Free Will In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

Shakespeare was a playwright, poet, and actor who took part in developing the greatest pieces of literature. William Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564, and has written 28 plays and 154 sonnets during his lifetime. He is most known for his play The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet in which two young star-crossed lovers’ deaths reconcile their feuding families. The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet was written between 1594-96 and was published in 1597 by a quarto. Shakespeare used strategic devices and elements in Romeo and Juliet that created a theme of importance in his tragedy. He used symbolism and figurative language when writing about key ideas in Romeo and Juliet to create a theme of fate/ free will and morality.

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He used symbolism with the nobility to represent mayhem creating fate and free will as his theme. The article “The Elizabethan era” states “During Elizabeth’s accession in 1558, she faced inheritance fighting, religious tensions, a depleted treasury and continental affairs” (Linda, Alchin, Elizabethan-era.org.uk). The tensions Elizabeth encountered during her reign represents the mayhem she faced as ruler. The theme of free will connect the choices she made as ruler lead tensions to uprise and take root. However, fate takes place in what her path was. Her path was to succeed her older sister and take her crown, but obstacles would appear in her path for her to reach fate and make England “The Golden Age” it was set out to be. In Romeo and Juliet symbolism is seen in the nobility with the feuding families, the Capulets, and the Montagues. Both families represent bicker in this instance having fought since the beginning of time. Shakespeare writes “Two households both alike in dignity, In fair Verona… From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, where civil blood makes civil hands unclean” (7). This shows Shakespeare using the feuding families as a symbol of mayhem and bicker. The theme of fate connects to the actions and lengths both the Montagues and Capulet to feed their hate for each other instead of cutting the line. Fate takes place taking them through the great tragedy they faced ending their longtime feud with the lives of their

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