 Scholars are divided on the role of fate in the play . No consensus exists on whether the characters are truly fated to die together or whether the events take place by a series of unlucky chances . Arguments in favour of fate often refer to the description of the lovers as " star @-@ cross 'd " . This phrase seems to hint that the stars have predetermined the lovers ' future . John W. Draper points out the parallels between the Elizabethan belief in the four humours and the main characters of the play ( for example , Tybalt as a choleric ) . Interpreting the text in the light of humours reduces the amount of plot attributed to chance by modern audiences . Still , other scholars see the play as a series of unlucky chances — many to such a degree that they do not see it as a tragedy at all , but an emotional melodrama . Ruth Nevo believes the high degree to which chance is stressed in the narrative makes Romeo and Juliet a " lesser tragedy " of happenstance , not of character . For example , Romeo 's challenging Tybalt is not impulsive ; it is , after Mercutio 's death , the expected action to take . In this scene , Nevo reads Romeo as being aware of the dangers of flouting social norms , identity and commitments . He makes the choice to kill , not because of a tragic flaw , but because of circumstance . 
