Victims or Fate?

Quiahja Williams
Mr. Wyse
English 1 Honors- 4B
6 June 2013
Word Count: 917
Victims or Fate? William Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet, is one of the greatest love stories of all time. The play is a story of forbidden love that is resolved in two tragic deaths. Romeo and Juliet come from feuding families, but they defy the feud and fall in love. This story misfortune plays a major role in this story of two star-crossed lovers. Romeo and Juliet comes from different families. Many events take place during the five short days they share their love. All of the events surround characters from both the Montague and Capulet families. Romeo did not receive the letter to know what was going on with Juliet. Fate’s final blow was to make Romeo arrive at the tomb just minutes before Juliet awoke. If he arrived after Juliet had woken up, the plan would not have been necessary and the lovers would have had a chance at a happy life together. Deaths led to the end of the ancient feud. The predetermination of fate led one catastrophic event into another. If fate had not shown up at one place, the lovers might have lived. Fate may have been brutal to Romeo and Juliet, but it had its motive, which was to end the feud. It is indisputable that fate is the most dominant force in the play and is most responsible for the devastating death of the young lovers. Even though nobody likes it, bad luck exists. There is no way to get rid of it; it is just a part of life. Not everything can go the way someone wants it to. If something random happens to someone and it favors them, like winning the lottery, then that is good luck for that person. Likewise, if something random happens to someone and it is unfavorable, like a rampaging rhinoceros escaping from a nearby zoo and brutally slaughtering them and 23 other people, which would be bad luck. Just like everybody else, William Shakespeare's, Romeo, and Juliet are victims of bad luck. The Capulets and Montagues hate each other, Juliet has an arranged marriage to Paris, and there is a plague in the city of the messenger. And so it is bad luck and fate that ultimately cause the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. The Capulets and Montagues are at odds with each other. Members of each house and servants break into a sword fight, clashing with each other. Sampson says "Draw, if you be men”. Gregory, “Remember thy swashing blow.” The feuding between the two families motivates Sampson to challenge the Capulets. Another they do not want to be recognized because of the hatred between the two houses. Also, Romeo and Juliet are not supposed to be in love. Romeo and Juliet are not supposed to love each other because it just so happens that each of their houses despise each other. It is unfortunate for Romeo and Juliet that their two families are against each other, because this means that they are not supposed to be married. A second stroke of bad luck is Juliet's arranged marriage to Paris. Juliet does not want to marry Paris, she states. “I will not marry yet; and, when I do I swear, It shall be Romeo, whom you know I hate, Rather than Paris,” said Juliet. These are news indeed! This shows that not only does Juliet not want to marry, but it is also an example of dramatic irony whereas the audience knows she really does want to be with Romeo. But then, Friar Laurence offers a solution: "Take thou this vial, being then in bed, and this distilled liquor drink thou off. When presently through all thy veins shall run.” He is saying that he can give Juliet a drink which will put her into a coma that will make it appear as though she is dead so that she can escape into exile to be with Romeo. However, the marriage is rescheduled for Wednesday instead of Thursday, and Capulet says "Send for the County; go tell him of this: I'll have this now knit up tomorrow morning,” Because of this Juliet must drink the contents of the vial earlier. The arranged marriage is bad luck because it is another obstacle which prevents Romeo and Juliet from being together. Bad luck for the two star-crossed lovers is the plague in the city of the messenger. The message from Friar Laurence must reach Romeo through a friar to Mantua. The message must reach Romeo so that he knows what Friar Laurence and Juliet have planned. Unfortunately, because of the plague, there is a quarantine which prevents the messenger, Friar John, from delivering his message in time. Consequently, since Romeo does not receive a letter from Friar Laurence telling of their plan, Romeo instead hears from Balthasar that Juliet is dead, and now rests in the Capulet crypt. Since it prevents the messenger from reaching Romeo with the important letter, the plague is very unfortunate for Romeo and Juliet. The hatred between their families means that they are not supposed to be together, Juliet's arranged marriage means that according to tradition she should instead be marrying Paris, and the quarantine in the city of the messenger prevents Romeo from learning what is really going on. Romeo claims he is a victim of bad luck. Everybody is a victim of bad luck, so in a sense, everybody is a fool of Fortune.