| Rosaline | |
|---|---|
| Romeo and Juliet character | |
 Paola Tedesco as Rosaline in Franco Zeffirelli's 1968 film, one of the few films to give her a visible role | |
| Created by | William Shakespeare |
| In-universe information | |
| Gender | Female |
| Family | Capulet |
Rosaline (/ˈrɒzəlaɪn/)[1][2] is a fictional character mentioned in William Shakespeare's tragedy Romeo and Juliet. She is the niece of Lord Capulet. Although an unseen character, her role is important: Romeo's unrequited love for Rosaline leads him to try to catch a glimpse of her at a gathering hosted by the Capulet family, during which he first spots her cousin, Juliet.
Scholars generally compare Romeo's short-lived love of Rosaline with his later love of Juliet. The poetry Shakespeare writes for Rosaline is much weaker than that for Juliet. Scholars believe Romeo's 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.
- ^ Crystal, David (2016). The Oxford Dictionary of Original Shakespearean Pronunciation. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. p. 472. ISBN 978-0-19-966842-7.
- ^ Kokeritz, Helge (1953). Shakespear's Pronunciation. New Haven: Yale University Press. p. 477.