Analysis of Romeo's Love for Rosaline vs Juliet

The sample essay on Rosaline Love deals with a framework of research-based facts, approaches, and arguments concerning this theme. To see the essay’s introduction, body paragraphs and conclusion, read on.

Romeo and Juliet is a tragic love story written but William Shakespeare. The book was first published in 1597 and is well known by people all around the world. It is a play set in Italy, Verona in the 17th century. It is about ‘two star crossed lovers’ who fall in love at first sight.

But they come from families, the Montague’s and the Capulet’s, who hate each other and know that they are not allowed to marry one another. Romeo and Juliet are so in love and truthful to each other, ‘as true as the stars above’, that they decide to have a secret marriage. However due to their families fighting, they both take their own lives for each other and to put a stop to the feud between their families.

In this essay I will be comparing how Romeo’s feeling of love for Rosaline (Act 1 Scene 1) differs to his feelings for Juliet (Act 2 Scene 2). I will also be focusing on how Shakespeare uses language to convey Romeo’s feelings.

“Alas, that love, whose view is muffled still” -1, 1, 171

Act 1 Scene 1 is about how Romeo drools over his unrequited love for Rosaline. Shakespeare starts off with a soliloquy with Romeo expressing his love for Rosaline by using Iambic Pentameter. Romeo is alone on stage expressing his thoughts using ‘earthy imagery’.

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Romeo spends most his time sighing over his depressing and virtually nonexistent love life. He looks very confused about his feelings for Rosaline. During the play, he seems very desperate (his love does not seem to make him as happy as it would for Juliet) and his love for her is very quick/ impulsive.

What Happened To Romeo’s Love For Rosaline

The word muffled suggests that he is trying to cover his love for her. This is because the women he loves, has sworn to chastity and to be a nun. Although, during the play Romeo says ‘Should, without eyes, see pathways to his will’. This tells us that even though Rosaline has dedicated her life to her religion, he will find a way to get to her. This shows us that even though Romeo knows the truth about Rosaline, he still embraces his love for her. Shakespeare uses iambic pentameter as it affects how the rhythm of play flows. It also creates effect because it is a great way to put an emphasis on certain words such as love and muffled. This gives an indication to the audience of what is happening in the play.

“Why, then, O brawling love! O loving hate!”- 1, 1, 176

Shakespeare has used oxymorons to convey Romeos emotions. He uses an oxymoron to show how confused he is about his love for Rosaline as Shakespeare emphasis things by combining two normally contradictory terms. Oxymoron’s can also be very effective because they are a figure of speech, intentionally used for rhetorical effect. This tells us that Shakespeare’s intention to show love, was that he wanted to make everything that Romeo says very dramatic and and make him seem desperate. The exclamation marks show his anger towards the situation he is in.

As the word ‘brawling’ means to fight or quarrel in a rough or noisy way. I think that Romeo is implying that he is annoyed and wants to get away from all the ‘drama’ (as Romeo would want to describe it) happening in his life. As well as the use of oxymorons, he has also used Caesura which is a break or pause in the middle of a line. When it is read aloud it sounds as if someone is asking you a question. In this case caesura has being used when Romeo says ‘Why, Then,’ in the same way, if Shakespeare had used question marks it would have sounded very similar. ‘Why? Then?’. This creates an effect or Romeo questioning his love, although he does not realise it.

Despite Romeo’s great declarations of love for Rosaline, Romeo learns to move on in Act 2 Scene 2 after falling in love with Juliet. Romeo’s love for Juliet compared to Rosaline is very real and his love for her has been given back especially because Rosaline is a long- lost memory at this point. With this, Rosaline is forgotten and Juliet becomes Romeo’s focal point. There is a major difference between the love of Romeo and Rosaline compared to Romeo and Juliet.

“Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon”-2, 2, 4

Romeo expresses his love for Juliet using personification as well as metaphors. He describes Juliet as a ‘fair sun’ this tells us that she lights up his life like the sun and compares her to the ‘envious moon’ which is very pale. The line before this says ‘It is the east, and Juliet is the sun’. Shakespeare has deliberately structured it like this which shows us how much he cannot stress that he would not know what he would do without Juliet. This shows how much more meaning she has to him rather than Rosaline (his love for her could have been the ‘envious moon’).

The use of metaphors in this particular line is effective because it gives Romeo a voice as he is so passionate because he finds it hard to describe Juliet. The use of personification creates an imaginative and philosophical effect. It also makes it very relatable.

Another very important language technique used is long vowel sounds such as the word ‘arise’. It gives the effect that the Romeo wants to show everyone their love, but it is dragging as he cannot do that.

“O, speak again, bright angel! For thou art”- 2, 2, 26

Romeo is trying to convey his love for her by calling her an ‘angel’. This suggests that she takes him away from all the bad memories. This could also mean that even when they die they will both be together in heaven.

The word ‘bright’ tells us that she stands out to him over anything else and he would do anything for her. As far as getting killed. The line after this says ‘As glorious to this night, being o’er my head’. This tells us what Romeo thinks of Juliet, as glorious and as wonderful as her hear.

Overall I think that Romeo and Juliet had a better connection because there was no spark between Romeo and Rosaline. Romeo portrays his love for Juliet as very easy. He seems to be much more comfortable with her compared to Rosaline as he can be himself around her and tell her anything even though they are from two completely different families who hate each other. He would even risk meeting her on her balcony even when he was risking his own life.