...“Free Will” as defined by Merriam Webster’s Dictionary is “The ability to choose how to act.” The tragedy at the end of Romeo and Juliet is closely related to the free will of Friar Lawrence. The Friar consistently choose to act without thinking of the consequences, or not act at all. If Friar Lawrence had notified the families once the plan started to fail, or if he’d been more stubborn with Juliet requiring her to leave the tomb their lives might’ve been saved. This is why Friar Lawrence’s judgment or lack thereof caused the tragedy at the end, and why the tragedy was a result of free will. Friar Lawrence’s decision of free will to marry Romeo and Juliet was the one of the reasons behind the tragedy at the end. On the wedding day both Romeo and Juliet are at Friar Lawrence’s cells and The Friar says “Come, come with me and we will make short work, / For, by you leaves, you shall not stay alone / till holy church incorporate two into one.” (2.6.35-38) If The Friar hadn’t married these two young lovers this would have stopped the chain of events that lead to their death. The...
Words: 588 - Pages: 3
...Fate, chance, and free will has no boundaries when it comes to love. These themes can make people in love reach high, however sometimes they can also lead to their ruin. The actions which come from fate, chance, and free will can be drastic when it comes to love, and because of this the outcome can vary from happily ever after to tragedy. In the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare fate, chance, and free will play a major role throughout the tragic love story. Not only are these themes seen all through the play but they are particularly seen in their deaths. Fate was a main theme in the play including their deaths. There are multiple examples of fate having a hand in their deaths. One example of fate leading to their deaths is that they were fated to meet and fall in love, however due to their families feud their love was fated to not work out. This means that from the beginning their love was doomed to fail, since they loved each other more than anything else the only way for it to fail would be for them to die. Another example would be that once Juliet took the sleepy potion...
Words: 656 - Pages: 3
...Romeo and Juliet Fate or Free-Will Fate is defined as “a powerful force that is believed to control what happens in the future.” In William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet we are able to see how the theme of fate is cleverly infiltrated through events and dialogue throughout the play. Fate is mainly evident through the actions of Lord Capulet’s Servingman, Friar John, the timing of Romeo and Juliet’s death, and how the Montague’s and Capulet’s feud and been put to rest due to the tragedy in their lives. The first fated event was introduced to us in Act I Scene II, when Lord Capulet after finishing his conversation with Paris, regarding his request to marry Juliet, handed over a list of names to the Servingman and orders him to: [Rom....
Words: 1021 - Pages: 5
...‘Romeo and Juliet’ is a tragic love story written by William Shakespeare about two young star crossed lovers who live in Verona, Italy in the Middle Ages. One of the most important issues that these young loves come across quite often is that of choice. The real question is whether the characters have the ability to choose what they do or is it fate that decides it for them. The chorus introduces in the opening prologue that Romeo and Juliet are “star-crossed” and “death-marked”, and by stating this, Shakespeare gives us the climax of the play right away. In Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’, it is not fate, but desperate and impulsive actions that bring about the downfall and the unfortunate ending of both Romeo and Juliet. In the Victorian Era, fate was known as the continuance of events that are out of human control, and determined by a supernatural power. By no means was the demise of Romeo and Juliet out their control. It happened because of the choices they themselves make....
Words: 492 - Pages: 2
...Below is a free essay on "10 Important Romeo and Juliet Quotes" from Anti Essays, your source for free research papers, essays, and term paper examples. Romeo and Juliet 10 important quotations “Yea, noise? Then I'll be brief. O happy dagger!” – (Act 2, Scene 2, v169) this quote is important because it is when Juliet stabs herself with a dagger. She stabs herself with Romeo’s dagger and they both die. “I do bite my thumb, sir.” -(Act 1, scene 1, v42) This is what Sampson says to Abraham before they fight. This is the fight that causes the prince to say that the nest Montague or Capulet to start the fight will be punished by death. “Now by saint peters church, and peter too, He shall not make me a joyful bride.” -(act 3 scene 5, v117) Juliet tells her parents that she does not want to marry Paris. This is important because the argument they have following this is what makes the nurse not want Juliet to marry Romeo anymore. “Take this vial, bring then in bed, and this distilling liquor drink thou off” – (act 4, scene 1, v93) This is when friar Laurence gives Juliet a potion so she does not have to marry Paris. “Romeo, Romeo, Romeo, I drink to thee.” –(act 4, scene 5, v58) Juliet drinks the potion that causes Romeo to think she’s dead. This potion in a way kills Romeo too. “Alack the day, She’s dead, She’s dead, She’s dead.” –(act 4, scene 5, v23) The nurse says this to lord Capulet. Now she is unable to marry Paris. “And for that offense immediately we...
