragic ending of Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet, but it was really fate. When looking up fate using dictionary.com, it says that fate’s something that unavoidably befalls a person; fortune, but in Romeo and Juliet, fate is reality. Perhaps the biggest and most overlooked example of fate was in the Prologue. It tells of a death-marked love which proposes the storys concept of the peoples abridgment of control in their own lives. Romeo and Juliet could not expect their death resulting from their cherished love, just as people couldnt control their future, and when Mercutio was dying he shouts â€Å"a plague on both your houses† (III. I. 104). This reminded us of Romeo and Juliets fate. This glimpse of this tragic scene, gives us an example of what fate has in store for Rom eo and Juliet. Mercutio blames his death on both families when he died trying to stop a fight against Romeo, a Montague, and Tybalt, a Capulet. Fate is two-sided, it could bring happiness and joy, while bringing despair and sorrow, too. In the tale of Romeo and Juliet, Romeo attempted to defy his own fate. However, due to his blindness and reckless love for Juliet, his actions backfired and dragged him down to his inevitable fate; a fate that he tried so hard to avoid. Eventually, he would meet his