“In David Garrick’s 1748 rewrite of Romeo and Juliet, Romeo and Juliet are allowed to talk together in the tomb after V.3.114—at ‘righteous kiss’. (In the orthodox version, Romeo dies six lines later, before Juliet wakes up.)
… Arms, take your last embrace; and lips, do you
The doors of breath seal with a righteous kiss;—
Soft—she breathes, and stirs!
[Juliet wakes.
JUL. Where am I? defend me!
ROM. She speaks, she lives! and we shall still be bless’d!
My kind propitious stars o’erpay me now
For all my sorrows past—rise, rise, my Juliet,
And from this cave of death, this house of horror,
Quick let me snatch thee to thy Romeo’s arms,
There breathe a vital spirit in thy lips,
And call thee back to life and love.
[Takes her hand.
JUL. Bless me! how cold it is! whose’s there!
ROM: Thy husband,
‘Tis thy Romeo, Juliet; rais’d from despair
To joys unutt’rable! quit, quit this place,
And let us fly together—
[Brings her from the tomb.
JUL. Why do you force me so? I’ll ne’er consent—
My strength may fail me, but my will’s unmov’d,—
I’ll not wed Paris,—Romeo is my husband—
ROM. Her senses are unsettl’d—Heav’n restore ‘em!
Romeo is thy husband; I am that Romeo,
Nor all th’opposing pow’rs of earth or man,
Shall break our bonds, or tear thee from my heart.
JUL. I know that voice—Its magic sweetness wakes
My tranced soul—I now remember well
Each circumstance—Oh my lord, my Husband—
[Going to embrace him.
Dost thou avoid me, Romeo? let me touch
Thy hand, and taste the cordial of thy lips—
You fright me—speak—Oh let me hear some voice
Besides my own in this drear vault of death,
Or I shall faint—support me
ROM. Oh I cannot,
I have no strength, but want thy feeble aid,
Cruel poison!
JUL. Poison! What means my lord; thy trembling voice!
Pale lips! and swimming eyes! death’s in thy face!
ROM. It is indeed—I struggle with him now—
The transports that I felt, to hear thee speak,
And see thy op’ning eyes, stopt for a moment
His impetuous course, and all my mind
Was happiness and thee; but now the poison
Rushes thro’ my veins—I’ve not time to tell—
Fate brought me to this place—to take a last,
Last farewel of my love and with thee die.
JUL. Die? was the Friar false!
ROM. I know not that—
I thought thee dead; distracted at the sight,
(Fatal speed) drank poison, kiss’d thy cold lips,
And found within thy arms a precious grave—
But in that moment—Oh—
JUL. An did I wake for this!
ROM. My powers are blasted,
‘Twixt death and love I’m torn—I am distracted!
But death’s strongest—and must I leave thee, Juliet!
Oh cruel cursed fate! in sight of heav’n—
JUL. Thou rav’st— lean on my breast—
ROM. Fathers have flinty hearts, no tears can melt ‘em,
Nature pleads in vain—Children must be wretched—
JUL. Oh my breaking heart—
ROM. She is my wife—our hearts are twin’d together—
Capulet, forbear—Paris, loose your hold—
Pull not our heart-strings thus—they crack—they break—
Oh Juliet! Juliet!
[Dies.
JUL. Stay, stay, for me, Romeo—
A moment stay; fate marries us in death,
And we are one—no pow’r shall part us.
[Faints on Romeo’s body.”
— The Shakespeare Miscellany, David Crystal and Ben Crystal
DON’T MISS HIT & RUN: ROMEO & JULIET ON SATURDAY, JUNE 2 @ 8:30p!!!
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