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In The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare spends a lot of time considering love, and the things love can do to otherwise sane human beings. But there’s more to Romeo and Juliet than the four letter l-word. In fact, Romeo and Juliet is, above all, a meditation on the four letter f-word. That’s right, Rome and Juliet is all about fate.

Video Transcription:

The first time I read this play, all I could think about was how horribly unlucky Romeo and Juliet were. And how hard all this tragedy was to believe. Then I discovered one of Shakespeare’s themes. It’s the one we’ll be talking about next.

Let’s face it. Shakespeare’s plays are so full of crazy coincidences and tragic happenings that you kind of just have to roll with it. There’s a term for that: It’s called suspension of disbelief.

But Shakespeare would say there’s something else going on—at least in Romeo and Juliet. It’s the theme of fate.

Think about all the awful stuff that happens to our star-crossed lovers. Friar Lawrence’s well-intentioned plans go horribly awry. Juliet wakes up in the tomb to meet and escape with Romeo … just as Romeo, thinking Juliet dead, has tossed back the poison.

And don’t forget that we never even know where all this trouble comes from. Why are the Montagues and Capulets feuding, anyway?

Like I said—suspension of disbelief, please. Or chalk it all up to fate.

Even the phrase “star-crossed lovers” gets at this idea that there’s a power somewhere “out there” that’s controlling Romeo and Juliet’s destinies. Call it the power of the stars—the power of the stars to predetermine what will happen to Romeo and Juliet.

Shakespeare wasn’t kidding when he called this play a tragedy.