Romeo And Juliet DeathsWilliam Shakespeare wrote many great plays in his day. His tale of Romeo andJuliet portrays a tragic love. This play ends with the deaths of the keycharacters Romeo and Juliet, because of their forbidden love. Many factorscontribute to their demise. The scene of when they first meet, the fight betweenTybalt and Mercutio, and the final death scene all reveal why the two of themcannot be together in the end. Romeo and Juliet are ultimately killed because oftheir decisions and fate.
The effects of Romeo and Juliet’s decisions and fateare first apparent in the scene when they first come together. When Romeo saysto Juliet in the Capulet party, “Thus from my lips, by thine my sin ispurged” (I,v,108), and then he kisses her, it obviously exhibitions how theyexercise their choice to love each other. After discovering each other’sidentities, Romeo proclaims, “My life is my foe’s debt” (I,v,119), andJuliet states, “My only love sprung from my only hate” (I,v,140). Theselines foreshadow that there will be many impediments keeping them apart andeventually killing them both.
It might be thought that the tragic ending iscaused by them choosing to love each other. However, if fate does not bring themtogether in the first place, they will never have the opportunity to establishtheir love. Romeo and Juliet are affected by their choices and fate right fromthe beginning. Romeo’s actions and chance also cause the chaos in Romeo andMercutio’s fight scene with Tybalt.
When Romeo replies to Tybalt when he isfirst insulted and threatened on the street, “I do protest I never injurethee, but love thee better than thou canst devise” (III,I,67-8), it means hedoes not mean Tybalt any harm and is walking away from the fight. Then, Mercutiosteps in for Romeo and starts fighting with Tybalt. Romeo gets between them,which allows Tybalt to kill Mercutio, and later results in Romeo killing Tybalt. It is very easy to point the finger at Romeo and accuse him of allowing Mercutioto be killed.
His decision directly allows Tybalt to stab Mercutio, but he istrying work it out so no one will be injured, like peer mediation. Although hehas no clue that he will do more harm, Romeo is actually trying to help. That’s where fate affects him. Also, it can be said that Romeo is entirelyresponsible for killing Tybalt. When Romeo exclaims to Tybalt after he comesback from killing Mercutio, “And fire-eyed fury be my conduct now!”(III,I,123), it shows how he is furious and wants to fight.
A lot of people saythat Romeo has no need to fight, but what if he does not? Didn’t somethinghorrible happen the last time he walked away? Maybe Benvolio will start a fightwith Tybalt and be killed as well. So fate does have a role in deciding theoutcome. It is hard to conclude that everything will be all right for Romeo ifhe does not fight Tybalt. In this sense, the fight scene shows how fate andRomeo’s decisions are responsible for two deaths and banishment. The finalscene itself shows how Romeo and Juliet’s decisions and fate lead to theirdeaths.
Their destiny “A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life. . . doththeir death bury their parents’ strife” (1st prologue, 6-8), stated in theprologue, describes how they are foretold to die and many people agree that itis fate that ultimately causes their deaths. If the friar in Mantua arrivesearlier to deliver Friar Lawrence’s message or if Romeo arrives just a fewminutes later in the Capulet tomb, it’s possible that the finale would change.
Even though fate will allow Romeo and Juliet to carry out their plan, they arethe ones who decide to commit suicide in the first place. Juliet speaks toherself before she drinks the friar’s potion: Come, vial. What if this mixturedo not work at all’shall I be married then tomorrow morning? No, no! This shallforbid it. Lie thou there. ” (IV,iv,21-3) After speaking, Juliet lays a daggerdown beside her and that displays how she is prepared to kill herself instead ofnot seeing Romeo again. Also, Romeo says to the nurse in Friar Lawrence’scell, “Doth my name lodge? Tell me, that I may sack the hateful mansion”(III,iii,107-8) and offers to kill himself.
Since there is virtually no chanceof them being able to live together happily ever after, Romeo and Juliet haveultimately chosen to die. Romeo and Juliet’s decisions and fate affect them tothe very end. Romeo and Juliet are not able to live happily ever after becauseof their decisions and fate. Though it is chance that brings them together inthe first place, it is their decision to choose loving each other. Romeo’sactions cause the deaths of Mercutio and Tybalt, and finally his own banishment.
Whereas, if he does not act that way, he might suffer some worse fate. The deathscene might not happen if there would be a change in fate. However, Romeo andJuliet have already planed to kill themselves if they cannot see each otheragain. Even if the plan does work, they will still encounter many otherobstacles. The tragedy of Romeo and Juliet shows how fate and decision makingaffect their lives and probably has some relation to real life. Shakespearemight have been trying to show how much people can control their own destiny.
