Construct an Alternative Epilogue to Romeo and Juliet, with relevant evaluation

And aided to my child’s timely woe

Then be assured, God’s fate is not what you

Should fear; For I will stand atop the world

And bring justice to you -

Montague:

                             - Though, my sir,

You seem to think of only Juliet,

My Son, as you forget was too involved

in tales of Death -

Friar:

                     - Thank you, but

I must begin the fable now of woe

That tells of Juliet and Romeo.

Romeo, in love with Rosaline, was burning strong

And Juliet, her marriage was not long

Away from when her eyes befell her glorious prize,

And Romeo, with sight touched gloried eyes.

Their love had blossomed, and just as love’s first bloom

The love was blessed, yet love hath met its doom.

Among the families, secret spread of sin

Yet no-one knew the fruitful bloom that lurked within.

On death, alas poor Romeo was banishèd

Yet one more night with his newly wed

Was spent. In bed they slept, a fruitful night and day

Where under covers, hidden beauties play.

And to this tale, the end must be told

And more secrets of this sun unfold.

Capulet:

        You knew all this! And yet refused to speak

Of love that blossomed every day and night!

These children, played in bed, and married not!

My daughter not a sinner is -

Friar:

                                 - Nay, Nay…

Your daughter was married, by this Godly heir

Though begged I was, by your children’s prayer.

Lady Capulet:

        My daughter; A blossoming flower so dear?

And yet a flower blossomed whose petals play.

Capulet:

        To Paris, this girl’s roots should be spread,

And jubilance thou seemst to show me!

When thou seest me approach a woman new,

A sin on thou it’s said to be,

Though when done by our merry daughter,

A gentle flower she is -

Friar:

                          - But gentle flowers grown

And as young Juliet arose to kiss her love

Juliet, her new true love, was known

Capulet:

        Enough of flowers that grow, and mouths that kiss!

Why did Juliet and your boy die?

Tell me that, old man, or pity be to you.

Friar:

        My Sir, My Sir, to you I’ll tell the way

That makes me give whenever it I say.

Juliet, her life been banished

Woe overcame, and to my chamber fled

To seek a poison, dark yet grim

To overcome her longing lust for him.

She begged, with my knowing of deadly plant

For Death to come and freedom grant.

I forbid, and yet she begs and pleads,

For that which punish her sinning deeds.

Upon my second ‘No’, she wept, she cried

Until I searched for a potion. To her I supplied

A vial, filled with liquid, deepest blue

That brings on death, for but an hour or two.

Capulet:

        A man of ane and wisdom were my thoughts,

And now to kill a girl, just age you have!

Friar:

        My lord, I just do what I must to help!

To love another is to love in God!

My blessings did I give to these two youths.

My plan was just to stop the wedding morrow,

Though that’s is not what Juliet announced, in sorrow

“I shall awake from a deep and pleasant sleep!”

Her words will echo through me, ever creep

And this I say, shall free me from myself
”To Romeo, I’ll tell, and then in Stealth,

I’ll pitch himself from Mantua to me,

Where ‘mongst ourselves, in love, live happily!”

As Juliet snatched the vial from my hand,

And gulped it down, to take her from our land.

With looking back, I wish it happened not.

But what is done is done, and what is lost is lost.

Capulet:

        You tell me this, and tell you that I must

Forgive you, for longing for our peace.

But my daughter loved me, and heard my words in awe.

She would marry, and not a poison take,

For Paris is her man, not Romeo,

You killed my girl, and killed my boy

And now, although to God I’d pay a debt,

To God, you’ll go, to God I must regret.

Lady Capulet:

        My man, I beg you, do not be so rash,

Think, and then act, but first think of your life.

Juliet gave up her life so we could live in peace.

Capulet:

        Old man, I am sorry for what I said I’d do,

But not the words that I had said to you.

You lied, but though your tale seems so false,

You tell what I want to know -

Friar:

                                 - If you

Do not admire the words I say,

Then go, and to come here I must you forbay

Anyone who insults God so hastily

Must grovel for a place in Purgatory.

Capulet:

        Fine then, ‘God’, if you must take our place

From Heaven, we can ne’er live in your grace.

Exeunt Capulet and Lady Capulet

Montague:

        Please, ignore his passion, and to me

Tell the tale of Romeo and She.

Now we have our interruptions gone,

You do not have to stop each passing breath.

Friar:

        Your son, who got the letters not from

Juliet, who sent them to the wrong address.

