I played Rosaline in BYU's production of Romeo and Juliet in 2010 and that has put a special spot in my heart for Shakespeare's characters named Rosaline. I did a lot of research for Romeo and Juliet's Rosaline and there were a lot of references to Rosaline from Love's Labor's Lost. It was thought that Shakespeare had a special place in his heart for Rosaline because she does show up in his later play.
Rosaline is a secondary to Princess in LLL and Juliet in R&J. The Rosaline from LLL is supposed to be the 'dark lady' of Shakespeare's sonnets who is speculated to be Shakespeare's mistress. In Romeo and Juliet she is this unattainable beauty, weakly praised, but dearly sought after. She isn't seen but only referred to. So I feel like they link up. If they are indeed representations of his mistress then it makes sense that she is seen as unattainable but desirous. In LLL there are complications because the scholars aren't supposed to be wooing. So the act of wooing Rosaline is wrongful because Berowne has made his promise to stay away from women. So she is like a mistress just in the aspect that he shouldn't be with women. I feel like the suspicion fits well within both contexts. I haven't read the poems about the 'dark lady' but I feel like they all fit in together.
Love's Labor's Lost has many levels beneath the actual plotline which I like and hope to be able to explore into.
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