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Both of these quotes state that Romeo would do anything to keep Juliet in his life.

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Both of these quotes indicate the love Romeo and Juliet have to one another.

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Now, Juliet instead of Romeo invokes fate as she bids farewell to him after he spends the night. She calls fate to “be fickle”, in this case malleable enough to allow her to be with Romeo again shortly, telling the audience that she also realizes the importance of destiny in her finding love. Of course, her calls are in vain; Lady Capulet enters the scene and further antagonizes Romeo after she learns of his killing Tybalt, ending any chance of a loving relationship between the families.

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Shakespeare demonstrates to the audience that despite Romeo’s intentions he is only harming his own chances for a relationship with Juliet.

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By Romeo killing Tybalt, it had ruined any opportunity the two families could have gotten along.

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Based upon this evidence, Romeo would go as far as killing someone to stay with Juliet.

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By the end of Act 3 Juliet is also alluding to the concept of fate.

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In the beginning of Act 3, Shakespeare continues the motif of fate in controlling the lives of the characters. After Romeo kills Tybalt, who is part of the Capulet family, he realizes he has played right into fate’s hands by continuing the conflict between the 2 families, and that his attempt to defend his love only puts him further away from being with Juliet.

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“O Fortune, Fortune! All men call thee fickle. If thou art fickle, what dost thou with him that is renowned for faith? Be fickle, fortune, for then, I hope, thou wilt not keep him long, but send him back.” (Shakespeare 3.5.60-64)

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“O, I am fortune’s fool!” (Shakespeare 3.1.131)

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From the get-go, this quote demonstrates Shakespeare’s intention to have their forbidden love be destined to fail from the start, regardless of the couple’s deep care for one another. This directly connects back to the fate motif by mentioning how two people can very easily be caught in a circle of love and cannot live without seeing one another, but are nonetheless doomed by forces out of their hands. Shakespeare also foreshadows the eventual amnesty between the Capulets and Montagues after their children’s senseless deaths, and that the couple’s death is an inevitable part of this peace process, again reinforcing the idea that fate dominates the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet’s love.

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After everything that happened, Romeo and Juliet kill themselves to not suffer to not live with one another.

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From the start of the play, Shakespeare makes clear that his tragic couple will never be free from their familial destiny.

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“a pair of star-crossed lovers take their life, whose misadventured piteous overthrows do with their death bury their parents' strife.” (Shakespeare 1.1.6-8)

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In popular cinema, the idea of tempting fate or even escaping fate is a prevalent notion.  Movies like Final Destination and Slumdog Millionaire are two relatively well-known examples; plays often explore these same concepts, too.  Throughout William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the motif of fate is established to help deliver one of the central ideas that no matter how hard people try, if they tempt fate or try to defy their destiny, they will likely lose.  This idea is significant because even though people like to think they are in control, sometimes there are greater forces at play.

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Prompt:  To what extent does Shakespeare rely on his use of antithesis to deliver one of his main messages, and why is this important?

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There is an old saying that opposites attract--that for every yin there is a yang.  Yet, there also exists the popular notion that extreme feelings often lead to extreme endings.  Throughout Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare’s repeated use of antithesis helps foreshadow the idea that things will not work out well for the two young lovers, Romeo and Juliet.  This idea is significant because it teaches the audience that loving in moderation is often safer than being swept away by passion.

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Prompt:  To what extent does Shakespeare rely on the motif of fate to deliver one of his main messages, and why is this important?

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In popular cinema, the idea of tempting fate or even escaping fate is a prevalent notion.  Movies like Final Destination and Slumdog Millionaire are two relatively well-known examples; plays often explore these same concepts, too.  Throughout William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the motif of fate is established to help deliver one of the central ideas that no matter how hard people try, if they tempt fate or try to defy their destiny, they will likely lose.  This idea is significant because even though people like to think they are in control, sometimes there are greater forces at play.

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Prompt:  To what extent does Shakespeare rely on the motif of love vs. infatuation to deliver one of his main messages, and why is this important?

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From movies to television shows, from poetry to music, one thing is for certain--love is almost always in the air.  Yet, love is a concept that should not be oversimplified.  No--there are several aspects to what love is and to what love is not.  Throughout William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the motif of love vs. infatuation is established to help deliver one of the central ideas that love has the power to blind anyone, especially emotional adolescents.  This idea is significant because it emphasizes the point that when people allow themselves to be swept away by passion, they run the risk of ignoring all of the warning signs along the way.