Romeo and Juliet, is a story of two young lovers, whose love was destined for destruction.

They did not imagine that their love would lead to the tragedies that it did. These two

young people did nothing wrong except fall in love. Three aspects of their destruction

included the feud between the two families, the nurse and her betrayal of Juliet and the

most important aspect of all is fate.



The feud between the two families was one factor that contributed to the love of Romeo

and Juliet being destined for destruction. "From ancient grudge break to new mutiny".

(Romeo & Juliet, Prologue, pg.2 l.3) The two families, Montagues and Capulets, had

many problems. There was hate between the two families so much so that even the

servants hated each other. This feud would have caused many problems for Romeo and

Juliet: These two young lovers knew this and this is why they kept their marriage a secret.

If their parents discovered their secret, they would have made their children's lives

miserable. Romeo and Juliet would not have been able to see each other. Both of these

families were very stubborn and there was hardly any thing that would have made them

become friends. In the prologue we learn that the only way the "strife" could be ended was

by the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. "Doth with their death bury their parent's strife".

(Romeo & Juliet, Prologue, l.8) Neither the Montagues or the Capulets would have

accepted the marriage. Keeping the marriage a secret caused Romeo and Juliet to turn to

other people for help. Sometimes these people gave them the wrong advice or just

betrayed them.



The Nurse was one of these characters who betrayed the young couple. The Nurse who

was also Juliet's friend turned against her at a very crucial time. The Nurse told Juliet that

it would be best if she married Paris. "I think it best you married with the county". (Romeo

& Juliet, pg.101, III, v, l.219) This betrayal by the Nurse left Juliet alone. She was a wise

young woman but it still would have been beneficial for her to have the help of the Nurse.

Juliet was left on her own to make some very important decisions. I believe that if the

Nurse had been around to help Juliet things may have turned out differently. Juliet had no

one to turn to and ask for help. She could not have gone to her parents because they

would not have understood. The Nurse was supposed to be one of Juliet's best friends.

Now when it was important for Juliet to have someone there, for her she was betrayed.



When considering the destruction of Romeo and Juliet the most sifnificant fact you must

think about is fate. Fate, above all, destroyed Romeo and Juliet. Many instances in the play

reveals that the love of Romeo and Juliet would end in death. "A pair of star-crossed

lovers take their life". (Romeo & Juliet,pg.2, Prologue, l.6) From the very beginning it is

evident that they were destined by the stars to bad fortune. Some people may think that

there is no way to control fate or change what is in the stars. It could be that the love of

Romeo and Juliet was destined for death so that their parent's feud would be over. Also, in

the prologue it states that the dreadful course of their love was destined for death. "The

fearful passage of their death marked love". (Romeo & Juliet, pg.2, Prologue, l.9) Both of

these quotes show us that the love of these two was destined to end tragically. The

masquerade party was above all the most important aspect of fate. The fact that Romeo

was wearing a mask and his face was hidden allowed juliet to fall in love with him before

she saw who it was. If Juliet had known who Romeo was she would probably have not

fallen in love with him. Fate could not have been changed whatever was meant to be

would happen and no one could change that.



In conclusion, from the very beginning, the love of Romeo and Juliet was destined to be

destroyed. It is tragic that both these people had to die. There were circumstances

throughout the course of their lives that led up to their deaths. If their parent's had not

been feuding and if the Nurse had not betrayed Juliet, the outcome of this story would

have been different, although fate could not be changed. This was the most important

factor in the lives of Romeo and Juliet. In my opinion the quote that accurately

summarizes this play is, "For never was there a story of more woe, than this of Juliet and

her Romeo." (Romeo & Juliet, V, iii, p. 138, ll.309-310)