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.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

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.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

            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