| Petrarchan sonnets were often used by men to exaggerate the beauty of women who were impossible for them to attain, as in Romeo's situation with Rosaline. |
| But there is more in this light badinage of the girls than a description of Rosaline. |
| For example, when the play begins, Romeo is in love with Rosaline, who has refused all of his advances. |
| Alexander is a winning Berowne, trying to sweet-talk the immovable Rosaline, played with saucy spirit by the small, dark Lombardo. |
| Critics such as Charles Dibdin argued that Rosaline had been purposely included in the play to show how reckless the hero was and that this was the reason for his tragic end. |
| This bantering is most pointed if we assume that Rosaline was dark rather than fair. |
