Romeo and Juliet: destiny or poor human choice?

In the story, Romeo and Juliet, the final tragic outcome, namely the deaths of the two young lovers, was a result of human choices, rather than one of fate. Although fate played some role in Romeo and Juliet's deaths, the various characters' decisions and actions throughout the story eventually led to the tragedy. There were four main stepping stones, all resulting from man's decision, which finally ended with Romeo and Juliet taking their own lives. …

…live happily ever after. In conclusion, the tragic deaths of Romeo and Juliet were due to a culmination of bad choices by various characters in the story. All the major events leading to their deaths could have been prevented if better choices had been made. Therefore, although fate played a minor role in what happened to Romeo and Juliet, such as the outbreak of the plague, man's choice clearly decided and defined the tragic ending.