Act 5 Scene 3 • Inevitable Fate

I write now weighed down in heavy sorrow and shaken by many fleeting and unexpected events. Upon learning that Romeo did not receive his letter, I had a foreboding premonition of something bad to come. I immediately rushed to the Capulet's tomb in an attempt to rescue Juliet myself. Fearing that she would be angry and afraid alone in the tomb with no Romeo to greet her from her deep sleep, I made haste, unaware that this should be the least of my fears.

To my surprise, I ran into Balthasar, the servant of Romeo, waiting in the shadows of the tomb. He informed me of Romeo's desperate pleas not to follow him into the burial chamber, which roused my suspicions. I was in no way prepared for the scene that greeted me upon entering the grave: Romeo and Paris both lie dead on the floor! Among many other emotions, desperation crossed my mind. The consequences of the recent actions lay completely on my shoulders and Romeo's death could not be undone. My beloved son! And what of Juliet? How would she react and what was to become of her? As she stirred, I heard noises from above and I desperately implored her to leave the place with me. I would hide her into my cell until we thought of another plan that hopefully would be more successful than the last, but she refused my request. I had no other choice but to flee.

Despite my attempt to evacuate the crime scene, I was discovered and was deemed a main suspect due to the tools I possessed. I was also at the wrong place at the wrong time. Seeing the dreadful sight of Juliet's bloody body sprawled desolately across Romeo's did not come as much of a shock to me as you would expect. She had been planning to end her life if she could not come up with a solution other than forgetting Romeo and marrying Paris, so I had no reason to believe that she would choose to live under these circumstances without Romeo. All of this happening at once was far too much for me to handle in such a short amount of time. I remained unresponsive until called upon to give an account, and an honest account was what I gave. I spoke no other word but the truth and claimed full responsibility for my actions, as I should have. The Prince took mercy on me and allowed me to remain a holy man in Verona.

At long last, the feud between the families was settled due to mutual loss and understanding of the gravity of this pointless argument. As I had expected, the star crossed lovers did end up bringing their families together, just not in the way I had expected. Fate remained unavoidable despite my precautions.

Act 4 Scene 5 • Futile Woe

I ventured towards the house of the Capulet's while teeming with many conflicting emotions: concern and sorrow for the family, anxiety but also excitement for the future of the star crossed lovers, and regret, wondering if I had done the right thing. My original thought process was that the deaths of the two young and only children would bring the families together in grief, but further pondering on the issue has brought me to the conclusion that it may just drive them apart by anguish fueling their passion to bicker.

There was further proof of this theory when I walked in to find the Lord and Lady and Paris and Nurse getting carried away in their heartache due to their loss. I noted the fact that Paris seemed distraught not for the actual loss of Juliet whom he barely knew, but for the loss of having a wife.  Their loss also seem fueled by personal loss as well, such as loosing the privileges gained by Juliet's marriage. Putting this aside, I stepped forward to give the grievers a dose of reality and rescued them from drowning in pointless mourning by reminding them that they all wished for a social advancement for Juliet and this they will still gain by her death. She will advance into the eternal life of heaven and they couldn't wish for a better future for their daughter and wife than this.

Any worry spent over wondering if seeming too put together after this "tragedy" wouldn't go unnoticed by the mourners was cast aside, for they were too wrapped up in their own emotions to notice anything suspicious about my behavior. I felt a twinge of pity for the pointless woe of the family, but I knew it was for the best of the star crossed lover's future.

Act 4 Scene 1 • An Unfortunate Arrangment

Saying that Paris's unforeseen announcement of his upcoming marriage to poor Juliet was a shock would be quite the understatement. Not only was I taken aback, but also horrified. Horrified that this horrible man was arranging a marriage to a young girl that he barely knew, let alone could possibly love. And under these circumstances? He claimed that he had not had the opportunity to woo her because she was grieving the loss of her "cousin", pointing out that Venus did not smile in a house of tears. Little did he know, Venus would not be smiling upon this betrothal no matter the circumstances. In the society of this time period, young daughters such as Juliet do not have as much of a say on their futures and I imagine that this fact was the root cause of the matter.

Juliet, hiding her vehement emotions and retaining her composure, walked in on my futile attempt to dissuade him from this hasty marriage. She had probably come to look to me for advice of a last resort. To the annoyance of Paris, Juliet was very curt in replying to him during their exchange and I saw no affection towards him hiding behind her tense visage. A deep and uncrossable chasm lies in between the two and Paris's attempt to cross it will be in vain.

