Okay so I saw the Christchurch Court Theatre’s production of Romeo and Juliet a few months ago
Romeo had just had his fight with Paris in the Capulets’ tomb and was clinging to Juliet, delivering his broken hearted monologue
He stands, knocks back the little vial of poison, drops it to the ground
Stumbles
‘Thus, with a kiss, I die’
Stumbles again, towards Juliet
Not one person in the entire fucking audience is breathing as he collapses next to the slab where Juliet’s body lies, struggling desperately to haul himself up so he can kiss her
He’s wheezing and crying and doubled over with cramps and then… He dies.
He didn’t make it. He just dies slumped on the floor of the tomb, not touching Juliet, never having got that last kiss.
I haven’t seen any other interpretation that’s done that, but holy shit it broke me and I’m still thinking about it months later