Dear Abby Letter

This term we wrote a 'Dear Abby' letter to do with Romeo and Juliet.

Dear Abby,

I’m sitting here, drowning in my everlasting tears; my hair disheveled,and I feel as if surely  my eyes are grey with the constant passing of clouds over my suffering heart. My throat is hoarse with yelling and crying, and I feel as if the weight of the world is on my shoulders. My life, I know now, is not worth living. 

I fell in love with Romeo Montague at my father’s party two days ago. The thing is, he is a Montague. A Montague! We Capulets, my family, are born into an immense hatred for all Montagues, and any meeting of the two families usually results in bloodshed or death. And now I am besotted with one of the most important men in his family! 

Yet that is not the main problem. Just after our secret marriage, poor Romeo got caught in a horrendous fight with my cousin, Tybolt. Hot-tempered Tybolt killed Romeo’s best friend, Mercutio, and in his rage of grief Romeo killed Tybolt, and got banished to Mantua forever! As if that wasn’t enough, I am now to be married again, this time to an arrogant toe-rag. At least, that is my view of him. Supposedly ‘handsome’, Count Paris has eyes of which his smile never reaches, and his voice is dripping with sickly sweet caramel, causing me to be nauseous every time I glimpse him. 

Once I heard of the arrangement, I fled, hysterical, to the Friar of the village. When I finally managed to explain my problem, he gave me a potion which, according to him, will feign death. Romeo will then collect me from my tomb and will carry me off to Mantua with him forever. I love the idea; it is the best thing I could possibly imagine; but this means abandoning my family and friends! As well as that, I am terribly afraid that the friar, to avoid  being blamed for marrying Romeo and I, has given me real poison to kill me. This is the only way to avoid Paris and be with my Romeo- should I drink the potion? Oh, please tell me!

- Girl in Shock

Dear Girl in Shock,

Wow! This is a major problem... it got me worried for a while, but I do know what you should do. As a mother myself, I know just how precious my daughter is to me- I am completely certain that you are just as precious to your own mother. Honesty is always the best answer to anything, and you will be saved a lot of pain and trouble if you went and talked to your parents about this preposterous problem of yours. Sit down, explain; explain everything from falling for Romeo until now. They will understand, if not at first, your predicament and try to help. However, if, by chance they do not sympathize with your needs then you should simply run away to Mantua to Romeo- mind you, this is only a last resort. I would not sacrifice your family without them understanding your problem. I see no need whatsoever for you to drink the potion.

- Abby