Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy motivated by the forces of faith, accident, and character, and the reason the play is a tragedy is that these motivations are all bound with the overriding force of fate. The motivations noted here operate on the human level, but on a higher level the characters are doomed from the beginning because of forces greater than themselves. These forces include the long-running feud between the Montagues and the Capulets, something from which these lovers cannot escape no matter how hard they try. The inevitable downfall of the hero in a tragedy derives as a rule from some character flaw over which the individual has no control. For Romeo and Juliet, the "flaw" is their love for one another, a love which is not allowed given the antagonisms that exist between their families. They are living out their destinies, and the choices they make derive from their characters and the situations in which they find themselves. More than this, their choices have been limited for them by their parents and their parents' parents. They have inherited a family situation and a social and political structure that does not allow them to make choices that are completely free. In terms of the plot, decisions are made and events occur by the working of faith, accident, and character.

The sense of this story being determined by fate is made manifest in the opening lines of the play, a Prologue spoken by a Chorus. The Chorus sets up the situation

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ent delights have violent ends And in their triumph die, like fire and powder, Which, as they kiss, consume. (II.vi.9-11) Accident plays a part in what happens to these young people. For one thing, the Friar's letter could have been delivered to Romeo in time. Indeed, this is the point at which the fate of the two lovers is sealed for all time. By this point, only the knowledge in this letter could change the outcome, and the fact that the letter is not delivered is the most "fortuitous" event in the play. Both the force of character and the force of accident are apparent in what happens after the secret wedding. Immediately after the wedding, Romeo encounters a situation that reminds him of the enmity between his house and Juliet's and of the intractability of both sides when faced with a confrontation. In the first scene of the play, we are told that the Prince has ordered all brawls between the two families to cease upon pain of death. Tybalt and Romeo have a verbal altercation, but they do not fight. Yet, it is evident that Tybalt intends to take his revenge on Romeo at the first opportunity. Tybalt is hotheaded and expresses his feelings even as he agrees to wait before challenging Romeo: Patience perf

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