Act 5, Alternative Ending

Dear Diary,

Now that I reside in paradise I have much time to waste on dreaming. Fantasies have arisen in my brain, most of which are of how my life could have been if I would have done things a bit differently. My most elaborate daydream was that of my final days on earth. It all began on the morning when the news of two untimely deaths was brought to my awareness, and it started off as a little something like this……………

Nurse came to my chambers bewildered with swirling emotions. She began to scream “Ah, well-a-day! He’s dead, he's dead, he's dead! We are undone, lady, we are undone! Alack the day! He’s gone, he's kill'd, he's dead!” At first I was convinced that she was blubbering over the death of my beloved Romeo I went hysterical and soon began to act just as Nurse was. My heart was shattered; it felt as if my life was coming to a harsh end. She ranted on about the gore and blood, never specifying a name, but hinting that it was my husband. I was shouting; I was mad; I was unable to handle this news. Suddenly Nurse spoke once again, I prepared myself for more discomfort, and these words came forth from her lips “O Tybalt, Tybalt, the best friend I had! O courteous Tybalt! Honest gentleman! That ever I should live to see thee dead!” Though those words were of a cousin’s death I was comforted knowing my Romeo was alive. The next words brought forth more heavy emotions “Tybalt is gone, and Romeo banished; Romeo that kill’d him, he is banished”. I couldn’t believe my dear Romeo had killed my very own cousin, or that he had been banished to Mantua.

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Romeo came to visit me that evening and left with haste in the morn’ when Nurse warned us of my mother coming to see me. We said our farewells after the night of the consummation of our marriage, and I knew something had to be done if Romeo and I could be together. Romeo departed for Mantua, and sorrow flooded my heart. Mother and Father came to visit me in my chambers and gave me an ultimatum; either I marry Paris or leave. I couldn’t believe my parents had told me that. In return I shouted, and told them “There is no way I can marry Paris!” They questioned me and I said there was no way I could tell them. They kept prodding for the answer with threats and bargains, eventually I told them. I said I couldn’t because I was already married, they asked to whom, and I told them the answer, I told them Romeo Montague. They forbade me from ever seeing him again and left hastily. Nurse remained by my side and consoled me. Once again tears were running down my cheeks, and all I could do was dream of being at Romeos side once again. Nurse told me that if I visited Friar he would surely have a plan.

I ran to Mother and asked what I could do to make her and Father proud of me once again. She told me in return that the only way was to go back to Friar’s cell and get my marriage rendered null and void. She told me to quickly go there, and return once completed. So off I went to Friar’s cell to devise a plan to bring Romeo and I back together, when all my mother thought was that I was trying to please her. Once at Friar’s Cell we came up with a plan for me to return home, tell Mother of my acceptance to the marriage of Paris, find a way to be alone, and take the potion to fake my death. Back at my house I confronted my parents on how I was finally ready to marry Paris, I ask’d if I could spend the night on my own to prepare myself to be wed on tomorrow. They allowed this and I went to my chambers. Once I was alone I grabbed the vial and pressed it to my lips. Within a few moments I was in a deep slumber.

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            Before I awoke I felt a smooth touch upon my face and a light kiss upon my lips. My eyes fluttered open to the sight o my dear husband, my Romeo, standing beside me. My hand touched his, but it was stained with blood. My [second] spouse to be had been slain. Short grief wash over me, but love flooded in as my gaze went from Paris’ corpse to Romeo’s angelic face. He told me that Friar’s letter had reached him, and the plan was almost over, but one last obstacle still lay in our path. Paris’ page still lived and was fetching the watch; we had moments until we would be overwhelmed with guards. We through the torches to the ground and made haste out the doors, once we reached the night we knew we were free, nothing was in our way now. We ran all the way past the Verona boundaries, we ran all the way to our new home, Mantua. Romeo old me that Friar would tell our story to the town, and try to convince the Prince of forgiving us. We needed only to be patient and then we could live in Verona once again.

The daydream ended just like that, Romeo and I lived and fled.  Patience and Attention were the two things that kept us alive, but in reality they were the two things we didn’t have, the two things that killed us. If only this dream could have been a reality, instead of that sad scene playing out in the streets of Verona even as I write: 

There is nothing that can be done now, and I can only hope that others to come will learn from our foolish mistakes and ignorances. But let them not learn to regret love, for following the yearnings of your heart is not something I would ever consider to be a mistake.

