The Progression of Fate in Romeo and Juliet
Definition:
- inevitable destiny
- the fates are 3 goddesses that determined birth, life,
and death
Prologue:
- Romeo and Juliet have fate against them.
- Their love is “Death mark’d” and they seemingly have no
control over what happens.
- Their misfortune leads to the tragic ending of the play
- Establishes the shadow of fate that falls over the play
- The audience is very aware of the characters fate and so
watch as they make each of their fateful decisions
- Could they have made different choices?
1.1
- immediately connects with the prologue to substantiate
the element of fate –the feud is shown
- Prince strengthens element of fate by statement that
death will be the result of the next brawl
- We look for this to happen and it does
- Questions linger as to how R&J end up together as we know
Romeo is in love with Rosaline who has just taken vow of
chastity
1.2
- Paris is promised Juliet’s hand in marriage if he can
wait until she is 16
- how will this same girl be married in less than a day?
- “And too soon marr’d are those so early made.
The earth hath swallow’d all my hopes but she,
She is the hopeful lady of my earth.”
- foreshadows the haste that runs through the play and
ultimately destroys R&J
- fate gives Romeo opportunity when Peter gives him the
guest list to the Capulet feast to read.
- Had R. not run into P. he never would have attended feast
and never would have met J.
- But he doesn’t have to attend and shouldn’t since he
knows they are sworn enemies
- He has free will here
1.3
-
we meet Juliet, a young girl, obedient to mother
embarrassed by Nurse’s sexual talk
shows innocence and little knowledge of the outside world
is this the same girl who is so forward with R. at the
feast and who asks for marriage in less than a few hours
and who is longing for sex in less than a day?
1.4
-
the first mention of Dreams
Mercutio as foil to Romeo – contrasting view of dreams
R. “I dream’d a dream tonight.”
Witty word play to introduce Mab speech
First description then dreams are tied to fate of dreamer
Dreams slowly become more and more corrupt until ultimate
breakdown that ties dreams to failure of love once sex
occurs
R. doesn’t understand “Thou talk’st of nothing”
M. “I talk of dreams, which are the children of an idle
brain.”
Before R. enters Capulet’s he speaks of unknown danger
“hanging in the stars”
Life thought to be predetermined by fate
His dream predicts his future but he still makes a choice
to go
1.5
- almost immediately R sees J and describes her
- at once Tybalt sees R. setting up conflict and theme of
revenge that will effect all the action from 3.1 to end
- Tybalt plans revenge based on feud which is too great a
conflict for R&J to overcome except through death
- Makes Juliet Christ type – they are sacrificed for the
healing of the community
- Prologue predicts this – fate
- R. immediately speaks to J. using reference to saints to
get a kiss
- Exchange of sonnet shows immediate intertwining of the
characters minds/dreams
- Juliet has already changed
- Willingly accepts first kiss and asks for second
- Shows that J is book smart on kissing
- Almost immediately (20 lines) lovers learn of fate that
they are of enemy families
- Scene is rushed to anticipate haste of play and show the
accelerated out of control relationship between R&J
2.2
- balcony scene – fate that R. would see J again alone
- the hastily thought of marriage
- they have only known each other 6-8 hours
2.3
- friar warns R. that impulsive behaviour has negative
results which reminds audience that R.’s fate is
predetermined and that there will be destructive results
from his actions
- yet friar agrees to hastily arranged marriage the same
day
- “they stumble that run fast”
3.1
- Why does R. make the choice to leave J. and seek out his
friends? To what purpose?
- it is fate that Mercutio, Tybalt and Romeo all meet in
the square at the same time.
- Mercutio is killed under R. arm and curses the 2 houses
- Why does Tybalt leave and return again
- Romeo immediately turns from a character of peace and
love to one of vengeance and hate
- R shows two sides of the play in one character
- R exits saying he is “Fortunes fool”
- there is a realization that R&J have little to do with
what happens to them from this point
- they are fated to be involved with how the feud will end
3.4
- the date is set for J. wedding to Paris which will force
J into a decision
3.5
– Romeo and Juliet having consummated their marriage are
now fated to be separated as a result of R’s banishment and
will never again see each other ‘alive’
- Juliet has a vision of R dead at the bottom of a tomb
- Foreshadow of already destined events of the lovers
- J is told about the marriage with Paris which she has no
control over
- she challenges it but ultimately must resort to deception
(her sin as well as impetuosity) to get out of the marriage
- this event leads to the fateful end
- J is abandoned by all supports leaving her to make
fateful choice
4.1
- J deceives Paris
- J seeks solution from friar
- J accepts sleeping drug and once again deceives and makes
a choice that further leads to the tragic end
5.1
- R. has a dream that J. finds him dead foreshadowing the
already destined death of the lovers although he has a
choice to see that the dream could be a warning against
haste
- R. learns that J is dead and he defies fate by saying “I
defy you stars”
- But no matter what he has no control over his destiny
5.2
- Friar John explains the letter never got to R.
- R. never got the news, buys poison and intends on killing
himself to be eternally with J.
5.3
- J wakes and asks for R.
- a higher power – fate – has foiled their plans
- through fate the friar does not make it to the tomb on
time and can’t tell R that J is not really dead, rather
fate did not get there on time
- To further demonstrate the element of fate and the out of
control world that R&J find themselves in Shakespeare
plays with time.
- From the opening prologue we now that the action will
only take 2 hours which ultimately puts a time limit on
R&J’s lives
-
From
From
From
From
From
1.1
3.5
4.4
5.1
5.2
to
to
to
to
to
3.4
4.3
4.5
5.2
5.3
is
is
is
is
is
one day
one day
4 hours
one day
4 hours
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
- time seems to accelerate as the real stage time becomes
shorter as the plays time becomes greater.
- That is that an hour of real time represents a day of
stage time in the beginning but as the play moves forward
10 minutes of real time represents a day of stage time