Words: 2347 - Pages: 10
...Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet, there are two feuding families. One of the families is The Capulet’s, with their daughter Juliet, and the other family is Montague's, their son being Romeo. Juliet and Romeo fall deeply in love, get married, and end up dying all in the course of five days. Fate, accident, and free will influence the outcome of the play, and maybe the course of the play could have been changed it if wasn’t for these things. Timing was a key part in the Romeo and Juliet play. Without timing, Romeo and Juliet would not have been dead at the end. Romeo fed from Verona on Tuesday, after with sleeping with Juliet that night. Juliet lets her father, Lord Capulet knows that she...
Words: 671 - Pages: 3
...his characters in his play Romeo and Juliet. To find out what a character is like, the reader must read in between the lines of the play. The reader can also use the speeches, thoughts, effects on others, actions, and looks in the play to indirectly characterize them. Shakespeare uses indirect characterization when he uses oxymorons, paradoxes, and juxtaposition to describe Romeo and Juliet’s complex star crossed love. William Shakespeare uses oxymorons to emphasize how Romeo’s romantic nature leads to tragedy. Romeo, in one of his speeches, is talking about loving Juliet with “serious vanity”(1.1.171). The deeper Romeo falls in love, the...
Words: 611 - Pages: 3
...In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet Friar Laurence is a very important character when it comes to the people who influence Romeo and Juliet. Romeo and Juliet make decisions based on advice received from Friar. He helps them with their plans to be together and ultimately leads them to their death. Friar was only trying to help them and was only looking out for their best interests. Friar Laurence proved great feats of loyalty to Romeo and Juliet, and even after he failed, he still was deemed an honorable man. Through Friar, Romeo and Juliet got married and had a chance to live together peacefully and keep it a secret from their parents. At first, Romeo comes to Friar with the idea that he is going to marry Juliet in secret. Friar warns Romeo...
Words: 819 - Pages: 4
...were born. There are many examples of this in Romeo and Juliet. In the play Romeo and Juliet, The central idea is your destiny is inescapable. In the play Romeo and Juliet, Romeo and Juliet got married and destiny tried to break them up multiple times. For example, Juliet’s parents wanted her to marry paris even though she was already married to Romeo. “Sir Paris, I will make a desperate tender of my childs love”(12). This scene was significant because Capulet arranged this marriage behind Juliet’s back. Capulet did not know that she was already married to romeo and cannot remarry until one Romeo dies. I think what Capulet and Lady Capulet did was wrong. If you are going to be married to someone...
Words: 690 - Pages: 3
...The Game of Love Juliet waits impatiently for night to fall so Romeo can climb to her balcony unseen and consummate their marriage. Sighing to herself, she wishes the darkness would spread faster. She divulges her nervousness in a soliloquy and invites night to teach her how to tame her racing emotions. Come, civil night, Thou sober-suited matron, all in black, And learn me how to lose a winning match, Played for a pair of stainless maidenhoods. Hood my unmanned blood, bating in my cheeks, With thy black mantle till strange love grow bold, Think true love acted simple modesty. (3.2.10-16) Juliet personifies night as “civil” and a “sober-suited matron, all in black,” which portrays night as a dignified, established woman in contrast with Juliet’s shy inexperience. As a widow, night in her black robes appears modest and humble but instructs Juliet in the...
