This is an excellent question, as one of the main themes
of the entire play is that of fate or destiny and the way that the destiny that we have
charted out for us can be very different from the destiny that we ourselves would like
to have. References to "stars" abound in the play as they indicate the Elizabethan
belief that the stars, or the planets and the influence they have over our lives,
actually chart out our lives for us. Stars then represent destiny or
fate.
Romeo's famous line, "I defy you stars," is uttered
in Act V scene 1 after Balthasar delivers news of Juliet's death. It is an emotionally
fraught point in the play, as Romeo declares his intention to "defy" the future that
destiny has for him. Of course, if you look back to the Prologue, you can see that the
lovers are described as being "star-crossed," indicating that destiny had planned out
for them a terrible end. In spite of their best intentions, destiny decreed that they
were to die.
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