Romeo and Juliet Rosaline Quotes

When the devout religion of mine eye
Maintains such falsehood, then turn tears to fires;
And these, who often drown’d could never die,
Transparent heretics, be burnt for liars!
One fairer than my love! the all-seeing sun
Ne’er saw her match since first the world begun.

– William Shakespeare

Romeo and Juliet, Act 1, Scene 2. Romeo uses vivid religious metaphors and hyperbole as he counters Benvolio’s suggestion that looking at another woman will make him forget all about Rosaline. Romeo says how his eyes worship Rosaline, and if he lied his tears would turn into fire and be burnt at the stake as heretics. He shows himself to be rather shallow here, valuing Rosaline’s physical beauty above all else.

I conjure thee by Rosaline’s bright eyes,
By her high forehead and her scarlet lip,
By her fine foot, straight leg and quivering thigh
And the demesnes that there adjacent lie,
That in thy likeness thou appear to us!

– William Shakespeare

Romeo and Juliet, Act 2, Scene 1. Mercutio calls out for Romeo, who has disappeared into the Capulet’s orchard in a mission to find Juliet. But Mercutio thinks that Romeo is still pining for Rosaline, not realizing that he is over her and in love with Juliet. Since the audience knows this, this is an example of dramatic irony. Since he is something of a joker Mercutio summons up the "dead" Romeo by Rosaline’s beauty and physical appeal. He uses sexual innuendo to talk about her trembling thighs and the parts that lie next to them.

Alas poor Romeo! he is already dead; stabbed with a white wench’s black eye; shot through the ear with a love-song.

– William Shakespeare

Romeo and Juliet, Act 2, Scene 4. Mercutio says this about the lovesick Romeo, thinking that he is pining away for the "wench" Rosaline. What he doesn’t know, but the audience does, is that Romeo affections have switched from Rosaline to Juliet, whom he has fallen head over heels in love with. This is an example of dramatic irony, a literary and theatrical device much loved by Shakespeare and used throughout the play. Mercutio’s joke about Romeo being dead for love is tragically foreshadowing of how Romeo will die from his love of a woman – Juliet! We see also the juxtaposition of light and dark in this passage – "a white wench’s black eye." These two contrasting motifs are used throughout the play and represent the conflicting powers of good and evil.
Close