Transcript Document

TRAGEDY AND FATE
Lakshimi and Sisi
In the beginning...fate...
Fate, shakespeare explores this central theme by prenotifying
the audience of Romeo and Juliet's destiny.
- in many areas of the play, by either using the chorus
or previous event, Shakespeare intentioanlly sets up the fate
of the lovers.
-the theme of fate is viatal as without it the tragic end could
not be reached and the effect of Romeo and Juliet's pure love
can not be emphasized
FURTHERMORE, fate is also closely linked with other themes in
the play like love, hate and death. It is the connecting lead
that ties the play together into a truley threatrical classic. (
TRAGIC END)
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PROLOGUE
Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;
Whole misadventured piteous overthrows
Doth with their death bury their parents' strife.
The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,
And the continuance of their parents' rage,
Which, but their children's end, nought could
remove,
Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage;
The which if you with patient ears attend,
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to
mend.
from forth the fatal loins
So from the prologue, it is preminitioned that only the
death of the* 'star-crossed lovers' may 'bury their parents'
strife' and thus breaking the 'ancient grudge'
* a power often rested in the movements of the stars, their hinting
that the love between R & J is so devine that only that only fate
can play on part in this.
This point is also demonstrated through the omens seem by
the protagonists.
The mechanism of fate worked
in all events surrounding the
lovers
-The feud and hatred (ancient grudge, draw and talk of peace? I hate the word)
bwteen the families. However the reason behind the hatred is nowhere
explained, rather the audience must accept that it is an underivable aspect of
the world of the play
-The LC giging the invitation list to a servant who cant read. Then sercant
inviting Romeo to the feast by accident (becasue Rosaline happen to be a the
list) Then Benovoli convincing Romeo to go the the ball (make thy swan a crow)
-The fact the Romeo just so coincidentally fall in love with the only daughter fo
the family foe with juliet responding to that love (I am my foe's debt)
-Its fate that caused Friar Lawrance's merticulous plan to go to ruins
-the tragic and frustrating timing of Romeo's death and Juliet's wakening
All these seroes of events are not just mere
coincidences but manifestations of fate that bring out
the tragic love
The trgedy of Mercucio's death
-It was Mercucio's death that
irrevocably spring off Romeo and
Juliet into a tragedy
-His vague curse ' a plague a both
your houses' came true. because
Friar Lawrance's letter was
miscarried due to a plague in the
city.
Therefore although the two
lovers never saw the plague, it
killed them both anyways
Foreshadowing anticipates what
will come the pas, reinforces the
sense of fate
1) Prince's speech in scene 1
2) Scene IV, Romoe had premonition of something
happening
'I fear too early, for my mind misgives/ some consequence
yet hanging ' here Romeo fears he can do nothing, fate had
taken complete control of his destiny, corresponding the
'star-crossed lover'
3) tybalt delivers the warning when leaving the feast "I will
withdraw, but this intrusion shall now seemingly sweet, turn
to bitt'erst gall'
Mercutio’s fatal death leads to him cursing both families for fueding
“A plague on both your houses” (3,1)
His “curse” reinforces that both families’ soon to be tragic events are
unavoidable.
As Romeo leaves Juliet’s room, she has a vision of Romeo dead.
“Methinks I see thee now, though art so low/ As one dead in the bottom
of a tomb” (3,3)
This is parallel to what is going to happen in the future – Juliet will look
down on Romeo when he is really dead. This sentence foreshadows the
tragic deaths of the two lovers. This also links back to Act 1, scene 5,
where Romeo had a dream about “some consequence yet hanging in the
stars”. This shows that fate never changes.
Fate pushes Paris to marry Juliet, just after she has married Romeo,
meaning she has no time to prepare herself for telling her father, Lord
Capulet. Juliet tries to defy the fate of having to marry Paris and drinks a
remedy the Friar gave her.
“Tell me not of fear” (4,1)
Juliet is so eager to defy fate that she is willing to put her life at risk
without any fear of the potential consequences. She doesn’t even have to
think twice about taking the Friar’s remedy.
The Friar sends a letter to Romeo, who is in Mantua, to explain his and
Juliet’s plan. But fate leads to the messenger to not being able to deliver the
message to Romeo in time. Romeo hears about Juliet’s death from Balthasar
and hastily makes plans to join Juliet in death.
“I defy you stars” (5,1)
Romeo tries to defy his horrible fate by angrily yelling out to the stars.
However, he soon knows that he can’t change Juliet’s fate, so he decides to
change his own fate by committing suicide.
Fate will ultimately lead to Romeo and Juliet’s death.
When Romeo enters Juliet’s tomb, he notices that
“Death’s pale flag” has not yet affected Juliet and he
cheeks are still “crimson”. This clearly informs the
audience that Juliet is still alive because she still has the
circulation of blood. Because of fate, Romeo has arrived a
few minutes too early, leading to their suicide.
Fate controls the progression of the play and can never
be avoided. No matter how Romeo and Juliet try to
change their destiny, their eventual fates are their early
and tragic deaths.