          Sincerely,
                      Juliet

Act 4, Interview Questions

Dear Diary,

Nurse has been sent away, and I am alone in my room. My only companion is a small glass vial, which contains a special medicine that I received from dear Friar Laurence not too long ago. He has assured me that upon taking the drug, I will only appear dead. I will, instead, be in a state of deep sleep while the drug does its job: robbing my skin of its healthy glow and replacing it with a deathly pallor, quieting the beating of my heart so that not even the most attentive of ears could hear it, and slowing the whisper of air in my lungs to mask the rise and fall of my chest when I breathe. I trust the good Friar’s word, yet I am still hesitant to drink the vial’s contents. It sits there, clear liquid that I could mistake for water if I did not know that it was something more sinister.

I have in no way lost my resolve, but there is one last thing I must do before I “die.” Before I bade her goodnight, my Nurse placed an envelope in my hands. The letter inside was addressed to me from the Verona Press, one of the many newsmongers in our fair city. It was a list of questions posed to me and I feel that it is my duty to answer these questions here, and mayhaps, one day, my parents will find them and understand.

Question 1: Juliet, speculate as to what could happen to fair Verona and her citizens if the feud between your family and the Montagues persists. 

            I was not gifted with the ability to foretell the future. However, I think it is safe to say that the continuation of this feud can only lead to devastation and destruction. How many more must suffer? Must be injured or maimed? Must be killed? As long as the feud remains, peace will not find a home in Verona. I fear that if things continue as they are now, the very foundation of this city will be shaken, if it does not crumble to dust.

Question 2: Recall how you felt when Cupid first struck you with an arrow of love for Romeo.

          It was like being set afire by the sinful flames of Hades, burned through to my very core so that nothing was left of me but ashes. Then, like a phoenix I was reborn again, except I was more alive than I had ever been before. That fire continued to rage inside, to consume me—but I welcomed it, treasured it, and coaxed it into a blazing inferno.

Question 3: After your wedding, what did you believe your life would be like at Romeo’s side as his wife? Did you truly believe that your relationship could flourish without hardships? Describe your thoughts about how possible it was for the two of you to be together.

          I am an optimist. Foolishly, I imagined a happy life for the two of us. I believed that we would be able to overcome any hardships that came our way. I now find myself in dark times, even though I am so recently wed. Yet, I still believe that we will come out of this okay. Star-crossed lovers we may be, but these two stars will find each other once again. We have hope, trustworthy friends, and a plan. I will not pretend that it won’t be difficult, but I do not believe that a silly feud between families will be enough to tear such a strong love apart.

Question 4: During your final night at Romeo’s side what fears were running through your mind? What kind of a future did you envision without Romeo in it?

            I feared for many things that night. The future seemed bleak and empty, as if our love were a wagon wheel caught in the mud, destined never to be free again. I feared for Romeo’s life, knowing that his mere presence in Verona was a death sentence. At the same time, I did not wish for him to leave, for I feared that we would never meet again. The far-off horizon that once seemed so full of promise and joy had become a sky of harsh gray, full of angry storm clouds that bode no well.

Question 5: What did you feel when Paris addressed you on the matter of your upcoming marriage? How did you plan to deal with this new problem?

          The dominant emotions running through me at the time were fear and distress. I felt like I was falling into an endless black abyss, and there was no one to pull me back out. There I was, already married, with a second marriage on the way. What a dishonor it would be for me to marry again; what a betrayal to my husband. But at the same time, were I to reveal the details of my first marriage, my beloved husband would be at risk. The only option I could see was death. The Friar gave me an alternative: I would fake my death. You may be wondering, why did I accept this plan so easily and without objection? It was only in desperation that I originally planned to kill myself. A second option—no matter the risks—was worth it, if only I could see Romeo again. 

Question 6: Put yourself in the moment when you are about to drink the drug that will make you appear dead. How do you feel? What thoughts are running rampant through your mind? Do you believe that this is the absolute best decision you could make?

           This is perhaps the easiest question for me to answer, as I am in fact in that moment right now. How do I feel? Well, that’s simple: I am afraid. So many things could go wrong and nothing is certain to the point that all I have to rely on is trust and hope. These two things exist without a corporal body; I can rely on them as I can rely on the ever-changing moon. My thoughts are a mess; never did I think that I could be so pessimistic. What if awake alone? Or never wake at all? Yet still, I know that this is the best course of action for my love and I. I was forced to choose between marrying Paris, death, and this plan that the Friar has concocted. This is the best decision. I can’t go back now. 

