Romeo and Juliet Fate

Fate

- “Star-crossed lovers”
- Forced marriage
- Feud (we don’t know what the feud is over, its never explained. Its clearly fate because they don’t know what they’re arguing about)
- Meeting at the party (Romeo is drugged)
- Violence: Deaths of Tybalt and Mercutio (influences) when Romeo kills Tybalt everything starts falling apart
- Forced marriage ----- attitude to women
- If women were valued, women would not be forced into such as marriage and not treated just as objects, we may see more love and less violence.
Mercutio says if you fall in love you become less masculine - Prologue (Not only will they die, the only way for the feud to end if for them to die. This is the only way out, it is certain) from the outset the viewer knows they’ll die, not only for each other but to stop violence and feud because its written in the stars
- Lovelessness between Montague and Capulet

- Only example of love besides Romeo and Juliet, is Romeo and Mercutio but Romeo doesn’t love Mercutio back, no one loves anyone, or doesn’t seem too, Lady Capulet doesn’t love Juliet

- Romeo: Romeo-reckless young man (Friar Lawrence tells Romeo to slow down, find quote) Rushes into things, very in-touch with his emotions, lets it get the best of him (top with heart, symbolic) “oh I am fortunes fool” is he was passionate young man, he would not have made the decision to kill Tybalt

Romeo and Juliet are in no way to blame for their untimely deaths, discuss.
Agree:
- Fate has determined that they must die (as is written in the prologue)
- Lady Capulet forced a marriage on her daughter
- The ongoing unexplained feud leaves Romeo and Juliet with no choice

Agree: However, Romeo is somehow reckless and plays into the hands of fate (If I do not have a 3rd argument, reword the contention, make an exception, come from both angles)

1st Argument – WHO IS TO BLAME? R&J OR THE ENVIROMENT, ARE PEOPLE RUSHING TOO MUCH, ARE PEOPLE TOO RECKLESS.

is it the people around Romeo and Juliet or is it Romeo and Juliet because they rush into it, are they to blame? Yes or no?

- Verona is a violence
- Women are not valued
- Reckless environment
- Romeo thinks he’s in love with Rosaline but next moment meets Juliet and falls in love with her
- Friar Lawrence thinks he can save the feud by marrying the young
- Romeo asks marry me Juliet
- Aggressive
- Romeo tells Tybalt he loves him

1st paragraph – FATE
2nd paragraph – LADY CAPULET

3rd paragraph – HOWEVER …
Although fate and Lady Capulet contrive against Romeo and Juliet, Romeos reckless and passionate nature does set him up to react emotionally and, therefore, recklessly; ultimately resulting in his death. Romeo is the type of young man who gives himself entirely to his feelings. We know this because of his paralysing love for Rosaline at the beginning of the film and how quickly this is forgotten when he meets Juliet. Luhrman emphasizes this element of Romeo’s personality in Romeo’s costume, a shirt with a heart visible on his chest. When Tybalt kills Mercutio, Romeo does not pause to grieve but, instead, hunts down Tybalt to seek revenge. He then shoots an unarmed Tybalt squarely in the chest three times. Afterward he cry’s to the stars “oh I am fortunes fool” however the audience recognises that it his own passionate nature that he led him to this moment. This does not mean that he is to blame, rather that given his personality.