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Felicia Caruntu

Mr. Meagher

ENG 2D7

15 May 2023

The Curse of Fate in Romeo and Juliet

Fate dictates one’s destiny, only if one allows it. Throughout Romeo and Juliet by

William Shakespeare, it is shown that allowing fate to influence one’s motivations can be

destructive, leading to a lack of accountability in the characters’ mis-planned actions, ending in

avoidable tragedies. This is proven through Romeo’s justification of his poor decision making

skills, the motivations for the family’s vengeful feud, and the literary device of foreshadowing

throughout.

Foremost, Romeo utilizes fate to avoid accepting responsibility for his aggressive

behavior and rash judgements. Throughout, Romeo commits many violent acts towards the

Capulets- a rival family. Refusing to be held accountable, he claims that it is his fate. For

instance, after killing Tybalt- a Capulet, Romeo claims, “Oh, I am fortune’s fool” (3.1.141). His

statement proves that he allows destiny and what he believes is his fortune to guide him, leading

him to make poor decisions, and never realizing his mistake. As he never reflects upon his

actions, he repeats these erroneous, violent decisions and later kills Paris, letting his fate with the

feuding family guide him blindly and to allow him to make preventable misjudgements.

Similarly, Romeo makes a misinformed, rash decision when he lets fate dictate his relationship

with Juliet, leading to their demise. When Romeo is about to meet Juliet, he states, “Some

consequence, yet hanging in the stars/ Shall bitterly begin his fearful date” (1.4.114-115). Even
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before having met Juliet, he inadvertently determines that a negative consequence in the stars

will separate them and uses this to justify his hasty decisions, such as when he takes deathly

poison, thinking that Juliet is also dead. Since he relies on an astral influence keeping them apart

due to their feuding families, Romeo does not question Juliet’s death. This allows him to trust

that they will never truly be happy and alive together, justifying and accepting his unnecessary,

avoidable death due to fate.

In addition, the dependance of fate by the cunning families is used to condone their

mal-planned choices. The feuding families are first shown fighting haphazardly in the town

square, ignoring all warning signs and remaining unconcerned, accusing a higher power of

deciding their sides. When the two young Montagues encounter Capulets and are deciding if they

should commence fighting, one of them states “Let us take the law of our sides” (1.1.39). While

they are aware of the consequences of their actions, they choose to blame what they believe is

the higher power and law that instructs their sides and motivations. Therefore, ignoring what is

the logical choice learned from past experiences. This rushed, fate-based decision causes many

other Capulets and Montagues to join the fight, even involving the Prince. Once again,

immaturity and lack of self discipline fuels corrupt and avoidable choices based on a false sense

of destiny that the families believe in. Later, when Tybalt encounters Romeo at the Capulet feast,

he rapidly decides that he must initiate a causeless fight with Romeo, solely based on what he

believes is his duty from a higher power. After seeing Romeo, Tybalt states, “Now by the stock

and honor of my kin/ To strike him dead I hold it not a sin” (1.5.70-71). Since Tybalt thinks that

it his honor to follow his predetermined destiny of feuding with the Montague family, he quickly

justifies this decision. Even after being convinced by Lord Capulet to not follow through with

what he believes is his duty and fate in that situation, Tybalt does not see past this false sense of
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destiny, ending in disaster.

Furthermore, the literary element of foreshadowing is used throughout the play to

demonstrate the character’s actions being influenced by fate. As seen in their actions, Mercutio’s

last words before his death haunt the two rival families. This foreshadows and influences the rest

of their choices, resulting in unnecessary mistakes. After Romeo accidentally allows Tybalt to

stab Mercutio, Mercutio states “A plague o’both houses” (3.1.94). Mercutio’s threat of plagues to

the two families causes them to engage in further hatred motivated actions, demonstrating that it

has foretold their decisions to continue to follow what they believe is their fate. The two

families’ rash decisions lead to the ultimate destruction of them both, with the avoidable result of

Romeo and Juliet perishing. Likewise, the Friar’s reaction to Romeo’s hasty plans foreshadow

Romeo and Juliet’s fate based, immature decisions. For instance, when Romeo tells the Friar, a

mentor figure to him, about his plans to be married to Juliet after knowing her for a day, the

Friar’s reaction predicts the rest of his choices. The Friar responds, “Women may fall when there

is no strength in men” (2.3.85). The Friar’s idea on how women, Juliet, will fall when there is no

strength in men, Romeo, suggests and causes Romeo to think that it is his fate that he will lack

strength and be weak in times of need. Consequently, Romeo makes the hasty immature decision

to surrender and take deadly poison when he believes that Juliet is dead. Thus, Romeo presumes

that the Friar’s comment had foreshadowed his fate, accounting his ill-conceived choices and

never fully coming to terms with what could be done to break the cycle of ill-advised decisions,

built from a higher power.

In conclusion, the poor choice of allowing fate to manipulate one’s decisions is reinforced

through Romeo’s rationale for his violent and brisk actions, the factors behind the families’

spiteful dispute that motivated these events and the use of foreshadowing as a literary element to
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further convey the main idea. As depicted by William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, allowing

a false sense of inevitable fate to decide one’s choices can be harmful, creating immaturity and

irresponsibility in the character’s half-baked decisions, ending in preventable catastrophe. If

there is anything to be learned from Romeo and Juliet, it is that fate is strong, but one’s will is

stronger.
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Works Cited

Shakespeare, William, et al. The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. Simon and Schuster

Paperbacks, 2011.