Romeo and Juliet- 'fate' play against 'free choice'

Romeo and Juliet is one of William Shakespeare's more renowned plays. Verona, Italy sets the stage for an ancient family feud between the Capulets and the Montagues. When Romeo and Juliet meet and fall in love at a party held by Lord Capulet, a chain of events lead to their eventual suicides, after which the family feud is ended. The essence of the story comes down to a question of fate versus free choice. Did …showed first 75 words of 601 total…

…showed last 75 words of 601 total…between the families, the love between Romeo and Juliet, the Plague, and the epoch of the play. The play leaves us with questions of the role of 'fate' versus that of 'free choice' in the society of today. Are we governed by the strictures of an unknown force like Romeo and Juliet? Or do we do what we want? Are the 'if onlys' of today just a coincidence or the workings of a higher being?