Romeo and Juliet Review

Romeo and Juliet, the play by William Shakespeare, is a tragedy of fate. This can be proved by observing that their family's, feud was not their fight and not supported by them, they cant prevent falling in love with each other, and that at any other time their romance would have been much less problematic.

The main support for this play being a tragedy of fate is that Romeo and Juliet were not the forces behind their family's feuding. The family feud which was the biggest problem for Romeo and Juliet was started long ago and didn't have anything to do with them other than them being born into the families they were. The "ancient grudge" that created so many problems for them was from long ago and they could not prevent being caught in it (Prologue 7). Another part of the problems between the families was that they often had small battles between each other because of their allegiance and loyalty to either Capulet or Montague. Gregory demonstrates his loyalty and eagerness to fight saying "Draw thy tool. Here comes the house of Montagues" (11). This shows how fighting between the households created problems in Romeo and Juliet's relationship which they could not prevent.

Another topic proving this a tragedy of fate is that they can't prevent falling in love with each other. As soon as Romeo sees Juliet he is in love and he says "Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear ... Did my heart love till now? Forswear it sight, For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night" (53). This passage shows how quickly Romeo fell in love with Juliet and that proves that their love was not preventable.

A final reason why Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy of fate is that if Romeo's fight with Tybalt had come at a different time he would not have been punished as severely. Juliet took the poison so that she could be with Romeo who had been banished. If Romeo had never been banished from Verona Juliet would not have taken the poison and they would both be alive. Romeo was banished for killing Tybalt and fighting in the streets of Verona, but at another time his punishment probably would have been much less severe. The reason he was banished was because after the previous fight between the families the prince declared "If ever you disturb our streets again, your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace." (15). If this had not happened or if Romeo had fought Tybalt at an earlier date he may have prevented his banishment and saved his and Juliet's lives.

All of these reasons prove that Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy of fate. The problems between their families not being caused by them, their love being unpreventable, and the tragic timing of Romeo's battle with Tybalt show that the play is a tragedy of fate and was not the fault of any character in the play. This means that neither Romeo nor Juliet, their families, or anyone else was responsible for the tragic events tat occurred in the play.