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It is time. I must drink the Friar’s potion. With luck on my side I will return to write more. For now, I must say farewell as I lift the vial to my lips.

                    Sincerely,

                                   Juliet

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            Oh, that taste was strange! Were I to compare it to any other flavor, I could not think of a name. I feel faint, the room is spinning and objects are blurring into mere colours. What is this ringing in my ears? Is that my name, calling to me from sweet lips? Romeo? My love, is that you? Please be there when I awake my husband, my dearest! A wicked darkness is creeping into the edges of my vision. Romeo, my sweet….

             

Flustered with the emotions of Love, Bewilderment, and Despair

Dear Diary,

Recently my life has been like swimming in an endless ocean of churning emotions. Hardships have been hurled towards me at such a rate that it would be an underestimation to compare them to debris in a windstorm. The most extreme of my emotions have been Love, Bewilderment, and Despair. Those three emotions have begun to run amok through my mind and soul like crazed barbarians or tyrannical demons.

The first emotion could be either the lightest, or the heaviest one to bear. This emotion is known as love; this emotion can either destroy entire cities, or light the flames of life without any notice. Love has been both good and bad to me; it gave me Romeo, but also stripped him from me. At first this emotion brought forth a wave of happiness. These short days felt both like an eternity and a flash of time. These days were the best of my life, where despair had vanished, and everything in my mind was Romeo. I was swooning over a man I had only just met, but it didn’t matter, nothing did. Love kept me stronger than the largest oak; it gave me the ability to endure anything, anything except love itself being stripped from me. This love led to bewilderment and then further into despair, because my lover was now being forced into exile and Tybalt had been slain. Two hard blows which knocked me off of my lofty pedestal, and into a harsh reality.

            The second emotion immediately followed the first; Bewilderment came rushing into my mind like a broken dam. I was so unprepared for this emotion that I could have been mistaken for a Maniai, a spirit of insanity itself. This emotion was let loose for less than a day, but stirred so swiftly that it rattled my sanity. It was brought forth by a single event, where two men died, and an innocent man was punished for avenging his friend. My dear Romeo was sent into exile, and was driven crazy from the cruel jokes of one I held dear, Nurse. She told the story in an extremely vague manner, making it seem as if my Romeo was killed alongside my cousin. My mind was clouded, anger rushed in, I began to scream and blubber, and I went completely unreasonable. Nothing could have been worse to have heard, but luckily she eventually told the truth and my heart went slightly more calm. That was when the third emotion arose, Despair, taking a hold on me so firmly that I was worried it would never let go.

The third emotion, Despair, made me drown in my own tears. Sadness overwhelmed me, and I could do nothing about it. My love, Romeo, and I would be parted, and our love was being crushed. Romeo was being forced to leave Verona, and go to Mantua. The person I fell in love with, only days before now, was being taken from me. Both he and I were unable to handle this catastrophic event; Nurse even told me he was blubbering on the floor of Friar’s cell. This comforted me to know that my dear Romeo still loved me, yet it was difficult because I knew we would be separated for a very long time. That night Romeo visited me in my chamber, and we strengthened the bonds of our marriage. It was a light of hope in the deepest tunnel of despair. The following morning we awoke to the songs of a Lark, the bringer of day. This was the worst thing we could have heard. My lover left, and I was left with only my tears. Nurse came to console me, but it was only for a short while. Mother and Father came in with the news of my new marriage; it was such a hard blow. I refused and they got so very angry, and they struck me upon the face. They left and I was in total Despair, I had no choice but to either live on the streets or marry a man I didn’t love.

These emotions are now driving me to the verge of death. I am unable to handle them, and without my Romeo, my sturdy rock, I believe nothing can get better. I must now live a lie, a play, and a nightmare. I only wish that my knight in shining armor will eventually come to rescue me from this dragon’s keep. Romeo, my dear Romeo, where for art thou Romeo?

