The principle, power, or agency by which, according to certain philosophical and popular systems of belief, all events, or some events in particular, are unalterably predetermined from eternity.
Fate is a tricky subject, since there is no definitive proof that such a concept even exists. Mainly endorsed by ideologies in many world religions, it mainly serves to comfort humans in this dissonant cacophony we all find ourselves in. The idea that our actions are the result of some predetermined force, whether it’s a deity or karma, gives the person a sense of ease in their decisions. No matter what choice one makes, it will somehow work out in the end because the cosmos have already dictated it so.
This in turn can make enduring life a little less stressful, but at the same times leads one to constantly wonder what may be in store for them. Anxiety resulting from the possibility of your plan not going the way you hoped it would. Depression resulting from discontent with the way things have turned out. Anger resulting from believing that your fate is not what you expected.
But since literary fiction is not real life, it is not subject to the same rules (or lack of) that we humans are stuck with. These lucky bastards just have to sit back and let the author dictate them to her/his will. Yet one’s fate oftentimes reflects not only the writer’s interest, but also the substance of a character. On a simple level, the protagonist(s) is usually fated for joy and happiness and the antagonist(s) is fated to suffer for whatever indiscretion they have done to the protagonist. Or the more privileged character will have a more favorable fate. However there are many exceptions to this example, which makes a story such an exciting endeavor.
This concept in particular brings about the question of how the character’s fate determines not only their role in the story, but also the relation they would have to the reader. Does the reader wish for a favorable outcome for this individual? Why is this individual written in such a way to garner this type of desire? Does the character’s own fate affect those around them? Relating to Shakespeare, this would help to address why he choses the outcome for each of his characters. How are these character’s fate a reflection of the time period each play is set in? Oftentimes the state of one’s fate reflects the ideology of the society they preside in.
This post does a nice job of exploring fate as a way of explaining outcomes that can't necessarily be attributed to human agency. That doesn't make the concept a lot more stable, but it offers interesting ways to track how it works (and doesn't) in the plays. I'll be particularly interested to see how your ideas about protagonists and antagonists hold up in the context of dramatic fiction--especially tragedy!
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