 I was finally able to convince Paris to leave us to our private discussion and the pain that Juliet had been bearing due to this predicament was expressed the moment that the doors were closed. However, I was able to spot a difference between the star-crossed lovers' reactions to chaos. While Romeo weeped and wallowed in a puddle of self pity, reasonable Juliet declared that she would either hear out any remedies that I had to offer or end her life.

The one solution that I was able to bring forth was a desperate move and required quite a lot of bravery that I doubted was to be expected from a woman. However, she was able to surprise me yet again, promising that her love for Juliet would overpower any fear. I told her of a potion that would still the pulse and deaden the body, making it appear as though she were dead. I then promised to send word to Romeo to come with me to awaken her in two days time from the tomb of the Capulet's, where I would send them off to the start of a new life together in Mantua. Promising that love would lend her the necessary strength, Juliet made off with the poison in determination to remain true to Romeo.

Act 3 Scene 3 • Optimism for a Future of Potential

Late at night, Romeo ran to my cell to deliver the disturbing news of the deaths of Mercutio and Tybalt. I was well aware of the typical punishment for such crimes (death), but for Romeo's sake I hid my knowledge behind a mask of wisdom and experience.




Upon learning that his punishment was merely banishment, I was not only immensely relieved, but also thrilled for Romeo to gain much needed experience of the real world away from his life in Verona and in Juliet's heart. I saw this as an opportunity to broaden Romeo's horizons and character. I knew he would be reluctant to leave behind his new-found love but I was not fully prepared for his passionate outcry and his claim that he would rather take death over this.

Astonishment turned to annoyance and anger, I tried coax him out of this state and into seeing reason but to no avail until the nurse's arrival. He immediately questioned the nurse about Juliet and upon hearing about Juliet crying out the names of Tybalt and Romeo, he threatened to commit suicide. I couldn't stand hearing Romeo's pitiful complaints any longer and launched into a rampage about Romeo's ungrateful state and noted that those who don't realize the gifts they have been given will never truly be happy. In fact, the opposite happens and the misuse of good potential may result in deathly outcomes.

Realizing that I was the only one in a reasonable state, I gave both Romeo and Nurse instructions and sent the on their way. I said my goodbyes to Romeo in sadness but also optimism for my young son's future.

Act 2 Scene 6 • Love or Unhealthy Obsession?

Today I married Romeo and Juliet. Their passionate love for each other was evident, but I was careful to warn Romeo that the acts of intense fervency of youth may have equally intense consequences. When loving far too much and far too quickly, it may result in sorrow and violent outcomes. I advised him to love long and in moderation.

The extent of Romeo and Juliet's love for one another was shown when Juliet first arrived and I was relieved but concerned at the same time for I couldn't tell if this was love or an unhealthy obsession. I came to the conclusion that there was no parting Romeo and Juliet and reassured myself that this relationship between the two may strengthen the one between their two families and weaken their drawn-out feud.

Act 2 Scene 3 • A Whirlwind Change of Events

Romeo Montaque, practically my son, stumbled upon me gathering herbs in the fields the other day while I was reflecting on the beauty of nature which was provoking thoughts on the misuse of good and its quick transformation to evil under certain circumstances. He hastened to inform me of his forgotten love for Rosaline and his newly discovered infatuation for a young woman named Juliet. According to Romeo, this girl, though lovely and bright, happens to be of the Capulet family, an enemy to the Montaques. 

You can imagine my disbelief and apprehensive questions to this whirlwind change of events. Just the other day, he was weeping and sighing over Rosaline and kept to himself, just barely holding together his so-called broken heart. It is my understanding that young and inexperienced Romeo hasn’t touched on the meaning of true love yet, but rather what he believes it to be. 

Although, however rash this decision may be, it is possible that these lovers may tie together the feuding families in their marriage and this drawn-out quarrel will at last be resolved. It is a risk I must be willing to take for the sake of our society here in Verona and although I am lacking in experience with this true love, I believe that it cannot steer wrong when developed. I do believe that it must be developed in time so I will encourage Romeo to take this budding relationship slowly. I will just have to trust in Romeo’s dedication for this Juliet, urge for him to take this slow, and hope for the best.