Through the centuries since William Shakespeare first wrote The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet in 1500, many people have speculated whether the story was controlled by fate or by a series of bad decisions made by a variety of characters in the story. However, it seems that fate has great power over the events of the story. No matter how much a character tries to change their fate, it never seems to have a positive outcome and simply adds to Romeo and Juliet's gruesome demise at the end of the play. Fate even brought the two together at the Capulet banquet. Individuals in Romeo and Juliet have little to no power compared to the power of fate in Romeo and Juliet. Before the characters Romeo and Juliet are even introduced, Shakespeare tells us that they had no control over their own destiny. Shakespeare directly states that the two are “A pair of star-crossed lovers” (Act I, scene i, ll. 6). This quote implies that their fate was written in the stars; no individual could have the power to change their destiny. Shakespeare admits that no matter what, Romeo and Juliet would still end up dying at the end of the play every time. Although it may seem cliché to most, Shakespeare bases his entire plot on fortuitous events and coincidences caused by fate. Even the meeting of Romeo and Juliet is due to chance. It just so happened that Rosaline had broken Romeo's heart, making him horribly upset and seemingly depressed. If Rosaline had not been chaste, he would have no reason to go to the party and look at other girls because he would have been so deeply in love. Unfortunately this did not happen and Romeo fell madly in love with Juliet because she found herself in...... middle of paper...... men might try to change their fate, but the story is truly written in le stars. Romeo and Juliet are presented with obstacles that they must overcome. At the time, these may seem secondary and unimportant to the plot, but they ultimately add up and lead to the deaths of the two young lovers. While this seems bleak, it also completes the fate of the two feuding families, as they stop fighting. This fate presents the reader with a positive side of the gruesome story. Works Cited Waters, D. Douglas. "Fate and Fortune in Romeo and Juliet." The Emerging Crow 12 (1992): 74-90. Rpt. in Shakespearean criticism. Ed. Michelle Lee. vol. 81. Detroit: Gale, 2004. Literature Resource Center. Network. April 14, 2014.Shakespeare, William. “The tragedy of Romeo and Juliet”. Timeless voices, timeless themes. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2005. 770 - 874, Print.