In Act Five, Scene Three of Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare presents Romeo's love as undying, even in the face of death. At the beginning of this scene, Romeo has returned to Verona with a vial of poison and a death wish. Having heard that Juliet has died, he goes to her crypt in order to commit suicide. Upon seeing Juliet, Romeo cries out:
...O my love, my wife!
Death, that hath sucked the honey...
In Act Five, Scene Three of Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare presents Romeo's love as undying, even in the face of death. At the beginning of this scene, Romeo has returned to Verona with a vial of poison and a death wish. Having heard that Juliet has died, he goes to her crypt in order to commit suicide. Upon seeing Juliet, Romeo cries out:
...O my love, my wife!
Death, that hath sucked the honey of thy breath,
Hath had no power yet upon thy beauty.
Thou are not conquered...
Here, Romeo remarks upon the beauty that has been preserved in his wife's corpse, a quality that not even death could confiscate from her. He continues on with a solemn promise:
...I will stay with thee,
And never from this palace of dim night
Depart again.
Romeo is so committed to his beloved that he vows to stay with her for all eternity, even at the consequence of his own corporeal survival. He cannot bear the idea of living without her, and so carries out his plan. Romeo takes the poison and methodically bids Juliet goodbye, visually admiring her ("Eyes, look your last."), taking her into his arms ("Arms, take your last embrace."), and kissing her one final time ("Lips... seal with a righteous kiss.") Even in the act of dying, Romeo's attention is directed solely to the woman he loves.
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