The Verona Gazette

Romeo Montague, in Mantua, received news of Juliet's death from his servant Balthasar — who saw her laid in the tomb and raced to tell his master. He did not know about the potion. Romeo, upon hearing, did not pause, did not question, and did not wait for the letter he had not yet received.

He purchased a fast-acting poison from an apothecary and rode for Verona at once, entering the Capulet tomb before dawn. County Paris was already there, mourning Juliet privately, and drew his sword upon finding Romeo breaking into the crypt. Romeo warned him to leave. Paris refused. Romeo, this correspondent must sadly report, did not lose that fight.

"Here's to my love! O true apothecary, thy drugs are quick."

He drank the poison beside Juliet and died there, holding her hand, moments before the potion's forty-two hours were due to run out.

Friar Laurence arrived at the tomb to find Paris dead at the entrance and Romeo dead inside. Juliet was beginning to wake. The Friar urged her to flee — she refused. She had perhaps thirty seconds alone with Romeo's body before sounds outside drove the Friar away without her.

Juliet found Romeo's dagger. The outcome requires no elaboration beyond the words of the Prince of Verona, who arrived at dawn with both families and surveyed what the feud had ultimately cost them: "For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo."

Lord Capulet and Lord Montague shook hands in the tomb. Both pledged to raise statues of gold to the other's child. Their feud, the Prince declared, ends here. It took everything.