Final answer:
The quote is from Shakespeare's 'Othello' and depicts Othello's remorse and realization of his wrongful murder of Desdemona, leading to his decision to die kissing her, thus symbolically joining her in death.
Step-by-step explanation:
The quote "I kissed thee ere I killed thee: no way but this, killing myself, to die upon a kiss" is from William Shakespeare's play Othello.
It is spoken by Othello in the final scene as he expresses his remorse for having murdered his wife, Desdemona, out of jealousy.
Othello has been manipulated by Iago into believing that Desdemona has been unfaithful to him, and after realizing the truth, that he killed her without just cause, he decides to take his own life.
The act of kissing her before and after her death highlights the intimate and tragic nature of the moment.
He feels that by dying in this manner—kissing the lips of his deceased wife—he symbolically joins her in death and atones for his grave sin.