Fate and coincidence are both themes which are established from the outset and continue throughout the play. The Chorus which, in effect, summarises the play and reveals the ending before the play has even begun, speaks of Romeo and Juliet being ill-fated. They are described here as "death-mark'd" and "star-cross'd" - the latter of which is referring to the belief at that time that the stars governed what happened; therefore to be "star-cross'd" would suggest …showed first 75 words of 335 total…

…showed last 75 words of 335 total…This, in my opinion, is ironic that the two individuals capable of bridging that Capulet-Montague gap are the two that die. Perhaps even more ironically their death is the one thing which seems to bring the families together. Personally I believe that a great deal of what takes place in the story can be attributed to fate and coincidence but there are parts of the story which appear to rely on neither fate nor coincidence.