Juliet kisses Romeo after he is dead in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet because she hopes to ingest any poison left on his lips and join him in death. This act reflects her desperation, love, and deep grief after discovering that Romeo has taken his life, believing she was already dead.
Here’s the moment from the play (Act V, Scene III):
“Thy lips are warm!”
Juliet realizes Romeo has only just died, and in her anguish, the kiss becomes both a farewell and an attempt to reunite with him in death. When this fails, she ultimately uses Romeo’s dagger to end her own life.
This tragic moment highlights the intensity of their love and the miscommunication that led to their untimely deaths.