Fate Flashcards
Chance versus Choice/ The powers of love and fate behind the tragedy
“a pair of star-crossed lovers”
romeo and Juliet are PRESENTED as the innocent victims of fate. They were simply a pair of lovers who were ill-fated.
Servant who cannot read seemingly by CHANCE meets Romeo and Benvolio to read the guest list for the Capulet party for him
This is a TYPICAL PLOT DEVICE to allow Romeo attend the Capulet feast and meet Juliet- Plot drivers placed by Shakespeare mirror the hand of fate in the story of the lovers
“My mind misgives some consequence yet hanging in the stars shall bitterly begin his fearful date”
Romeo says this as he and his friends decide to crash the capulet party- He has an OMINOUS AND FOREBODING TONE to hint at the tragedy to come.
The use of stars ECHOES language in the prologue of fate and creates FORESHADOWING that this event will spur Romeo closer to his death.(that fate is coming into action)
Romeo and Juliet’s premonitions?
Shakespeare makes the lovers voice out their feelings that bad things are going to happen AS A DEVICE alongside the revelation of the lovers’ fate in the prologue at the start of the play to show that although in the play we know fate’s agenda, normally we wouldn’t and so portray the callous NATURE OF FATE which causes the tragedy.
Re-occuring motif of death personified as Juliet’s bridegroom?
Shakespeare CREATES this re- occurring idea to show that Juliet’s destiny is already written and that Fate like a ruling power has already arranged a marriage for her with death which she cannot avoid.
“If he be married, my grave is like to be my wedding bed”
PERSONIFICATION of death as Juliet’s bridegroom- Foreshadowing her pre-destined marriage to death
“prodigious birth of love it is to me that i must love a loathed enemy”
Part of Juliet’s outburst after discovering Romeo is a Montague- The modal verb “must” suggests that she is in the hands of her desires and love and must suffer with what fate has dealt to her which is sweet and sour- “love” and “loathed”
“prodigious” meaning?
Ominous and monstrous- Juliet’s love is monstrous as it is a hybrid of love and hate
The prologue to Act 2 states that Juliet will “steal love’s sweet bait from fearful hooks”
FORESHADOWING of the dangers of the “prodigious “ love that Romeo and Juliet have for each other.
PRESENTING JULIET AS AN INNOCENT VICTIM OF THE FORCES OF FATE AND LOVE- She fell for the bait of love which led her to her tragic fated death
“Passion lends them power, time means to meet, temp’ring extremities with extreme sweet”
Final RHYMING COUPLET of the prologue to Act 2- Creates an ominous TONE and shows the reader that fate has lent Romeo and Juliet time to meet and passion to “temper” its real tragic agenda for them- PRESENTING fate as a master planner that has blinded the lovers using the “bait” of love to where it is leading them
“a pair…
…of star-crossed lovers”
“My mind misgives…
…some consequence yet hanging in the stars shall bitterly begin his fearful date”
“If he be…
…married, my grave is like to be my wedding bed”
“prodigious birth…
…of love it is to me that i must love a loathed enemy”
“steal love’s…
…sweet bait from fearful hooks”
“Passion lends…
…them power, time means to meet, temp’ring extremities with extreme sweet”
“Bait”?
A bait is something that looks good to entice one into danger
Constant foreshadowing in the play?
TIES to the theme of fate. Foreshadowing creates a sense that the lover’s death will and must happen(is predetermined).- Fate is controlling everything
“O I am fortune’s fool”
Romeo’s outcry upon slaying Tybalt- He PERSONIFIES fate and METAPHORICALLY compares himself to the plaything or fester of fate.
AND SO?- Shakespeare is showing that fate does not favour Romeo and Juliet at all and ,in a way, they are merely entertainment for it as they run inevitably to a destined death.
The AUDIENCE also feel a sense of dread as this climactic point of the play is laced with words of fate which has already been highlighted as controlling the entire tragedy
“O I am…
… fortune’s fool”
