Romeo and Juliet Rewrite of the Ending

by Misty Lion

As you probably know, the ending of Shakespeare's famous play Romeo and Juliet is tragic. Well, not in this version! (Unless you hate the two main lovebirds.) Their fates are twisted for the better. This is in old English, so it might look strange but it's supposed to. Praise or constructive criticism is appreciated. Enjoy!

Romeo and Juliet

Rewrite of the Ending

(Ignore the Prologue)

ACT 5

SCENE II. MANTUA. A STREET.

Exit ROMEO Apothecary's dwelling

ROMEO

What, ho? Where is the horse? O thou horse, why must thou be so disobedient? Apothecary!

Enter Apothecary

Apothecary

Ay, good fellow?

ROMEO

Dost thou mind if I borrow thy horse?

Apothecary

Sire, I apologize. I own no horse.

ROMEO

O horrid fortune once more! Wilt the heavens not even allow me to reunite with my sweet love. Dost thou know of someone with a horse? I beg thee, aid me in my mission.

Apothecary

Perhaps...ay. Methinks my fellow healer acquaintance owns a horse. I can write him and request for his. But he resides a three hours' walk away. Thou will be better off if thou ask another soul.

ROMEO

Who? This sad place is barren, Apothecary. I am isolated as much as thou art. I wish to lie wilt Juliet this night, and three hours will not hurt that. But if I never arrive in Verona this night, I wilt pain myself. Severely. (holds up his dagger)

Apothecary

Nay, son, nay. There is no need to make haste to death—

ROMEO

I already wilt.

Apothecary

Still, no quicker. I shall help thee.

Exit Apothecary

ROMEO

O, my dear Juliet, I wilt arrive sooner than thou think. Death, how I curse thee and welcome thee at thy heart's great oppression!

Enter Apothecary

Apothecary

It is set. Have patience, boy. He wilt arrive in a mere one hour and a half.

ROMEO

It is only because of my Juliet that I subject myself to such unbearable torture, worse beyond the description of words.

Exit ROMEO and Apothecary

SCENE III. A churchyard; in it a tomb belonging to the Capulets.

Enter ROMEO bearing a torch

ROMEO

Juliet, I am a tad tardy. But not too tardy. We wilt see each other shortly. If only I could truncate the time by locating thee immediately!

ROMEO searches the tomb until he spies JULIET'S tombstone. ROMEO attempts to open the tomb.

ROMEO

Thou detestable womb of death, thou have consumed the most wonderful human on this earth! I command thee to open before I break thee to a plethora of bits.

ROMEO opens the tomb and stares at JULIET.

ROMEO

(touching JULIET'S cheek and speaking softly) O fallen angel, o my lovely wife! Why art thou so fair?

JULIET'S eyes flutter. ROMEO does not notice.

ROMEO

Death has not yet swallowed thee. Thy lips and thy cheeks remain crimson, in a madman's eyes. Stay like so, my honey. Do not pale in surrender to—

JULIET

(weakly) R-Romeo?

ROMEO starts and leaps back, shocked.

ROMEO

(shakily) J-Juliet?

JULIET

(smiling) O, it is my lord, here to save me! Wilt thee I can face anything, husband.

ROMEO

(whispering) It is thee. Thou art...alive? Nay, I must be in heaven. Have I killed myself already? Much would be explained. Only heaven should rightfully claim Juliet as its own. Juliet is much too pure and beautiful to be taken by somewhere else. Heaven must have also lived in Verona.

JULIET

Romeo, what are thou saying? Dost thou not know of holy Friar's plan?

ROMEO

I know of no plan. If I have sinned too greatly, why am I in heaven? I do not deserve this from the eyes of God. Then why did He change His mind?

JULIET

O Romeo, thou art not deceased! I am not as well. We are in Verona, not heaven. And thou were vastly incorrect. Thou art a god, my god. Every god can enter heaven on His own will.

ROMEO

Nay o marvelous wife, thou art wrong. Although what does it matter? I can race straight through the mighty fires of the opposite of heaven wilt Juliet at my side.

JULIET

O Romeo, thou never wilt have to.

ROMEO

O Juliet, must we bicker?

JULIET

Ay. You must see thyself for what you are truly are. There is nothing negative about you at all. (touches Romeo's hand) I love thee.

ROMEO

(grasping Juliet's hand) I love thee more.

JULIET

Nay, never.

ROMEO

Of course forever, comparable to the infinite nature of the ocean and its immense depths. More than the most caliginous ocean floor.

JULIET

O, never stop, my lord.

ROMEO

I must for this.

ROMEO leans in, about to kiss JULIET.

Enter FRIAR LAWRENCE

FRIAR LAWRENCE

Am I interrupting?