Rushed to the city, with news of Juliet’s distress

Coming from an uninformèd source.

Romeo, ‘pon seeing fair Paris, with force

Pulled out his sword, and into Paris’ skin

Put in a dagger, and pulled, to dead find him.

As Romeo saw the corpse of Juliet,

He took his vial of poison, and paid his debt

To all of those against whom he has wronged.

His life ended with, upon his wife, a kiss prolonged.

Alas, when Juliet awoke, a single body, lying

On the ground. She wept, and then she started crying

For the soul that died to be with her.

She took the knife from the sheath of Romeo

And killed herself, and filled all lives with woe.

I regret this story must e’er of occurred

And to you know, I send you my pardon

But please, before you leave this precious garden

Consider what I have said to you,

And now consider to who, and what you must do.

Montague:

        Though Romeo, you killed, I cannot blame you all

And though a Capulet killed my son fair,

I cannot blame the father for the girl’s deed.

I will use this time we have, to heal wounds.

Though two lover’s died, we have light in our life

To end, between our houses, all our strife.

[Exeunt]

---

Attached is a copy of my version of an admission to Friar Lawrence’s Admission to Romeo and Juliet’s family, in which I tried to represent two characters of the play as they have been portrayed so far using literary techniques, and major themes of the play.

In the play, the Friar is shown as a somewhat arrogant character, as is shown by his verse as we first meet him. He speaks in verse whilst he is alone, which shows that he puts much effort in to what he said. I have tried to do this in a number of ways. Firstly, he interrupts Capulet and Montague at certain points. This is showing that he thinks of himself as greater than the two noblest men in Verona. I have had him refer to himself as ‘God’, in some respects: “the words I say … who insults God.” I have also shown the Friar’s knowledge, however, by his thoughtfulness. The rhyming couplets showed that he had prepared his speech before he came, as supposed to the blank verse used by Capulet and Montague. The Friar demonstrates his wisdom in Act 2 Scene 3, as he is picking plants and avidly describing the qualities of them: “Within the infant rind of this weak flower poison hath residence.”

I have also tried to demonstrate Capulet’s passion. I have shown this in his blank verse, and his enjambment, showing that he does not think about what he says until he has spoken. This shows that his mind is very angered, and that he cannot think properly when this news has been revealed. I have also tried to show his passion through his hatred towards Montague. Though their brawl had been eased in the final act of the play: “Poor sacrifices of his enmity,” Capulet’s passion revitalises the hatred he has to Montague. I have shown his unwillingness to talk to him through the stichomythia. To show Capulet’s passion further, if I were to film this scene, I would portray Capulet donning red clothes. Red is the colour of passion, and I can use this general connotation of red as a passionate colour to imply this characteristic of the character. The other quality of Capulet I have tried to portray is his superiority over women. I have done this by continually using the singular, when he is instead referring to him and his wife: “I can praise my child.” This shows that he thinks he is greater than his wife. This is shown in the play by his calling of her and the use of the imperative, showing that he treats her like a slave, giving her orders: “Take me with you, wife.”

I have also attempted to echo the main themes of the play in my scene. Althoguh other themes exist within the play, such as the antithesis between the lover’s love, and the families’ desperate hatred of themselves, I have chosen to portray the main theme in my play as the offence to the higher powers. I have showed the consequences of the Friar’s offence to God, by going against his word “Honour thy father and they mother.” I have shown the consequence by the line “Each time I pray to God, he turns away.” I have also included an offence by Capulet at the end of the play, in which he threatens to kill the Friar, a bringer of God’s message. “although to God I’d pay a debt, to God, you’ll go.” The other major theme of the play I have attempted to incorporate in my scene is the theme of love, as I have shown by the imagery of the flower: “A flowering blossom so dear.” Other themes I could’ve chosen are the generic themes of a tragedy, a major play type in Shakespearean times. I did choose to represent the order, into disorder, then a tragic event repeating the order at the beginning. The beginning of the play starts in an orderly manner, and then Capulet displays disorder onto the play, before it re-emerging into order when the tragic event occurs: Exeunt Capulet […]

When I was deciding the location for the scene, I thought that I would use the location for the first appearance of the Friar, for dramatic irony. The Friar was there, and that is when things started to turn into disorder, and I have used this scene to conflict with this, as the society finally finishes solving the predicament that the Friar started in Act 2 Scene 3. When showing this scene, I would cast it in the evening, because the evening is the closing of the day, and this section shows the closing of all the problems of the play, the definitive resolution.

---