Submit your order instructions

Get essay writer assigned

Receive your completed paper

The role of fate in the deaths of Romeo and Juliet

This MLA-formatted, college-level literature essay explores how William Shakespeare uses fate as a central force driving the tragic events in Romeo and Juliet. Titled “The Role of Fate in the Deaths of Romeo and Juliet,” the paper argues that fate—not just human error—is the ultimate cause of the lovers’ demise. The essay supports this claim through close textual analysis, including the use of omens, missed messages, and the characters’ own admissions of helplessness.

May 17, 2025

* The sample essays are for browsing purposes only and are not to be submitted as original work to avoid issues with plagiarism.

Surname 1

Student’s Name

Professor’s Name

Course

Date

The Role of Fate in the Deaths of Romeo and Juliet

Abstract

In Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, fate is portrayed as the primary cause of the lovers' terrible

end. Notably, the play implies that their deaths are inevitable from the Prologue's statement of

their "star-cross'd" destiny to recurrent omens and unfortunate coincidences. Readers observe

that the undelivered letter (including other instances of miscommunication), together with

metaphorical allusions to luck, functions to solidify fate's hold further. Romeo and Juliet

acknowledge their impotence in the face of outside circumstances. That noted, Shakespeare

paints a picture of fate as the deciding element, and thus guarantees that the prophecy of doom is

realized--even when human error plays a part in the tragedy. The audience is left to consider

destiny's harsh inevitability as the play stresses how unavoidable it is.

Keywords: Fate, Tragedy, Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, Star-crossed lovers,

Miscommunication, Destiny, Omens, Elizabethan drama, Inevitable death

Surname 2

Introduction

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare ( written around 1595 during the Elizabethan era) is a

sad love tale in which the two young lovers' deaths are largely due to fate. The audience is

informed from the beginning that Romeo and Juliet are "star-crossed lovers" doomed to disaster

(Sun 11). Such a line establishes the mood for a story where fate functions as a driving force, and

thus goes on to influence each turn and twist. That noted, throughout the play, fate is presented

through omens, coincidences, and the characters’ own sense of helplessness against forces

beyond their control. Although rivalries and human mistakes play a part in the tragedy, fate

ultimately brings about their demise.

Fate as a Foretold Destiny

Shakespeare makes fate the primary cause of the lovers' tragic demise right from the start of

Romeo and Juliet. As "a pair of star-cross'd lovers" whose romance is destined by fate, we

observe that the Chorus introduces them openly (Shakespeare Prologue 6). That noted, through

implying astrological influence, the term "star-cross'd" frames their love as predestined and,

more so, beyond their control. Romeo's dark premonition that "my mind misgives / Some

consequence yet hanging in the stars / Shall bitterly begin his fearful date / With this night’s

revels" (Shakespeare 1.4.106-109) prior to the Capulet ball helps to stress this idea.

This moment is crucial—Romeo senses that fate has already started a sad path, linking

his future suffering to the stars. Likewise, in a chilling premonition of their last moments, Juliet

subsequently imagines Romeo as "one dead in the bottom of a tomb” (Shakespeare 3.5.56).

Readers observe that such omens give the protagonists a sense of inevitable fate--as if each

choice they make will only lead them closer to their doom. Even the external battle that the

Montagues and Capulets did not initiate (the feud) functions as a mechanism of fate, and thus

Surname 3

goes on to ensure that their love would always be prohibited and doomed. Overall, through such

approaches, Shakespeare highlights how Romeo and Juliet's lives are controlled by forces they

cannot overcome.

Coincidences & Miscommunication

The cruelest manifestation of fate can be seen in this work when a string of unlikely events and

disastrous misunderstandings leads the lovers to their terrible demise. "Nor could I send it—here

it is again— / Nor get a messenger to bring it thee, / So fearful were they of infection" is the

most crucial instance, which takes place when Friar John--who is assigned to deliver Friar

Laurence's letter explaining Juliet's assumed death--is placed under quarantine because of a

plague outbreak (Shakespeare 5.2.14-16). This single disruption, which is entirely beyond the

protagonists' control, initiates the eventual tragedy. That noted, Romeo would have been aware

of the truth if the letter had arrived, but instead, he commits suicide on impulse after hearing

Balthasar's false story of Juliet's passing. In addition, Shakespeare stresses the harsh precision of

fate by having Juliet awaken just seconds after Romeo's death, which is even more sorrowful

(Shakespeare 5.3.161-170). Such intentional illustrations of how fate works against the lovers

can be further seen when Romeo and Juliet are forced into secrecy plus haste by the

Capulet-Montague rivalry, which they did not start but which they inherit; such a development

leaves their intentions open to disaster. Overall, Shakespeare presents these incidents as an

unavoidable series of events.

Characters' Awareness

Shakespeare deepens the theme of fate by having his characters constantly admit that it controls

their lives. Overall, this leads to a tragic irony in which they understand their powerlessness yet

still fight against it. When Romeo kills Tybalt and exclaims in agony, "O, I am fortune's fool!"

Surname 4

this self-awareness achieves its peak (Shakespeare 3.1.136). As the audience, we observe that

Romeo's abrupt understanding that he has become a puppet of fate (his impetuous behavior has

unintentionally fulfilled the Prologue's prophecy) is revealed at this crucial juncture (Sun 8). The

word "fool" has two meanings: it implies that he has been duped by fate and that he has become

its jester, and more unfortunately, compelled to play its cruel game.

In addition, when he finds the bodies, Friar Laurence, the play's voice of reason, finally

gives up to fate's dominance, noting "A greater power than we can contradict / Hath thwarted our

intents" (Shakespeare 5.3.153-154). As a man of God and science, his failed efforts symbolize

humanity's fruitless attempts to outmaneuver divine will, and thus make his admission all the

more meaningful. Shakespeare provides several characters with these confessions to highlight

the idea that fate is not merely a theoretical idea but a very powerful unseen force.

Conclusion

Fate is the unseen power in Romeo and Juliet that, as readers observe, guarantees the lovers'

terrible demise. Shakespeare portrays fate as a force that cannot be stopped/avoided through

various approaches--say foreboding, unfortunate events, and the characters' own realization of

their helplessness. That noted, fate ultimately plans the events that result in Romeo and Juliet's

deaths, even as human actions (such as the feud and rash decisions) contribute to the tragedy.

Overall, by implying that certain things are out of human control, the play invites viewers to

consider how harsh and, more so, unavoidable fate is.

Surname 5

Works Cited

Shakespeare, William. "Romeo and Juliet." One-Hour Shakespeare. Routledge, 2019.

Sun, Jiayu. "A Community Built by Love and Death in Romeo and Juliet." Journal of Theory

and Practice of Management Science 3.3 (2023): 7-11.

May 17, 2025

24/7 custom essay writing by real academic writers

WPH

Academic level:

Undergraduate 1-2

Type of paper:

Essay

Discipline:

Literature

Citation:

MLA

Pages:

4 (1009 words)

Spacing:

Double