Romeo's Love For Rosaline Research Paper

Some may believe that Romeo’s love for Rosaline is superficial while his love for Juliet is authentic; however, textual evidence proves Romeo’s love for Rosaline is in fact genuine. First, he displays symptoms of a broken heart and feelings of hopelessness, which are both common for someone who has loved and lost. Some of the symptoms mentioned in the text include: sleeplessness, confusion, weeping, sighing, and bitterness. Montague speaks of his lamenting son by saying, “Many a morning hath he there been seen,/ With tears augmenting the fresh morning’s dew,” (1.1.126-127). His father’s concern reveals the seriousness of his son’s feelings and supports that he is a young man in love. Another way the text supports that Romeo loves Rosaline is when feelings of hopelessness are revealed after Benvolio suggests they attend the Capulet party to
The heartbroken Romeo lashes out negatively, behaving like many who have suffered at the hands of love. For example, in Act I Scene I, Romeo describes love as a deadly poison, a smoke, a swollen sea, a madness, and a choking gall. Portraying love as “smoke,” evokes images of a choking black cloud of doom. Millions of those who have tasted the bitterness of love denied know how gloomy and bleak the world feels. Romeo also speaks of love as “madness” with him being the “lunatic.” Again, he depicts love as an unpredictable craziness, but isn’t this typical of one who is hurting? Romeo’s metaphors about love may seem harsh, but they are characteristic of one who has lost in the game of love. His hurt stems from authentic feelings, and he speaks about love as if he is genuinely heartbroken. Romeo’s love for Rosaline is genuine because he demonstrates symptoms of someone heartbroken and he refuses to believe there is life after Rosaline. His actions are typical of many young people experiencing the heartbreak of an authentic