From the very beginning, lovers are referred to as the 'star cross', referring to an astrological belief associated with time. The stars were thought to control the fate of humanity, and as time passed, the stars would move along their course in the sky and also chart the course of human life below. Romeo talks about a premonition he felt in the movements of the stars early in in William Shakespeare's play ‘Romeo and Juliet’. The movements of the stars...
1 Page
578 Words
“There was once a merchant in the famous market at Baghdad. One day he saw a stranger looking at him in surprise, and he knew that the stranger was Death. Pale and trembling, the merchant fled the marketplace and made his way many-many miles to the city of Samarra. For there he was sure that Death could not find him. But when, at last, he came to Samarra, the merchant saw waiting for him the grim figure of Death. ‘Very...
2 Pages
1050 Words
Are human beings in control of their fate? The story of Oedipus shows that it is not. Oedipus did try to escape his fate a lot of times, but couldn’t because no matter how much you try to run from your fate, you just cannot escape it anyway, what is meant to be, will always find a way to you. He tried his best to run from the prophecy. First by deciding not to return to Corinth, the city where...
2 Pages
711 Words
Cassandra demonstrates the tragedies that may happen to a woman who is in marriage during Greek times, as she has done it numerous times during her life and was punished for them. A profit gifted with the power to see in the future, but cursed with no one believing her, she has been punished by the men whom she had/almost married. Raped, abused, and cursed she was very hapless, and though many women who were wedded were a victim of...
1 Page
472 Words
In Shakespeare’s tragedy ‘Macbeth’ the role of fate in each character’s life is not completely controlled by them. Fate is inevitable, characters such as Macbeth try to alter it to get their ultimate desire, but fail. In ‘Macbeth’ the characters fates are predetermined by supernatural powers shown in the witches, and their futures are in the hands of others. However, the characters do live with free will, Macbeth ultimately determines his own fate with the outcomes of his actions. Everything...
1 Page
612 Words
Get a unique paper that meets your instructions
800+ verified writers
can handle your paper.
place order
There are times in life where people must make a decision whether they must do what they believe to be right, or to follow what the authority in control has deemed to be correct. The play ‘Antigone’ was written many centuries before Sophocles’ time. It was written during a period of a great national fervor, and Sophocles happened to be the one who led a military expedition against the island of Samos shortly after the play was released. Given his...
1 Page
642 Words
“It’s not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves”. Or is it? In both poems, ‘Fate’ by Emily Dickinson and ‘If’ by Rudyard Kipling, they both agree that we control the path we take in life. In the poem ‘Fate’ it explains a little more on how we control the path we take in life. Despite bearing some minor similarities, the differences between Emily Dickinson ‘Fate’ and Rudyard Kipling ‘If’ are remarkable in how each explains the...
1 Page
473 Words
“Just because everything is different doesn’t mean that anything has changed”. This quote by Irene Peter refers to the similarity of William Shakespeare’s famous tragedy play ‘Romeo and Juliet’ (1597). It refers to how central matters noticed in ‘Romeo and Juliet’ would still be found in our modern world. Though the date and setting of the play are extremely different from our time and day now, the same complications still occur. This is explored through key issues seen in the...
2 Pages
922 Words
In 1995, there was a fantasy book by fantasy author Garth Nix called ‘Sabriel’, which tells the story of a student named Sabriel who was forced to venture into the magical Old Kingdom in order to find her missing father. In the book she says: “Does the walker choose the path, or the path the walker?”. In our society, there are many circumstances in life where it seems fate has carved out a path for the person, such as a...
2 Pages
1057 Words
In the film ‘The Truman Show’, Jim Carrey’s character, Truman, lives a life without any control of his actions. Although he has no idea, his life is completely controlled by an outside source. Truman’s life is a form of entertainment for others as they watch him on television and observe his daily routines. This film seems unrealistic, but some could argue that everyone experiences this every day with the through fate. Similar to beliefs about the common citizen’s life, each...
3 Pages
1507 Words
Countess Olenska is the talk of the opera audience because she grew up in New York and has had a controversial past which has brought her back to her roots under mysterious circumstances. The majority of the Lovell Mingott's formal dinner invitations are declined. New York's high society is sending the message that Countess Olenska is not welcome. The Archers turn to Mr. and Mrs. Van der Luyden because of their elite and revered status in New York’s high society...
1 Page
398 Words
The narrator has clearly seen many events and the story of each event is told throughout the novel. The story starts off bearing true faith that it is true, because she has either seen the events unfold or have been told firsthand by the involved characters. The way in which this novel is written gives a reader a more intimate encounter with the unfolding events. In the beginning, we are painted the picture of the South American colony Suriname; where...
