Understanding Romeo & Juliet, pt 3A

Why did Romeo and Juliet have to die? Were Romeo and Juliet themselves to blame because of their impulsiveness? Or was the hate that surrounded them to blame? The feud, as well as the cowardice of the adults around the young lovers, played parts in their tragic deaths, didn't they?

But Shakespeare's words suggest a third possibility that exists beyond the human realm. Maybe they died because it was their fate to do so. Maybe a Supreme Being took their lives in order to punish the two families and to finally end the feud.

Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet introduces a discussion of one of the oldest questions asked by mankind: who is in control of our destinies? Are we in control? Are we pawns in the larger societal gameboard? Or is a higher power pulling our strings, leading us towards a destiny that is written in the stars?

This video is followed by Understanding Romeo and Juliet, part 3B.