Romeo and Juliet’s relationship has often been romanticized as being authentic while his love for Rosaline has been depicted as being a superficial infatuation. This is what many die-hard romantics want to believe; however, the text represents Romeo’s love for Rosaline as a genuine one—at least on Romeo’s part. In the beginning of the play, Romeo lashes out at love’s cruelty as do many heartbroken individuals. In Act I Scene I, the depressed Romeo describes love as a deadly poison, a smoke, a swollen sea, a madness, and a choking gall. When he describes love as a “smoke,” this evokes images of a choking black cloud of doom. Everyone who has tasted the bitterness of love knows how gloomy the world feels. Romeo’s hurt stems from authentic feelings