Romeo and Juliet Essay Task

Shakespeare uses fate throughout the play, Romeo,and Juliet, to emphasise that fate is uncontrollable. In the play, Romeo and Juliet are “star-cross’d” lovers that are from feuding families, they fall very quickly in love and both die in the end together. Although many consider this story to be a tragedy, the tragic ending was what thoroughly popularised and invited more audiences to watch and read the play. The definition of fate is ‘the development of events outside a person’s control, regarded as predetermined by a supernatural power’. The author of the play Romeo and Juliet, who is Shakespeare, explores the idea of fate by using several different devices to help showcase how everything happens for a reason. By using the prologue, metaphors and dramatic irony, the audience knows more than the characters on stage. Therefore the audience needs to know because it gives the story a strength and a purpose by defining the direction it will take. This is why fate holds great significance to the play and is demonstrated in many different effective ways.

The most obvious demonstration of fate is most definitely the Prologue. The Prologue is a small introduction spoken by, in this case, the chorus before the start of the play. The Prologue was very commonly used in the Elizabethan era because it is used to set the scene and provide the audience with information so they are aware of the setting, plot and the direction this play will head into. The idea of fate is used throughout the Prologue because the words themselves explain all the events of the play and is essentially Romeo and Juliet’s fate written down on paper. It tells the audience the main characters fate because it is uncontrollable to both the characters and the audience so even though the end of the story is revealed at the beginning, this enforces the audience to focus more on the ‘journey’ which is the path fate takes the story rather than the ‘destination’ which is the tragic deaths that occur at the end. Evidence from line 6 of the Prologue state: “A pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life” translates to Romeo and Juliet are in an unlucky and forbidden relationship which results in the both of them killing themselves. They are both a pair of deeply in love teens essentially who are presumed ‘star crossed’ due to their families feuding against each other. This quote supports the notion that there is most definitely fate showcased throughout the Prologue because it specifically states their fate intentionally. Even though fate is uncontrollable to the characters, the only thing that is controllable about it is how it is told and when. Therefore putting obvious hints of fate at the beginning of the play is by all means done on purpose. Another quote, line 9, from the prologue, says: “The fearful passage of their death-mark’d love”, similarly to the previous quote it exposes the fate by explaining their love is ended by death therefore ‘death mark’d’ and also gives hint to the difficult course that the plot undertakes to lead up to the deaths. This quote once again fully represents the notion that fate is intentional meaning purposely showcased in this way. Shakespeare put these elements of fate into the Prologue because of how it helps to further define the direction of the play and for the audience to better understand why the events that lead up to the ending (Romeo and Juliet’s fate) happened. Fate also reinforces that everything happens for a reason.

When Romeo and Juliet metaphorically reference the stars, it is reinforcing uncontrollable fate. Both Romeo and Juliet use metaphors and celestial imagery to describe the situations that they are experiencing and this imagery represents the role of fate throughout the play. When comparing the situation they are in, to the stars in the sky, it represents that everything is inevitable and unavoidable. Therefore like stars, they are uncontrollable with where they go, how they start and how they end. Whatever happens cannot be prevented, stopped or continued. Hence why stars are used as a metaphor for representing fate, both fate, and the stars are out of anybody’s control. This is proven when Romeo in act 1 of scene 4, line 108 states “Some consequence yet hanging in the stars.” It means to be ordained by the stars, but not yet revealed. Romeo has no control over his fate, and that is what ‘hanging in the stars’ refers to, however, the consequence is just fate and Romeo’s actions. This quote supports the notion that Shakespeare is using celestial imagery to demonstrate how uncontrollable fate truly is. His use of metaphors help to put events into perspective and relating fate back to stars is an accurate way of showcasing how realistic and unstoppable they all are. In act 5, scene 1, line 24: “Is it e’en so? Then I defy you stars!” is stated by Romeo after he discovers Juliet is ‘dead’. Broken down, the quote translates to ‘defy’ which is to resist or refuse to obey. What Romeo is refusing to obey is actually his fate because his fate is in the stars, simply uncontrollable. Both quotes provide prominent evidence that Shakespeare chose to use the stars as a visual representation of fate. He chose stars to better convey the true definition of uncontrollable and is a great way to represent fate in a metaphoric image like form.

Dramatic irony showcased fate by characters recognising their own fates unintentionally. Dramatic irony is a type of irony that is inherited in speeches or situations in drama and is only understood by the audience but not yet grasped by the characters. It was used throughout the play with Romeo and Juliet especially, referencing death when they were unaware of how near their deaths actually were. Obviously, the audience knew they were going to die, therefore understood their statements about their own deaths in an ironic way. This correlates to their fates because it is essentially the characters discussing their own fates without being aware of it. For example, in act 1, scene 5, line 140: “My grave is like to be my wedding bed.” spoken by Juliet, the ironic part? Her grave is her wedding bed. It translates to I will die if I can’t marry him which is using dramatic irony to anticipate that exact event to come. When referring to the grave, it is her place of resting for after the initial death or simply an allusive term for death. Her wedding bed is the bed that the first night of a newly wedded couple typically spends together, so to put this quote into context, she is declaring that if she was to marry anyone else other than Romeo, she’d die. Another quote relating to marriage and graves, act 3, scene 5, line 140: ” I would the fool were married to her grave.” is said by Lady Capulet to Juliet when Juliet and her parents are in an argument because she refuses to marry Paris. The irony in this quote, very similarly to the previous one, Juliet’s death regarding a marriage (obviously Lady Capulet was unaware of the truth behind these words). Lady Capulet wishes she would marry Paris and only him, or else she might as well be dead. At this point, the audience is fully aware of how Juliet’s fate has a significant role in the quote and understands that not only does she refuse because she does not want to marry Paris, but also because she is already married! When Shakespeare uses dramatic Irony in this context it emphasises that because fate is out of a person’s control, it brings plenty of opportunity for irony to occur because of that. What makes something a character says ironic links back to how it only is because the audience knows more than the characters on stage. This is how fate was transferred and recognised throughout the play to remind the audience that their fates are real and whatever happens is not only uncontrollable but also happens for a reason.

In conclusion, Shakespeare explores the idea of ‘fate’ through several langauge and literary devices, those of which include a prologue, metaphors or celestial imagery and dramatic irony. All three provide an accurate way to help convey the fate of all characters and support the idea that fate is uncontrollable and inevitable. The prologue helps the audience understand the fate and the direction the plot will go, metaphors help compare fate to how its controlled by a supernatural power and dramatic irony reinforces fate and how everything unconsciously happens for a reason. All three devices support the notion that Shakespeare intentionally allows the audience to know their fate and is why Romeo and Juliet remains one of the most famous tragedies in history. Therefore the purpose of addressing these statements in this essay is because in the play Romeo and Juliet, it provides evidence of fate and how it is uncontrollable by everyone.