Romeo And Juliet Fate Vs Free Will

Romeo and Juliet both end their lives in the play Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare. Romeo and Juliet are deeply in love with each and die just to be with each other. However, their love is not the reason to why they take their lives away. Fate plays a significant role in the deaths of these two characters and is at fault for their deaths as well. This also leads to the theme of fate versus free will. Romeo and Juliet are fated to meet each other from the beginning of the play and die with each other at the end of the play. The idea of fate starts off in Act 3, Scene 1. In this scene, the deaths of Mercutio and Tybalt occur. Tybalt first kills Mercutio and Romeo then retaliates by killing Tybalt. In the text it states, “A plague o’ both houses!”
(Shakespeare 121). This bloody scene in which characters are killed gives a glimpse of what fate has in store, marking the beginning of Romeo and Juliet’s downfall. It is not Tybalt or Mercutio’s fault for the downfall of Romeo and Juliet. The Capulets and Montagues are not at fault either. Fate is responsible for everything happening to Romeo and Juliet. Romeo is destined to kill Tybalt and be exiled by the Prince. This leads to Juliet faking her death and Romeo considering Juliet’s death to be real. This builds up to Romeo and Juliet’s tragedy. Romeo has a second dream in Act 5 in which he dreams of being dead.
As he is lying dead in his dream, Juliet comes up to him and kisses him. Once Juliet kisses him, Romeo comes back to life. In the text it states, “I dreamt my lady came and found me dead and breathed such life with kisses in my lips that I revived and was an emperor” (Shakespeare 211). This quote demonstrates that Romeo’s death is being foreshadowed since he dreams about it. Only Juliet’s love and affection give Romeo life again. In actuality, if Romeo dies, then Juliet will die with him as well. This dream conveys that Romeo is actually destined to die right before Juliet
does. The idea of fate progresses when Friar John is not able to deliver the letter to Romeo.
Friar Lawrence tells Friar John to send Romeo a letter so that he is aware of Juliet’s fake death. Romeo is ought to visit Juliet and wake her up. However, since the letter is not sent, Romeo actually considers Juliet’s death to be true. In the text it states, “And hire those horses. I’ll be with thee straight. Well, Juliet, I will lie with thee tonight” (Shakespeare 213). This quote indicates that Romeo’s death is arriving and that he will kill himself. Romeo desires to go back to Verona to lie with his dear Juliet. Romeo even purchases a sleeping poison from an apothecary (drug seller). Romeo is fated to believe that Juliet is actually dead and Juliet is ought to wake up and find Romeo dead. By the end of the play, Juliet actually does wake up to find both Paris and Romeo dead. Juliet kisses Romeo to see if he is actually dead, resulting in no reaction from the lifeless and breathless Romeo. Juliet takes a dagger and stabs herself to be with Romeo. The misconception and failure of delivering the letter to Romeo are the final steps that lead to both Romeo and Juliet’s deaths. It is neither Friar Lawrence nor Friar John’s fault for not being able to deliver to letter to Romeo. While trying to send the letter to Romeo, Friar John is shut up in a quarantined house due to an outbreak of plague. Friar John is not to blame for being unable to deliver the letter to Romeo in
Mantua. In the beginning of the play, the chorus is singing about Romeo and Juliet and predicts their life together as having a star-crossed conclusion. The chorus illustrates that the lives of Romeo and Juliet have ill-fated conclusions. Romeo and Juliet could see that their lives are not going the way they want. Romeo and Juliet want to marry each other but there are many barriers between them. Both characters have many failed attempts in their efforts to trick fate out of what is ultimately going to happen to both of them. For instance, Juliet’s death is a fail attempt to bring Romeo and Juliet together. As said earlier, Romeo kills himself because he thinks Juliet is dead and wants to be with her. Juliet wakes up, finds Romeo laying down without a soul, and kills herself as well. Romeo and Juliet see omens throughout the play, continually reminding the audience of their fate. None of the characters in the play are at fault of the deaths of Romeo and Juliet, but it is their fate that plays a significant role and contributes to their deaths. Both characters are fated to meet each other and fall in love with each other. They are fated to die for the greater good of Verona, ending the feud between the Capulets and Montagues.