Romeo and Juliet: Fate
Uploaded by hadbasher on Dec 04, 2000
The only theme that tragedy reveals is that the noble and good must suffer. There is no lesson we can draw from tragedy that will help us avoid the fate of the protagonist. It is known that in Shakespeare’s tragedies the main characters die in the end. Romeo and Juliet being a tragedy, sets up a situation where we know that Romeo and Juliet are going to die in the end. There are many events that lead to their deaths. The Capulets and Montagues share the responsibility for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet because of each family’s stubborn refusal to end an enduring feud. If their feud could have been resolved the children of each family would not have shared this terrible fate. Friar Lawrence was also partially to blame through his actions in trying to help the couple. At the end of the story the Prince, is the only character who reminds everyone the reality of how Romeo and Juliet’s death occurred because of everyone’s faults.
Romeo and Juliet didn’t even try to tell their parents, Lord and Lady Montague and Lord and Lady Capulet, about love between they shared for each other because they were afraid that their parents wouldn’t understand them. Perhaps the families would have understood, the problem is, we don’t know, because Capulet and Montague learned about their children’s love when they were already dead. If Romeo and Juliet were comfortable with telling their parents of their marriage then there would have been fewer complications regarding the marriage with Paris. If it wasn’t for the hostility between the two families then they wouldn’t have cost Romeo and Juliet their lives.
The masque was the most important part of the story. Romeo was wearing a mask to hide his face. Since Juliet couldn’t see his face, it allowed Juliet to fall in love with him before she saw who it was. If Juliet had known Romeo was a Montague she would probably not have fallen in love with him. Juliet said: "My only love, sprung from my only hate! Too early seen unknown, and known too late!" (I-5) Juliet realizes that it was a mistake to fall in love with Romeo, because he is a Montague, but it is too late, because she is already in love.
Friar Lawrence also had a big part in the story. All his good intentions, the play still ends in tragedy....