How does Romeo react to the news that he has been banished?

In act 3, scene 3 of Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, the friar tells Romeo of his punishment for killing Tybalt while avenging the death of Romeo's friend Mercutio. When the friar tells Romeo he is banished from Verona, which is a merciful choice by the Prince, who could have sentenced Romeo to death for murder, Romeo responds:

Ha, banishment! Be merciful, say “death,”
For exile hath more terror in his look,
Much more than death. Do not say “banishment.”


Though the friar points out to Romeo that banishment is less severe than the "doomsday" Romeo predicts, Romeo does not see mercy in the Prince's decision. Banishment means a life outside the walls of Verona and permanent separation from Juliet, which Romeo views as a punishment worse than death. Romeo ignores the friar's attempt to comfort him with the reminder that the world is big and inviting, launching into a lengthy monologue of the horror he feels at being banished, comparing banishment to hell and death with extreme and passionate language. He would rather die than leave Juliet.