In the beginning of Act V, Romeo has been banished to Mantua. In his opening speech he mentions a dream which predicts some "joyful news" is "at hand." He also says that Juliet will find him dead but will restore him to life with her kisses. He says,
I dreamt my lady came and found me dead
(Strange dream that gives a dead man leave to
think!)
And breathed such life with kisses in my lips
That I revived and was an emperor.
Romeo's dream is partly ironic. Had he received the message from Friar Laurence about the plot involving Juliet faking her death, he would have indeed had good news. Unfortunately, the Friar's message never arrives and so the meaning of Romeo's dream is lost. In the Friar's plan, Romeo was to rescue Juliet from the tomb, taking her away to Mantua to be reunited in their love. Fate intervenes in the form of a plague threat in Verona which delays the message.
The dream also foreshadows events in the Capulet tomb later in Act V. After Romeo has killed himself with poison, Juliet wakes up to find him dead next to her. She attempts to kiss some of the poison off his lips but they are dry. The kiss is foreshadowed in Romeo's lines. Juliet finally uses Romeo's dagger to kill herself.
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