Act 1 Scene 1
Juliet’s Diary – Entry 1

Dear Diary,

I woke up this morning with a strange feeling in my stomach. On a whim, I looked out of my bedroom window, past the blue hydrangea on the windowsill, out into the city as if hearing a distant cry. What’s even crazier is that a couple of hours later, the nurse notified me of a brawl that happened around the time that I woke up. Prince Escalus intervened and threatened execution upon the brawlers. Writing about it makes me feel nauseous. Especially since my own cousin was part of it.

I wonder what’s made him so hostile. But something I think about even more is why this whole feud started in the first place. What if it was built inside of us the same way blood is? If it was written in the stars, then I can’t help but hate whoever wrote it there. My worst fear is that these brawls were meant to happen, and that this feud is ancient. Sometimes it makes me feel like running away from Verona, to a place where my last name doesn’t mean anything.

I’d never be able to work up the courage to bring any of this up at dinner.

Juliet