Fate question

GCSE · English Literature · AQA · P1.A.RJ — *Romeo and Juliet* — love, fate, conflict, youth and authority; the prologue, balcony, Mercutio's death, the tomb scene; characters Romeo, Juliet, Mercutio, Tybalt, the Nurse, Friar Lawrence

Question

How does Shakespeare present fate in the play? Use the prologue as a starting point. (30 + 4 marks)

Mark scheme guidance:

Sonnet-form prologue announces ending — fate framed at the structural level.
Imagery: "star-crossed lovers"; Romeo's premonitions ("some consequence yet hanging in the stars" 1.4); Juliet's tomb premonition (3.5); Friar's "violent delights" (2.6.9).
Bad timing as fate's instrument: Friar John quarantined; Romeo arriving minutes too early at the tomb.
Context: Elizabethan astrology; Christian providence; classical fortuna.

34 marks · take your time before peeking.

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Generated by TopMyGrade AI · cross-check official sources before relying on the mark-scheme phrasing.