What are the main ideas in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, and how are they conveyed?

Another of the
plays central ideas relates to fate and free will. Specifically, Shakespeare explores the notion
of fate as inescapable. It is this idea that no matter what we do, no matter how strongly we
exert our own free will, our lives are destined to follow a course that has been
predetermined.

This idea of fate is conveyed through the characters of . When
the reader is first introduced to them, for example, it is made clear that they were fated to
meet and that, more importantly, that no matter what they do, they are destined to
die:

A pair of star-crossed lovers take their
life,
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Doth with their death bury their
parents' strife.

In addition, Shakespeare conveys this
idea through his many references to the stars, which are symbolic of fate. For instance,
whencompares s eyes to stars, in Act II, Scene II, he is alluding to and reinforcing this idea
that they were fated to meet, as first laid out the. You can...