Controlled Assessment-Shakespeare, studied poets & fate

How does Shakespeare and the studied poets use literary techniques to communicate their ideas about fate?

Literary techniques are used in Romeo and Juliet, Ozymandias and A Song In A Storm to help represent many different messages about the three authors ideas of fate and how fate affects the characters in these poems/stories. Fate in Romeo and Juliet is used as a plot device to help move the story along until the end. In the series of events that are usually hard to explain or don’t happen naturally it is described as fate. In Ozymandias by Persy Shelley and A Song in a Storm by Rudyard Kipling fate is described as death and shows no matter how legendary or important an individual thinks they are they are still mortal to fate.

Iambic meter is used in the poem Ozymandias by Persy Shelley to relate to the idea of fate as it is continuous through the poem just like fate carries on through life. For example ‘Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair! Nothing beside remains. Round the decay’ these lines contain Iambic meter. This shows fate does not spare even those who think themselves as superior as Ozymandias refers to himself as King of Kings. Often Iambic meter is related to time ticking on and on and never stopping so even a great king with a kingdom will eventually become nothing, it is everyone’s fate to eventually die and fade away.

A Song in a Storm by Rudyard Kipling also uses the language feature of Iambic meter. This time it is used to relate to fate as nature giving the ship obstacles continuously, as there is a strong possibility fates intention is to have the ship crash. This is shown in the poem ‘In jeopardy we steer. Then welcome Fate’s discourtesy whereby it shall appear.’ This quote displays how fate will not allow the ship to escape its ultimate fate, which is to crash. ‘In jeopardy we steer’ shows how the ship are trying get away from their troubles. The quote then goes on to explain how fate will continue to put obstacles in the ships way. This is written in Iambic meter because their battle is never-ending, they cannot defeat fate, which is nature in this poem, as it is a relentless force that will not stop.

Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet also has examples of using Iambic meter as a language device for fate. This play was written in Elizabethan times, this was an era when the whole society strongly believed in Christianity and God. This meant that the idea of fate and God controlling people’s fate was considered believable by them. The Iambic meter is comparable to a heartbeat, most would think Iambic would be connected to the romance of the story, as hearts are linked with love. However, I believe it is a little deeper than that, almost counting down time using the rhythm of Iambic meter, for how long Romeo and Juliet have left to live, as we know from the Prologue that Romeo and Juliet are going to die. Therefore the Iambic meter is directly related to Romeo and Juliet’s fate. Iambic is evident straight away in the play, used throughout the Prologue “From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. From forth the fatal loins of these two foes a pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life.” This quote, written in Iambic relates to the fate of Romeo and Juliet, it clearly states that they will not survive the play because of the grudge between their two families. So as the iambic is used from the beginning of the play it is the start of the clock running down for their lives and it is like a beating heartbeat that is constant as long as they are still alive. As the play ends, the Iambic ends which also means Romeo and Juliet have met their fate, death.

The narrative of Romeo and Juliet doesn’t just place the reader at the beginning of the story but explains the plot and how fate is used as a device in Shakespeare’s work. In the prologue we are told that these two rival families are always in conflict but the prologue predicts that one person from each family will end the fighting between the families with their death. This quote from the prologue “From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. From forth the fatal loins of these two foes, a pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life” shows us that even before the story begins, we already know what fate has in store for these two characters. “I fear too early, for my mind misgives some consequence yet hanging in the stars”. Throughout the narrative of this story, fate is often used to describe the situations that occur.

Furthermore fate is used when Friar Lawrence arrives late to the Capulet tomb he was literally seconds away from preventing the death of Romeo and Juliet because on the way he kept on stumbling. To think that the path that Romeo and Juliet were taking was taking them towards their death and could have been prevented by a seemingly everyday insignificant reason. The amount of tragedy could have been avoided if Friar Lawrence wasn’t stumbling is represented as a true act of fate by Shakespeare. “Saint Francis be my speed! how oft tonight have my old feet stumbl’d at graves! Who’s there?” This is one of Shakespeare’s many ways of showing how strong he believes in fate.

