<Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> Rosaline in Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet, one of the few films to give her a visible role . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Created by </Th> <Td> William Shakespeare </Td> </Tr> <P> Rosaline (/ ˈrɒzəlɪn, - iː n /) is an unseen character and niece of Lord Capulet in William Shakespeare's tragedy Romeo and Juliet (1597). Although silent, her role is important . 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 . </P> <P> Scholars generally compare Romeo's short - lived love of Rosaline with his later love of Juliet . The poetry Shakespeare writes for Rosaline is much weaker than that for Juliet . Scholars believe Romeo's early experience with Rosaline prepares him for his relationship with Juliet . Later performances of Romeo and Juliet have painted different pictures of Romeo and Rosaline's relationship, as filmmakers have experimented with making Rosaline a more visible character . </P>

Who does romeo say he's in love with at the start of romeo and juliet