2 Pages
911 Words
Sophocles’ Antigone, written in 441 B.C.E., is over 2000 years old and is still a common element in an average English class reading list. It is a story about a woman who wants to cause no trouble, but will also stop at nothing to honor her brother in his death. Even though King Creon has decreed that anybody who tries to bury Antigone’s brother will be punished with death, she does so anyway. Antigone disregards the threat and buries her...
2 Pages
780 Words
The Role of Fate in Romeo and JulietThroughout the play of the Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, the relationship between Romeo and Juliet has been thwarted by something that could be described as an “outside force.” The idea of fate is strong in the play due Capulets’ and Montagues’ ancient grudge against each other. Throughout the entire play, fate plays a powerful role against Romeo and Juliet’s relationship as their undying love is set to end in death and sorrow...
2 Pages
929 Words
In the story, Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Romeo is the architect of his own doom. The inevitable death of Romeo and Juliet was caused by Romeo's traits: he is impulsive, he is immature, and he is sad and depressed mostly because of his desire to love and be loved. Firstly, Romeo's impulsiveness and hastiness lead to his death because of three reasons: Romeo rushing his relationships, Romeo rushing his marriage to Juliet, and rushing his death with getting...
3 Pages
1221 Words
Romeo and Juliet is written by William Shakespeare in 1594-1596. It apprises two feuding families; Capulets and Montagues, that held an ancient grudge against each other. Romeo and Juliet were described as ‘star-crossed lovers’ from two opposing families. They both took their own lives to be with one other. Under the influence of many people, it reconciled the two families. Arguably Mercutio and friar Laurence are responsible for Romeo and Juliet’s death and fate that is driven by the characters...
2 Pages
815 Words
If Hitler wasn’t elected, the Holocaust could’ve been avoided. Maybe if Romeo and Juliet hadn’t met, Tybalt and Mercutio’s deaths could’ve been avoided, and even the deaths of Romeo Juliet themselves could’ve been avoided. The thing that ties each of these events together though is Fate. In the tragic play by William Shakespeare titled, “Romeo and Juliet”, two teens, each from feuding families, find each other at a Capulet party one evening. All in that same night they instantly fell...
2 Pages
871 Words
My chosen texts are Bernardine Evaristo’s 'The Emperor’s Babe' and Aphra Behn’s 'Oroonoko (The Royal Slave)'. Ultimately, the characters have no control at all, as they are figments of their author’s imaginations. However, upon closely examining the texts, the two characters which I will focus on have little to no agency and gradually lose all of their freedom, whereas most of the surrounding characters have comparatively more autonomy. Starting with Zuleika from The Emperor’s Babe, her low social class, ethnicity...
3 Pages
1227 Words
Slavery was an economic and cultural standard in this era when these two stories were written: Oroonoko by Aphra Ben and Candide by Voltaire. In the story of Oroonoko; or, The Royal Slave, the captain of a transport vessel persuades Oroonoko to board the ship under the pretense that he would be reunited with his partner and later delivers him into slavery. Not only was he forced into slavery, Imoinda, his beloved companion also is marketed into slavery. Oroonoko later...
1 Page
505 Words
Reality is often defined as our five senses: our nose, ears, touch, eyes and taste. It is also objects or events that are ‘real’ or existent, as opposed to things that are only ideas or imaginary thoughts. The general term, however, is anything and everything in the universe, both discovered and undiscovered. This also leads to the question: ‘Is there more to life than what we see in the here and now?’. Well, approximately 68 percent of the Earth is...
1 Page
572 Words
The Odyssey by Homer and translated by Robert Fitzgerald is a complex novel pertaining the main characters complicated journey home from Troy to his throne in Ithika. The Greek gods play a big part in his long 10-year journey back home. Are they to blame for the difficult times Odysseus had to endure? It is important to remember that the Greek gods supposedly had full control over mortals like Odysseus, Telemakhos and Penelope. This entails that mortals are the Greek...
3 Pages
1301 Words
Many people in the world are forced into unpleasant situations due to circumstances outside of their control. As Halsey said: “There are great… challenges that ordinary people are forced by circumstance to meet”. Circumstance is where factors out of one’s control affect the way someone’s life begins to shape. Both chance and circumstance are uncontrollable factors. However, William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is a story of circumstance rather than chance, because although chance is the wrecker of even the best...
2 Pages
983 Words
Check the Price of Your Paper