Words: 752 - Pages: 4
...Public Speaking, Fate and Free Will Tegan Whichello For centuries there has been a universal debate about if fate or free will makes our life the way it is. In Elizabethan times humans believed in a greater or higher power. They believed that their life had been planned out long before they lived, that no matter what choices they made in the end they would end up in the same place. In William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, Shakespeare challenges us to think about if fate or the choices that we make is what is running our lives. Is Macbeth merely playing the part of a man destined to die a gruesome death or is he a man who chose the path that lead him to be killed by Macduff. At the start of the play Macbeth we are already shown that Macbeth is a fearless and ruthless personality. He is shown as a powerful leader in times of great worry. After the battle in Act 1 Scene 2 seargent says to the king “For brave Macbeth – well he deserves that name – disdaining fortune, with his brandish’d steel, which smoked with bloody execution, like valour’s minion carved out his passage, till he faced the slave; which ne’er shook hands, nor blade farewell to him, till he unseam’d him from the nave to the chaps.” In this statement to the king, seargent has highlighted that Macbeth when his mind is set on a goal would not let any man stand in his way, even if that means killing men along the way. This technique of foreshadowing tells us that just like in the battle, Macbeth will go to any length...
Words: 839 - Pages: 4
...TermPaperWarehouse.com - Free Term Papers, Essays and Research Documents The Research Paper Factory JoinSearchBrowseSaved Papers Search over 100,000 Essays Home Page » English and Literature Explore the Different Attitudes to Love Are Presented by the Characters in Romeo and Juliet and the Speakers in the Sonnets You Have Studied In: English and Literature Explore the Different Attitudes to Love Are Presented by the Characters in Romeo and Juliet and the Speakers in the Sonnets You Have Studied Explore the different attitudes to love are presented by the characters in Romeo and Juliet and the speakers in the sonnets you have studied. Love is presented through the use of characters, themes, linguistic, structural and contextual references. That pieces are ‘Romeo and Juliet’ written by William Shakespeare, ‘Sonnet 116’ by William Shakespeare again, ‘Sonnet 43’ by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, ‘Sonnet 130’ by Shakespeare and also ‘Sonnet 18’ again by Shakespeare. They were all written in the time that was considered the Elizabethan Era. A religious theme is set in both Romeo and Juliet and sonnet 43 to convey the attitudes to love. In Romeo and Juliet the theme of religion is used to express their love between each other and suggesting it is similar to religion can impose that it is a life-long commitment and will always be there even if they lose faith. At that time their attitude towards religion was very strong and it was their integral, which links to the...
Words: 743 - Pages: 3
...Laurence. In William Shakespeare’s drama “Romeo and Juliet,” Romeo and Juliet met at the Capulet’s party and fall deeply in love with each other. Friar Laurence marries them and not only Friar knows about the marriage, the Nurse knows also. Neither Romeo nor Juliet can reveal their marriage because it may or may not cause more fighting with the Capulet and Montague’s. I ultimately think that the Nurse and Friar Laurence are a big part of Romeo and Juliet’s deaths. Friar has a part in their deaths because he came up with a lot of ideas and put them into Juliet’s head. People might think fate and character flaws are to blame for Romeo and Juliet’s...
Words: 992 - Pages: 4
..."The blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet ultimately rests with Friar Lawrence." Do you agree? The play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare ends with the death of both title characters, Romeo and Juliet. With many contributing factors to the cause of these deaths it could be said that Friar Lawrence is ultimately to blame. Although one could conclude that this statement is true as Friar Lawrence had a large amount of responsibility, it could also be concluded that this statement is false as there are many other factors in the play that resulted in the death of Romeo and Juliet. It is easy to blame the Friar as he is supposed to be a neutral character in this matter, but factors such as the feud and complexes in Romeo and Juliet’s personalities also carry a lot of...
Words: 923 - Pages: 4
...The main characters in both pieces of literature believe that they are destined to be together. Romeo and Juliet are not destined to be together. Juliet’s judgement is clouded by the fact that she is betrothed to Paris. Romeo just cares about getting over Rosaline and ending the feud. Pyramus and Thisbe are just afraid to be apart and have to find someone else. All these characters are just looking for excuses not to be alone. When Juliet is told that she will marry Paris. She doesn’t want to disappoint her mother, so she agrees. Juliet does not want to marry Paris so she keeps her eyes open for another suitor. Juliet thinks that if she finds someone else everything will be better. Fate was a big theme in Romeo and Juliet. This is well illustrated by the saying star-crossed lovers. If this was true people...
Words: 787 - Pages: 4
