Poetry · Character

Fate

The personified force that men blame for their failures, though the poem insists the will supplies the mirror Fate only seems to fill.

supporting

Also known as Nature, Fate, not Nature, its

First appearance: 35 sonnets

As a supporting figure in Poetry, Fate is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Fate is invoked as potentially unjust, and the speaker questions whether an unjust fate's truth can be disbelieved.

In the storyVIIOpen this moment free

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In VII: Fate is invoked as potentially unjust, and the speaker questions whether an unjust fate's truth can be disbelieved. Later, in Chapter XI: Implied as the force behind the storm and the 'driven direction' that…

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See Fate in 35 sonnets

Character Web

5 connections

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Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Personified Forces and Mythic Figures
Mythological and Romantic Triad
Protagonist

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This is the dramatic climax because the speaker shifts from passive observation to urgent, commanding imperati…

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In the story

Fate appears across 24 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

VII
Fate is invoked as potentially unjust, and the speaker questions whether an unjust fate's truth can be disbelieved.
Chapter XI
Implied as the force behind the storm and the 'driven direction' that guides the ship toward its port.
XIX
Exact Nature who fits beauty and love together as finishing fate.
Chapter XXIII
Implied as the underlying order that makes the thought of absence possible only through presence.
Chapter XXV
Fate is presented as an immanent force that governs and compels human actions.
XXVIII
Implied as the force behind the 'great extent' of outward joy and the 'bulk of life' that is dismissed as mere appearance.
Chapter XXIX
Implied as the force that has denied the speaker the power to will and to renounce.
XXXI
Referenced as 'Nature' and 'her Time,' which the speaker claims to transcend.
XXXIV
Personified as the agent that curtailed the speaker, contrasted with Nature, and blamed for the internal lack and the deception of free will.
Chapter XXXV
Fate is invoked as the overarching force that determines all outcomes, including the speaker's failures.
English Poems
Implied in discussions of destiny and natural forces.
Antinous
Referenced as 'Nature' killing Antinous and as 'Fate' that might mar the statue.
Inscriptions
Invoked as the giver of Chloe to the shades, and as the sum of a conqueror's game.
II
The mighty fates who gave the speaker's life and determined their early death.
V
Described as the sum of the dice game, the ultimate force in the speaker's conquest.
VI
Referenced as absent from the speaker's life, indicating a life without predetermined destiny.
VII
Implied in the 'common shadow' that steals from behind, suggesting an inevitable force.
VIII
Implied as indifferent, neither sparing nor smiling.
Chapter XI
Implied force behind the city's wants and the speaker's sacrificial fate.
XII
Implied as the force that lives through humans, directing their actions.
Epithalamium
Invoked as 'Nature' that intends the true circle of love and the natural imperative of procreation.
XVIII
Referenced indirectly as the force behind the 'juice of pleasure’s rage' and the cycle of life.
Chapter XX
Referenced as 'Nature' in the context of intended purpose.
XXI
Referenced as 'Nature' from whom the couple naturally have their instincts.

Chapter companion notes

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See Fate in 35 sonnets

See Fate in VII