               Sincerely,
                                  Juliet 

Act 2, Awe-Inspiring: Having a midnight rendezvous with the love of your life

Dear Diary,

            My heart goes out to those who have never had the opportunity to experience love, as they are surely missing out. I have been fortunate though it was only a few hours ago, that I met my one true love, my Romeo. A Montague he may be, but it is only his name that is my enemy, and the rest of him is surely more than I deserve. I was disheartened earlier, back when I was certain that never again would I be able to embrace my newly beloved. But then, in the darkest hour of the night, as I rested upon my balcony recalling the sweet details of our first, brief meeting, he called out to me from below.

            Make no mistake I was frightened at first, since I did not recognize dear Romeo in the darkness. However, his identity as my love was proven soon enough when the mere sound of his voice brought a miraculous fluttery feeling to my bosom. From that moment on, the air was filled with an exhilarating spark; an excitement that stemmed from the knowledge that every whispered word, every touch and caress, every kiss was forbidden in their mere existence. My emotions from the time are impossible to describe, but I will try. It was like being lifted off my feet and twirled in circles until my head was spinning, except that even after I realized that I was standing on the ground the light-headed feeling never faded and I was completely filled with pure happiness, and joy, and love.

Furthermore, beneath all of that passion was a sense of urgency. Without having to say anything we knew there was a countdown, a time limit leading us to that impending 0:00 mark. The hurriedness only made the experience all the more enjoyable. My heart was pounding with the force of a thousand drums and I knew that at any moment we could be caught and it would be over. It was like that first touch all over again, yet I could compare our actions to the desperation of two lovers embracing for what they know would be the last time.

I look back on it now and realize that our second meeting was too brief; actions that felt like they took hours lasted only minutes. We have planned to meet again, Romeo and I, and this time we are to be married. It will feel like a lifetime until then, but as I wait I will keep my mind preoccupied with the remembrance of our nighttime tryst. The moon and stars were the only witnesses to our rendezvous, and I know they will keep our secret: a forbidden meeting of lovers in the quiet hours of the night.

Truly, AWE-INSPIRING!

                    Sincerely,
                                  Juliet

Dear Diary, Act One

Dear Diary,

Conflict has once again arisen between the Montague family and my own. Strife has made life difficult, and a cloud of depression clings itself onto me, and I no longer feel a love for life. Though I am saddened, optimism is the only thing that holds me to life, it gives me hope, and that is all I need.  Mother told me of the quarrel which began between two of our loyal servants, Sampson and Gregory, and one of Montague servants, Abraham. The squabble soon turned to battle, and my parents alongside many others drew up arms against their foes. Mother and Father say that they are doing whatever it takes to rid this town of the Montague family, but I believe we should attempt to resolve the conflict, instead of just instigating a larger battle.

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My mother has come to me with a strange request, and I regret that I can please neither she nor my father by agreeing to such a proposal. For indeed there has been a proposal, although my mother never called it such in her many words. “How stands your disposition to be married?” she asked me, a girl not yet of fourteen years who had never even considered marriage before that moment. Then she went on to inquire, “Can you love the gentleman?” I laugh at the absurdity of that statement. Does this mother of mine truly assume that I could love a man before meeting him? That I could love this Count Paris solely based on the shape of his body and the lavish clothes he wears? If that is what she thinks of me, then my mother does not know me at all. She claims that I may meet him at my father’s feast tonight; if that is the truth, then I shall give him fair consideration—if only to make an effort to please my parents—but I have no doubt that I will not see anything satisfactory.

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Cupid’s arrow has struck me, and I am now swooning over a man I have only just met. His words rang in my ears like a sweet melody from a songbird’s throat, bewildering my thoughts with awe. His words struck love, which flowed so very freely, and from forth brought a sudden kiss. Another followed, and short time flew. Nurse came forward and interrupted my gaze, she said I must speak to mother, and we left the anonymous man. He is all I have been able to think of since, and I await the time when we meet again.

Here, this is how he looked when I first laid eyes on him:  

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An abominable turn of events has occurred! This stranger who I have come to love so suddenly turns out to be none other than Romeo, the only son of the house of my enemy, and a Montague. This awful twist is laced so deeply with irony that my head is spinning; my only love sprung from my only hate! Whatever should I do? I could not honestly hope to live peacefully whilst in love with an enemy, but surely, this wretched rivalry cannot hope to force me away from these wondrous feelings stirring in my chest? I am being called away; I must sleep on the matter. I am hopeful that my path will be clear with the dawn of the morrow. 
                    Sincerely,
                                  Juliet