Also when Friar Jon was trying to deliver a message for Friar Lawrence to tell Romeo of his plan for Juliet, Friar Jon wasn’t able to deliver it because a town he had to pass through had all been infected with a diseases and the all doors were sealed off. Friar Jon says “Where the infectious pestilence did reign, seal’d up the doors, and would not let us forth, so that my speed to Mantua there was stay’d” In the time of the play was set people believed that God controlled who got sick and who was healthy. Therefore God is directly affecting the fate of Romeo by not allowing this message to get to him, forcing him to believe Juliet is really dead ultimately leading him to suicide. This is required because fate’s ultimate plan, as set out in the prologue, is for Romeo and Juliet to die in order to stop the two families rivalry.

The events in Ozymandias are linked to fate as the poem is talking about the past and how Ozymandias used to be a King of Kings and is now reduced to trunkless legs of stone standing alone in the desert. The poem describes Ozymandias as a ruler of a glorious kingdom. The phrase ‘King of Kings’ demonstrates his ultimate power. However as time goes by his power is reduced to nothing, if it wasn’t for this crumbling statue it would be as if Ozymandias never existed. The events present us with this idea that time will catch up with anyone and everyone, time, and more importantly, fate, does not discriminate.

In A Song in a Storm events present the idea of fate as the ship and the crew are being forced to fight through a storm to reach their destination. In the poem, fate is presented as the ocean because it is attacking and making obstacles for the ship. “Almost these mindless waters work as though they had a soul”. By saying this the author is implying that the ocean is against them following the idea of fate. During the poem the author is possibly implying that fate is testing them by creating more obstacles and giving more value to the journey. I was given the idea by this quote “We can make good all loss except the loss of turning back.” Sending the message that only those who refuse to turn back are worthy. The events have given us the idea that those of tenacity will survive and fate will decide what happens to the others.

In conclusion all 3 authors, Shakespeare, Shelly and Kipling have used various literary techniques to convey their ideas about fate. As we have discussed in Romeo and Juliet the literary technique of Iambic meter is present throughout. It is used to act as a heartbeat from beginning to end, as it stops at the end it symbolises the death of both Romeo and Juliet. We know that death is their fate from the prologue, so whatever they try to do in the play we know they can’t escape their fate, which is death. Also in Romeo and Juliet metaphors are used as a device for fate. Most notably Romeo refers to himself as a ship and wants to be steered by God who in this metaphor is the captain, the controller of fate. Even though he fears a series of events will lead to his death he allows God to steer him on his course anyway, he has no objections to Gods will. Lastly some events of the story which may seem hard to believe would be put down to fate. The fact Romeo goes to the party, as a servant who couldn’t read showed him the guestlist thus ultimately introducing him to Juliet can be put down to fate. Also Friar Lawrence asking Friar Jon to deliver an important message to Romeo only for Friar Jon to be interrupted by a sudden plague that caused a town to be placed in quarantine is also fate. Another significant moment which made the prologues prophecy fulfilled was when Romeo committed suicide just in time for Juliet to witness his final moments. This then caused her then to take her life, thus ending the feud between the families “And the continuance of their parents’ rage, Which, but their children’s end, nought could remove.”

Ozymandias by Persy Shelley also uses different ways to represent their ideas of fate. The use of Iambic meter is also present, like in Romeo and Juliet. This time it’s used to act as a countdown, like a ticking clock counting down until his kingdom develops into nothing as time or fate goes by. Showing no matter how much someone thinks of themselves they share the same fate, death.

A Song in the Storm is a poem by Rudyard Kipling which represents fate as the ocean which either wants to stop or even test if the people on the ship are worthy or not. Creating all those obstacles using the ocean as well as a representation of fate.