Welcome! This is my retelling of Romeo and Juliet, the characters based on the 1968 movie. I will he adding in little things, and a happy ending. I hope you enjoy.
In the beautiful city of Verona, where our story takes place, Samson and Gregory, servants on the Capulet family, walked down the bustling streets, talking and laughing to themselves. The humid heat made them sweat. It also made them easily irritated.
Sampson glared daggers at some of the Montague servants who were snickering to themselves. "Gregory, I swear, we can't let them humiliate us, " At Gregory's questioning look, he added, "What I mean is, if they make us angry we'll pull out our swords."
A smile spread across Gregory's face. "Maybe you should focus on pulling yourself out of trouble, Sampson."
"I hit hard when I'm angry!" Sampson hissed. "A dog from that house will make me angry enough to take a stand. If I pass one of them on the street, I'll take the side closer to the wall and let him walk in the gutter."
Gregory rolled his eyes. "That means you're the weak one, because weaklings get pushed up against the wall." The two servants bristled when they spotted Abram, a man of the opposite house. Instead of ignoring the situation, Abram sidled up to them and walked at their pace.
"Let's not break the law by starting a fight. Let him start something." Sampson whispered in his friend's ear. "I'll bite my thumb at them. That's an insult, and if they let me get away with it they'll be dishonored." He bit his thumb in Abram's face.
"Are you biting your thumb at me? Trying to start something?" Abram scowled.
"No, sir, I'm not biting my thumb at you, but I am biting my thumb."
A blue eyed teenager who was dressed like a nobleman entered the crowd. He wore an easy smile and pleasantly dandered around the courtyard. In a fit of excitement, Sampson jumped in front of Abram.
"Pull out your sword, if you're a man!"
The blue eyed noble, Benvolio, Romeo's cousin, pushed through the crowds until he reached the three men who were slashing at each other. reak it up, you fools. "Put your swords away. You don't know what you're doing!" When they didn't listen, he pulled out his own sword.
Before Benvolio noticed, Tybalt Capulet, Juliet's cousin, was behind him. "What? You've pulled out your sword to fight with these worthless servants? Turn around, Benvolio, and look at the man who's going to kill you."
Benvolio spun around and swallowed at seeing the older boy. "I'm only trying to keep the peace. Either put away your sword or use it to help me stop this fight."
Tybalt raised an eyebrow. "What? You take out your sword and then talk about peace? I hate the word peace like I hate all Montagues, and you. Let's go at it, coward!" Tybalt drew his sword and slashed at Benvolio, who only just jumped back. The teenagers jumped about the courtyard, fighting until they were breathless.
Women screamed and babies cried, as the fight seemed to escalate so harshly that soon all able men were fighting each other, not caring about being civil with one another, or the rule about fighting. Juliet's father, Capulet, entered in his gown, together with his wife, Lady Capulet. The man was considered ancient, having reached the age of forty seven. His wife, being only twenty eight, seemed to never channel any emotion. The woman had learned to keep herself composed, having been married off at the tender age of thirteen.
"What's this noise?" Capulet demanded, motioning to his wife, "Give me my long sword! Come on!"
Lady Capulet put her hand on her forehead dramatically. "A crutch, you need a crutch—why are you asking for a sword?" On the opposite side of the courtyard Montague stormed out, sword drawn, his wife, Lady Montague, following behind.
Capulet turned to his wife, exasperated. "I want my sword. Old Montague is here, and he's waving his sword around just to make me mad."
"Capulet, you villain!" Montague shouted, his wife holding him back. "Don't stop me! Let me go!"
Normally gentle and quiet, Lady Montague sounded almost like a stranger as she put on a harsh tone, "You're not taking one step toward an enemy!"
Everyone quietened and stopped their squabbling as the Prince of Verona, Escalus, strode in riding a fine steed. The man sent a frightening glare around the courtyard that seemed to silence every baby. "You rebels! Enemies of the peace! Men who turn their weapons against their own neighbors—They won't listen to me?—You there! You men, you beasts, who satisfy your anger with fountains of each others' blood! I'll have you tortured if you don't put down your swords and listen to your angry prince." The men threw their weapons down reluctantly.
