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Essay: Love and Fate: The Blame in Romeo and Juliet’s Tragic End

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  • Published: 23 March 2023*
  • Last Modified: 22 July 2024
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  • Words: 1,018 (approx)
  • Number of pages: 5 (approx)
  • Tags: Romeo and Juliet essays

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The idea of star-crossed lovers and that love conquers all is a popular idea in the pop culture of this time. With the popularization of movies such as Frozen and Beauty and the Beast many have fallen into the void of thinking that love truly is an almighty power. The idea that the “stars” can have an influence of events on Earth continues to appeal to younger audiences especially, because the idea that it is destiny for him or her to meet their “chosen one” encourages many rash decisions to jump into relationships without thinking of the consequences. This causes problems, especially because the consequences could be avoided if only they would think before they act about how a relationship might affect others around them. In the opening of Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare, the two main characters, Romeo and Juliet are called by the chorus as “star crossed lovers” (CITATION HERE), which leads readers into the impression that Romeo and Juliet are meant to be. The reader might also assume that the pair are meant for each other, because the “stars” pronounced it so. However, throughout the length of the book, while Shakespeare does show that fate might be part of their relationship, it is also made obvious that the MAIN characters themselves are to blame for their love’s demise. Therefore, the characters themselves are the ones at fault for their failure at love and not the faults of some outside, otherworldly force.
Throughout the play, there are many examples of the two characters comparing a variety of ideas to the sun, stars, moon and even Heaven. When Romeo walks into the Capulet’s party that Mercutio talked him into going to, Romeo says upon approach, “I fear some consequence hanging in the stars (Rom. 1. 4. 107).” Romeo uses the concept of stars as beauty when he says, “But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the East and Juliet is the Sun (Rom. 2. 2. 2-3)!” In this example Romeo doesn’t use the idea of stars as a “power”. This example of comparing Juliet to the Sun is a reference to her beauty. Much of the play follows suit, when Romeo refers to Juliet’s eyes as twinkling stars to Juliet’s wish, “Give me my Romeo; and when I shall die, take him and cut him out in little stars, and he will make the face of Heaven so fine (Rom. 3. 2. 21-23).” It becomes evident that the comparisons of the stars to people presents the reader with a sense that the stars show association with beauty, emphasizing that the blame for the characters’ famous death can not be placed on any external supernatural force.
Throughout the story, Romeo and Juliet are presented by Shakespeare to have an extreme knack for terrible timing. Romeo is challenged by Tybalt the day he gets married to Juliet, sealing his

It’s true that Romeo and Juliet have some spectacularly bad luck. Tybalt picks a fatal fight with Romeo on the latter’s wedding day, causing Capulet to move up the wedding with Paris. The crucial letter from Friar Lawrence goes missing due to an ill-timed outbreak of the plague. Romeo kills himself mere moments before Juliet wakes up. It’s also true that the lovers aren’t solely responsible for their difficult situation: Their friends, their families, and their society each played a role in creating the tragic circumstances. However, even if we allow that fate or some other divine force caused Romeo and Juliet to fall in love at first sight, thereby setting the action into motion, Shakespeare makes it clear that the characters’ own decisions push that situation to its tragic conclusion. Either Romeo or Juliet, it is suggested, could have halted the reckless rush into destruction at any of several points.
Romeo’s knack for rash action gets him and his beloved in a lot of trouble. His impulsiveness has made him a romantic icon in our culture, but in the play it proves his undoing. From the very beginning, Shakespeare cautions us not to view Romeo’s sudden fits of passion too well; after all, Shakespeare makes a point to show that Romeo’s love for Juliet merely displaced another, earlier romantic love. Through his hasty actions, Romeo arguably drives the play toward tragedy more aggressively than any other character. He climbs over Juliet’s wall the night they meet and presses her to bind herself to him. He kills Tybalt in a blind rage. Then, thinking Juliet dead, he poisons himself. Romeo never thinks his actions through, and his lack of foresight makes him responsible for their dire consequences.
Though Juliet proves a strong-willed partner for Romeo, she bears less of the blame for their joint fate because she, at least, is wary of the speed at which they progress. In the balcony scene, she compares their love to lightning, which flares up suddenly but can just as quickly fade into darkness. Unlike Romeo, each of Juliet’s fateful choices is a logical response to a situation. She agrees to marry him because she needs evidence that he is truly committed to her. She takes the potion not out of despair, but because she believes Friar Lawrence’s plan will set things to rights. Though each of her choices ends up getting her and her lover deeper into trouble, those choices are at least the result of sober, careful reflection. Only when she sees her beloved dead does she admit to his style of rashness, killing herself out of grief.
Romeo and Juliet concludes with a strong condemnation of the characters’ actions. In the closing family portrait, the Capulets and the Montagues gather around the tomb to witness the consequences of their absurd conflict. Even if you don’t believe that Romeo and Juliet could have saved themselves, you must admit that their families’ blind hatred caused the situation, not the gods. As the Prince notes, even “…the sun for sorrow will not show his head” on that tragic day that even the heavens are pained at the human foolishness they see below.

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