Juliet's Selfish Desire for her "True Love's" Death

     Juliet begins the scene desperate to be with Romeo. Her love for him is possessive and all encompassing. She would rather him be dead than be with anyone else: "Give me my Romeo, and when I shall die, take him and cut him out in little stars." He wants him to be taken away from the world when she is. She focuses a lot on death in this scene. She uses it to show the severity of her love for Romeo, but also her intense sorrow over what he has done and what has happened to him. She as at first appalled by what Romeo has done, but believes those thoughts to be treasonous to husband. After all, he only did it because "that villain cousin would have killed [her] husband."  She thinks Romeo's banishment is worse than his death: "But with a rearward following Tybalt’s death, “Romeo is banishèd.” To speak that word Is father, mother, Tybalt, Romeo, Juliet, All slain, all dead. “Romeo is banishèd.” There is no end, no limit, measure, bound , In that word’s death . No words can that woe sound." He is banished, so they can't be together, but they are constantly aware of it. Death would bring peace. They would be safe in their love for each other, and Romeo would have died loving her and only her. He know has the chance to change his mind, to take away his love. Death, for Juliet, is assurance of their mutual love; it is better than not knowing. Her preference for death is selfish and motivated by her need for self assurance.