JULIET

Ay, holy Friar, but I do not mind one bit. All of my gratefulness goes to thee, for allowing Romeo to return to me, and so ingeniously.

FRIAR LAWRENCE

Juliet, my plan would have failed had fate not intruded so rudely and so luckily. Consider thy selves blessed by God, who took pity on thy rash relationship. Thou as well, Romeo. Most especially thee. O Romeo, I almost could not recall! This was the plan that was supposed to be received by thee.

FRIAR LAWRENCE takes his letter out and hands it to ROMEO. ROMEO quickly peruses the letter.

FRIAR LAWRENCE

Juliet, I sent a friar to Mantua to deliver the letter to Romeo. But he was unexpectedly held up and quarantined inside a house because people believed he was infected with the plague. The letter could never reach Romeo. I was going to send it to him again, but I feared it would be too late.

ROMEO

I believe I know why. My horse ran away while—

JULIET takes the vial filled with poison from ROMEO'S hand.

JULIET

Romeo, what must this be?

ROMEO

Poison. Anyway, my horse ran away while—

JULIET

Poison?!

ROMEO

Ay. Heed me please, dear Juliet, holy Friar. My horse ran away while I was buying poison from a poor apothecary. I asked the apothecary if he could help me find another horse to take me to Verona as soon as possible. His friend owned one, so he had him lend it to me. However, waiting for the horse took very long. It took me an extra hour and a half, and everything from there was simply fate. I bought the poison because—because I thought Juliet was dead. I was going to drink it in Juliet's tomb and lie with her forever.

JULIET

But I would have woken up afterwards and committed suicide as well after seeing thee dead, no matter what. Fate saved at least two lives on this day. I must thank fate profusely, not for sparing my life, but for sparing thy life.

ROMEO

I am impossibly appreciative to fate that thou art not truly dead. To be honest, I do not care a whit for my own life, not after meeting thee.

FRIAR LAWRENCE

Both of thee are indebted to fate. I myself am as well. I would not have let go of shame and regret for the rest of my meager life if both of thee took thy own lives because of me. Come, we have spent enough time dawdling. Thou two must escape to Mantua. From there, thou can live out your lives together, hand in hand. Juliet, thy parents believe thou art dead, no?

JULIET

Ay, Friar.

FRIAR LAWRENCE

Romeo? What do thy parents believe?

ROMEO

I informed them about everything I knew before I saw Juliet alive in the tomb. They—O! My letter!

ROMEO frantically pats himself down. He finds the letter, opens it, and hands it to FRIAR LAWRENCE.

ROMEO

I was planning to have Balthasar, my servant, deliver it to my father, but it must have slipped my mind.

FRIAR LAWRENCE

Do not worry. I wilt deliver this to him and claim I had not the slightest inkling of this. I wilt also say I found this lying next to Juliet's tombstone.

JULIET

But Friar, the Montagues will search for Romeo's body and find nothing. My family might also find my body to be missing. How do we handle that?

FRIAR LAWRENCE

Ah, it is indeed a very puzzling mystery, how thy bodies disappeared. I know nothing. Perhaps it was just fate?

ROMEO

Nothing could be further from the truth of what thou just said. We must never contradict fate, not after what happened tonight. I am completely obliged to thee as well.

JULIET

As am I. Thank you so very, very much, Friar Lawrence.

FRIAR LAWRENCE

O, there is no need to be. I did this for the best.

ROMEO

Most certainly.

JULIET

Wilt we ever see our parents again?

FRIAR LAWRENCE

Perhaps, though I cannot guarantee it. Not now, of course. But in the future, I can attempt to have the news about thy marriage slip strategically, but only if possible. Do not stress too much about it. The future is now a blank canvas imposed among us.

ROMEO

Wilt we ever see you again?

FRIAR LAWRENCE

I hope so. We wilt correspond regularly through letters. I can make some time for a visit now and then.

JULIET hugs FRIAR LAWRENCE.

JULIET

Oh, I wilt miss Verona!

FRIAR LAWRENCE

Stay strong, daughter. Stay strong.

ROMEO

I sincerely hope to talk wilt thee again soon.

FRIAR LAWRENCE

As do I. Are thou ready, husband and wife?

ROMEO

Ay, more than anything.

JULIET

More than anything.

FRIAR LAWRENCE

I wilt drop thee off at Mantua. We wilt stay together in the shadows. Wear masks so no one wilt recognize thee just in case. Then, start your new life. Together, forever. Let us go. Make haste, I say.

Exit FRIAR LAWRENCE

ROMEO kisses JULIET.

ROMEO

Art thou ready?

JULIET

Ay. Let us start over again—

ROMEO

Hand and hand—

ROMEO and JULIET

In love.

EXEUNT ROMEO and JULIET