Rosaline (pronounced /ˈrɒzəlɪn/ or /ˈrɒzəliːn/) is an unseen character and niece of Lord Capulet in William Shakespeare's tragedy Romeo and Juliet (1597). Although silent, her role is important: her lover, Romeo, first spots Juliet while trying to catch a glimpse of Rosaline at a Capulet gathering.
Scholars generally compare Romeo's short-lived love of Rosaline with his later love of Juliet. The poetry he writes for Rosaline is much weaker than t...
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Rosaline (pronounced /ˈrɒzəlɪn/ or /ˈrɒzəliːn/) is an unseen character and niece of Lord Capulet in William Shakespeare's tragedy Romeo and Juliet (1597). Although silent, her role is important: her lover, Romeo, first spots Juliet while trying to catch a glimpse of Rosaline at a Capulet gathering.
Scholars generally compare Romeo's short-lived love of Rosaline with his later love of Juliet. The poetry he writes for Rosaline is much weaker than that for Juliet. Scholars believe his early experience with Rosaline prepares him for his relationship with Juliet. Later performances of Romeo and Juliet have painted different pictures of Romeo and Rosaline's relationship, as filmmakers have experimented with making Rosaline a more visible character.
Before Romeo meets Juliet, he loves Rosaline, Lord Capulet's niece. He describes her as exceptionally beautiful: "The all-seeing sun / ne'er saw her match since first the world begun." Rosaline, however, chooses to remain celibate; Romeo says: ...
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