Fate is something that most people do not believe in, but in the small percentage that do, include William Shakespeare. Shakespeare tries to prove that fate to be true through figurative language and incidents in the play. Fate is involved in all the events surrounding the young lovers: the ancient and inexplicable hate between their families, the impossible series of mishaps which ruin Friar Lawrence plans, and the tragic timing of Romeos suicide and Gullet’s awakening. The whole structure of the play relies upon the fate from which the two lovers cannot escape.
The play egging with a brawl between the servants of the Montague and Caplet families, illustrating that the “ancient grudge” between the families runs so deep that even the servants are affected. When Juliet and Romeo first met they were oblivious to the fact that the other was from the enemy family. The two lovers were guided by fate to meet each other, even though it was supposedly a coincidence. Romeo agrees to attend the Caplet ball because he is in “love” with Rosalie, and wanted the chance to see her; he also continuously denies that he would be impressed by any other woman other Han Rosalie.
Juliet, however, attended the ball under the instructions of her mother to see whether she could love Count Paris. Figurative language is scoured throughout the play, clues about fate being real. Before Romeo meets Juliet he utters the line “I fear too early, for my mind missives some consequences yet hanging in the stars , shall bitterly begin his fearful date with this night revels… Ay some vile forfeit of untimely death”. Romeo solemnly says that he feels that something will happen tonight, at Capsules party, where it will change his life forever, and lead to his death.
Romeo ended it with saying: he felt it in the stars. A peculiar thing leading up to the meeting of the two families, is how Romeo even got to know of Caplet’s party. A servant, with the list of people to attend, coincidently asks Romeo to read it for him. Does this coincidence have nothing to do with fate? Stars, is the hidden key meaning; it is the disguise for the fates. Shakespeare has used stars, a reference to the heavens, to stand for the fates. Fate is further shown in the play through events. Upon Romeos departure, Juliet murmurs to resell, “If he be married, my grave is like to be my wedding bed”.
Although Romeo is unmarried, Juliet is ignorant to the fact that Romeo is a Montague, and for Juliet loving a Montague is a far more serious crime than loving a married man. As the play continues on the omens of the two lovers prove disastrously true. During the previous evening Table, Gullet’s cousin, recognized the voice of Romeo, a Montague, and became very angry. He told Lord Caplet that Romeo was at the party but Lord Caplet refused to allow bloodshed in his house, and Table swore that he would get revenge for this insult.
He angrily hisses, “l will withdraw, but this intrusion shall, now seeming sweet, convert to bitterest gall”. These words soon prove to be true when Table challenges Romeo to a dual. Romeo refuses the challenge as Table IS now Romeos cousin. Mercuric is embarrassed by Romeos cowardice and fights Table. Romeo tries to stop them two fighting but as he pulled the two apart Table took the chance to stab Mercuric. Infuriated by Americium’s death, Romeo abandons his passive temperament and declares, “Away to the Heaven, respective Lenient and fire end fury be my conduct now’.
Through his rage Romeo slays Table. Now for more in-depth examples of fates existence in this play. A specific incident occurs that shows us that fate plays a major part in this play. In Act 5 scene 1 Romeo recites, “Of I may trust the flattering truth of sleep… L dreamt my lady came and found me dead and breathed such life with kisses in my lips I awe’. Romeos dreams, in this play, seem to always come true; the dreams he speak of are usually of the future. The first dream he spoke of occurred at Caplet’s party, which was about Juliet appearance.
As soon as Romeo meets Juliet, he rose from his depression of losing Rosalie and the two agreed on marrying each other in the short time they met. Romeo and Gullet’s undying love became stronger than any other love known before. In the play not only Romeos dreams come true but also Baluster’s . Blathers talks about the time, “As I did sleep under this tree here, I dreamt my master and another fought, and that my master slew him”. By no coincidence this later occurred when Romeo slew Table. Shakespeare uses fate to explain these phenomenon’s. Fate had Romeo and Baluster’s dreams evolve and become reality.
Another incident that the ill-fated lovers faced was the letter that never reached Romeo. The explanation of this event lies in Act 5 Scene 2, “Going to find a barefoot brother out… Let here in this city visiting the sick and finding him, the searchers of the town, suspecting that we both were in the house where infectious pestilence did reign, sealed up the doors and would not let us forth, so that my speed to Mantra was stayed”. The chance of this very letter that was of so much importance would not each Romeo, was so little that it was almost unbelievable.
But as Shakespeare proposes, fate had it all set up. Fate had the letter not be sent. Fate also had Romeo drink the poison from a random show of an apothecary, who just happened to be carrying poison around with him. After hiding from the prince’s men and sneaking into Gullet’s burial Romeo drinks the poison and dies lying next to Juliet. After he dies Juliet wakes up from the effects of the potion she drank and finds her husband dead next to her, and through her sadness stabs herself and dies next to Romeo.
Fate had Juliet get engaged to another man, Paris, who had gained the liking of Lord Caplet. Juliet did not want to get married and hence squirmed her way out of marriage by drinking the magic potion. Fate had Romeo exiled, due to an incident where he kills a kinsmen of the Caplet family, in revenge for a good friend. So he, Romeo did not catch on to the trick Juliet had installed onto her family and friends to be with him. Fate had Romeo and Gullet’s love cursed from the very beginning, as said in the prologue “The fearful passage of their death-marked love”.
All in all, Shakespearean attempt at proving the existence of Fate is shown in the smallest, littlest details ever imagined possible, in the tragic ply, Romeo and Juliet. Figurative language and incidents both play as the technique Shakespeare chose to use in the novel. And the topic Fate just stands as an explanation of why things turned out the way it did in Romeo and Juliet. The topic of which Shakespeare writes of is important to readers because it might not just be a topic. It might instead be a message. Like for instance; even the wildest dreams can come true. So keep believing in them.
