Fate As Metaphor. Fate, Greek Moira, plural Moirai, Latin Parca, plural Parcae, in Greek and Roman mythology, any of three goddesses who determined human destinies, and in particular the span of a person’s life and his allotment of misery and suffering.Homer speaks of Fate (moira) in the singular as an impersonal power and sometimes makes its functions interchangeable with those of the … The exact date of his death technically isn't certain, however; the only known end-of-life documentation for Shakespeare is a record of his burial on April 25. The fate also seals the destiny of the character Laius. Fate vs. Freewill In Shakespeare’s Tragedy Macbeth, it is very debatable if fate, or freewill is what causes Macbeth to do the things he does through out the tragedy. Freewill is at work most through out the tragedy because Macbeth is convinced he can change or speed up the fate the three weird sisters prophesized for him at his own will. Shakespeare took his play, Romeo and Juliet, from Arthur Brooke's The Tragically Historie of Romeus and Juliet. Death: It's worth remembering that the word "fatal", meaning "deadly" is rooted in the word "fate". She is afraid that he will not take advantage of his opportunity to take the crown, "Which fate and metaphysical aid doth seem / To have thee crown'd withal" (1.5.29-30).It's interesting to note that she assumes that fate doesn't make things happen. Often regarded as the greatest playwright of all time, William Shakespeare is said to have died on April 23, 1616, which is believed to have been his 52nd birthday. Life is fatal: it ends in death, inevitably. He did everything to prevent the fate which had been pronounced by the Delphi. It refers to the idea that certain things happen because they are meant to happen. Whether or not Shakespeare himself believed in the total dominion of fate and fortune, he certainly used his plays as an arena to work out his frustrations with the mechanisms of individual destiny—and to suggest that to deny or defy one’s fate is a fatal, calamitous choice. He chained and handed over the child to a servant who passed it to a Corinthian shepherd, who passed the baby to the Corinthian king. Romeo reads the list for the servant where, Benvolio tells Romeo to sneak into the party, to see if his Rosaline matches up the other beauties attending. During the Elizabethan era, one’s destiny or fate was viewed by most as predetermined. The first use of the word "fate" in the play occurs when Lady Macbeth receives Macbeth's letter telling of the witches' prophecies. Fate In William Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet. If this had never happened, Romeo and Juliet would have never seen each other and they would have never fallen in love. There is no escaping this fact. “Most of the people in Shakespeare’s time believed in astrology, the philosophy that a person’s life was partly determined by the stars and the planets” (Bouchard). Fate is a tricky word. Shakespeare reflects this in some of the scenes in his plays. While Cassius believes that he has a predetermined fate, he also wants to believe in his free will in going into battle with courage. Many people believed in the supernatural. Do You Believe? Shakespeare’s plays provide modern readers with tremendous insight into the deeply-rooted convictions and beliefs that impacted everyday life in sixteenth-century England, ranging from parent-child relationships, marriage, and royalty to magic, fate, and courtly love. Thus, each and every life carries a tragic fate: we all fall from a … Even by the rule of that philosophy By which I did blame Cato for the death Which he did give himself … arming myself with patience To stay the providence of some high powers That govern us below.