How did Romeo fall in love with Rosaline?

The beauty and moment, and humor, of Romeo's love for Rosaline is that his passion for her is for a character that hardly exists. I believe in the film Shakespeare in Love she's referred, by Shakespeare, as “this piece of baggage”. read more

Rosaline is the gorgeous and aloof woman Romeo crushes on until he meets the love of his life, Juliet. But, um, don't get excited, because we never see her, she has no speaking part, and she isn't even listed in the dramatis personae (the cast list). read more

Not long before seeing Juliet, Romeo was declaring his undying love for Rosaline. He'd told Mercutio and Benvolio that no other woman in the world could compare with her. Moments after seeing Juliet, it is a whole other story: Juliet is the brightest and most beautiful star in the sky. read more

Romeo is at first deeply in love with Rosaline and expresses his dismay at her not loving him back. Romeo first spots Juliet while trying to catch a glimpse of Rosaline at a gathering hosted by the Capulet family. Scholars generally compare Romeo's short-lived love of Rosaline with his later love of Juliet. read more