An Alternative Ending to Romeo and Juliet
I've wanted to write this since we started doing Romeo and Juliet in class, it just seems to be a more logical thing for them to have done. Apart from the beginning, which is the actual Shakespeare, the rest of it is in more modern English. This starts just after Capulet tells Juliet she must marry Paris. It starts in the Friar's cell.
Friar Lawrence frowned slightly at Paris.
"On Thursday, sir? The time is very short."
Paris tried to smile reassuringly, but he had no hope of achieving this, as the Friar's worry went deeper than he realised. "My father Capulet will have it so," he replied.
"Uneven is the course, I like it not," the Friar mumbled to himself, frowning even more.What was he to do? Juliet was already married to Romeo. She couldn't be married to two men at once. It didn't bear thinking about. If Paris noticed his preoccupation, he didn't let it show. The door opening caused both men to look up.
Paris visibly brightened when he saw it was Juliet.
"Happily met, my lady and my wife!" Juliet went pale at these words.
"I'm not your wife." When she realised quite how harsh this sounded, she quickly added, "yet." Paris, unperturbed by this frosty reception, continued cheerfully,
"Of course, how foolish of me. May I ask what you're doing here?"
"I'm here for confession."
After a brief pause, when he realised that she wasn't going to say anything else, Paris nodded at Friar Lawrence, kissed Juliet's hand, much to her displeasure, and left. As soon as his footsteps had faded, Juliet cried out,
"Oh Friar Lawrence! You must have heard, I have to marry him! What am I to do?
"I know, my child," answered the Friar. As he thought hard about an answer to the predicament, his frown slowly disappeared. It wasn't his usual facial expression, and it was hard for him to keep it up. "You could drink this potion that makes you seem dead, be buried in your family tomb and wait for Romeo to come and get you."
Juliet thought the plan through.
"And what if Romeo hears I am dead, and arrives here before the message reached him? Who knows what he'd do. If I heard he's died I-" She stopped short, unable to complete that terrible thought.
"All plans will have their problems, although these complex ones often end in disaster. There is another choice. I send a letter to Romeo and he comes to take you to Mantua. However, your family will no doubt hear of it, and hunt you down."
"Oh my…well, I have to say, this was never going to be easy. I fell in love with Romeo, and I'd go through anything to be with him. Now I just have to choose the lesser of two evils. Fake my own death, or go on the run…"
~##~
Juliet. She was all Romeo thought about. Since arriving in Mantua, he'd spent his time gazing sorrowfully, being constantly reminded of her. The Sun shone like her eyes, the flowers smelt like her, the walls looked like her walls…
"Gracious, that poor young must have suffered greatly," remarked one servant to her two friends.
"I heard he killed a man," whispered the second, conspiratorially.
"It's terribly disturbing, when I go in there to clean the room. He just sits there, his eyes all glassy, staring at the wall. It gives me the shivers," the third said, shaking her head. "Oh, what's that? Can you hear it?" The sound of thundering hooves was getting louder. A mounted messenger soon came into view.
"Where's Romeo?" The messenger sounded out of breath. All three servants pointed to his room in unison. He nodded his thanks, and hurried towards it, after dismounting.
Romeo heard the knock on his door without much enthusiasm. After a few minutes, there was another knock.
"Sir?" called a voice through the wood. "Sir, are you in there? I have a letter from Verona." Faster than seemed possible, Romeo had thrown open the door, and was reading the letter. Please be from her, please be from Juliet, he thought desperately. He immediately looked at the signature. It wasn't. Romeo deflated. He dragged his eyes to the top, to start reading. A few sentences in, his eyes widened, and he began to read as quickly as possible. Could it be? Juliet…
~##~
Romeo had left for Verona immediately. He leapt onto his horse and set off, replaying the words of the message in his mind. After what seemed like an age, Romeo arrived at one of the gates of Verona. He waited impatiently, his eyes scanning the faces. And there! It was her!
"Juliet!" he cried, unable to contain himself. She hurried over, and threw herself into his arms as soon as he'd dismounted.
"Oh, Romeo!" They clung to each other, not daring to let go, lest the other was lost again. Friar Lawrence, unnoticed by either, walked over, and quietly cleared his throat. They both turned to look at him, still clinging to each other.
"Thank-you Friar, for everything. I owe you a great debt," said Romeo, barely able to contain his joy.
"Think nothing of it, my child. Juliet, I have your bag." Smiling benignly, he handed it to Romeo, who tied it to his horse.
"Juliet," said Romeo seriously. "Are you sure you want to do this? We may have to travel far away to avoid your parents. We may not live in great comfort. Are you sure you can give all you have up?"
"All I have is nothing without you to share it with, my love."
"Now you must leave. If Romeo is spotted, he will be killed on the spot. Exile is a serious business." After helping Juliet onto the horse, who was panting heavily from its gallop to Verona, Romeo pulled himself onto the horse. "Goodbye, my children, and good luck! May God bless you, and all you do."
After one last look at the city they'd grown up in, Romeo turned the horse round, kicked it, and they were off, riding towards their future. No matter what happened, as long as they were together, they would be fine. At least, that was the plan.
~##~
In a grand house, in a quiet street, the Capulet household awoke to the screeching of the Nurse.
"She's gone!"