Egaeus believes his soul has lived before and been reincarnated in another body, and Berenice seems to undergo a related form of resurrection here: her body appears to die and then comes back, and the more it does this, the heavier a toll it takes on her soul. It seems, then, that this kind of death does come at some cost, apparently to Berenice’s “moral” condition. In other words, Berenice’s disease is corroding her happiness, carefree attitude, and innocent exploration of life, even though her body continues to survive.