Question

Discuss Romeo's infatuation with Rosaline. Compare Romeo's love for Rosaline with Romeo's love for Juliet

Answer 1

Actually, to be totally frank, there is one school of thought that says we never really find out if Romeo and Juliet had 'true love' for each other. The tragedy of the play 'Romeo and Juliet'by William Shakespeare is, of course, that they both die so young that they (and we) never get to find out if it was lasting love or infatuation. Romeo, though, knows what infatuative 'love' is. It is more like 'love of self' and often people are in love with the way the other special person makes them feel, rather than experiencing a 'giving' kind of love which relies more on caring for the other person and their needs. Many readers like to believe that Romeo has already experienced this kind of infatuative love and so would recognise it if turned up again - if his love for Juliet feels different, then we can hope he realises it is not the same as the superficial feelings he had for Rosaline