"Three times now riots have broken out in this city, all because of a casual word from you, old Capulet and Montague. Three times the peace has been disturbed in our streets, and Verona's old citizens have had to fight for their next breath. If you ever cause a disturbance on our streets again, you'll pay for it with your lives. You, Capulet, come with me. Montague, this afternoon come to old Free-town, the court where I deliver judgments, and I'll tell you what else I want from you. As for the rest of you, I'll say this once more: go away or be put to death."
Lady Montague grabbed her husband and nephew and pulled them through a door, until they were alone. Montague took a heavy breath.
"Who started this old fight up again? Speak, nephew. Were you here when it started?"
Benvolio decided to tell the truth. "Your servants were fighting your enemy's servants before I got here. I drew my sword to part them. Right then, that hothead Tybalt showed up with his sword ready. He taunted me and waved his sword around, making the air hiss. As we were trading blows, more and more people showed up to join the fight, until the Prince came and broke everyone up. "
Lady Montague grew pale. "Oh, where's Romeo? Have you seen him today? I'm glad he wasn't here for this fight."
"Madam, I had a lot on my mind an hour before dawn this morning, so I went for a walk. Underneath the Sycamore grove that grows on the west side of the city, I saw your son taking an early-morning walk. I headed toward him, but he saw me coming and hid in the woods. I thought he must be feeling the same way I was—wanting to be alone and tired of his own company. I figured he was avoiding me, and I was perfectly happy to leave him alone and keep to myself." Benvolio finished and bowed his head in respect.
Montague nodded, sighing heavily. "He's been seen there many mornings, crying tears that add drops to the morning dew and making a cloudy day cloudier with his sighs. But as soon as the sun rises in the east, my sad son comes home to escape the light. He locks himself up alone in his bedroom, shuts his windows to keep out the beautiful daylight, and makes himself an artificial night. This mood of his is going to bring bad news unless someone smart can fix what's bothering him. "
"My noble uncle, do you know why he acts this way?"
"I don't know, and he won't tell me." Montague's eyes were pained. "I've tried, and many of our friends have tried to make him talk, but he keeps his thoughts to himself. He doesn't want any friend but himself, and though I don't know whether he's a good friend to himself, he certainly keeps his own secrets. He's like a flower bud that won't open itself up to the world because it's been poisoned from within by parasites. If we could only find out why he's sad, we'd be as eager to help him as we were to learn the reason for his sadness."
As if summoning him, Benvolio spotted Romeo trailing half heartedly up stone stairs. "Look—here he comes. If you don't mind, please step aside. He'll either have to tell me what's wrong or else tell me no over and over."
"I hope you're lucky enough to hear the true story by sticking around." Montague smiled at his wife. "Come, madam, let's go." Once the old couple left, Benvolio ran down to meet Romeo.
"Good morning, cousin."
"Is it that early in the day?" Romeo muttered. "Oh my, time goes by slowly when you're sad. Was that my father who left here in such a hurry?"
Benvolio nodded, walking with his cousin until they reached a wall they could sit down at. "It was. What's making you so sad?"
Romeo shrugged. "I love someone. She doesn't love me. So, where should we eat?" His face paled as he spotted blood on Benvolio's tunic. "Oh my! What fight happened here? No, don't tell me—I know all about it. This fight has a lot to do with hatred, but it has more to do with love. Love is heavy and light, bright and dark, hot and cold, sick and healthy, asleep and awake—it's everything except what it is! This is the love I feel, though no one loves me back. Are you laughing?"
Benvolio bit his cheek and almost went red at his attempt to stop his snickers."No, cousin, I'm crying."
"The woman I love is beautiful. She refuses to be hit by Cupid's arrow. She's as clever as Diana, and shielded by the armor of chastity. She can't be touched by the weak and childish arrows of love. She won't listen to words of love, or let you look at her with loving eyes. "
"So she's made a vow to never marry?" Romeo grunted, and Benvolio nodded. "Take my advice. Don't think about her."