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Karen Maine’s Rosaline can be called a spin-off to William Shakespeare’s legendary tragedy Romeo and Juliet. It premiered on Hulu on Friday, October 14, 2022, and follows the story of Juliet’s cousin and Romeo’s first and unrequited love Rosaline Capulet.
Based on Rebecca Serle’s book When You Were Mine, the romantic-comedy features a cast of Kaitlyn Dever in the titular role, Kyle Allen as Romeo, Isabela Merced as Juliet, Sean Teale as Dario, Minnie Driver as Janet the Nurse, Bradley Whitford as Friar Laurence, Spencer Stevenson as Paris, Christopher McDonald as Lord Capulet, Nicholas Rowe as Lord Montague, Nico Hiraga as Steve the Courier, and Alistair Toovey as Tybalt.
The movie begins with the famous “balcony scene” from Romeo and Juliet, with the exception of Romeo sneaking up a Capulet orchard to meet Rosaline and not Juliet.
Rosaline Capulet is Juliet’s older cousin, a cartographer, someone who does not believe in arranged marriages and who has ichthyophobia or the fear of fish. She is one of the few maidens for her age in Verona, Italy, and has a line of suitors brought in by her father Friar Laurence.
But the titular heroine is in love with the poetic Romeo. The problem at hand is the warring houses of Capulet and Montague that she and Romeo belong to, respectively. The two young lovers build castles in the air irrespective of the tension, and dream of living far away.
But when Romeo suggests that she can bring up children while he is off writing sonnets, something turns off. An immediate delaration of love from Romeo, which followed the awkward conversation, did not get reciprocated and a disappointed Romeo left.
As she plans on setting things right and inviting Romeo to the Capulet masquerade ball, her father brings in Dario, a new suitor. Dario takes her for a sail and they get stuck in the rain. Meanwhile, Romeo reaches the ball and is unable to spot her, but stumbles upon Juliet. Both are visibly and equally smitten.
The next day, Rosaline watches Romeo visit her grounds and take a detour to Juliet’s house. He recreates the balcony scene with Juliet and they kiss as Rosaline’s heart broke.
Continue reading to find out if Rosaline was the reason why Romeo and Juliet died.
Rosaline ending explained: Is there a happy ending for Romeo and Juliet?
Rosaline plotted to bring Romeo and Juliet apart, brainwashing her cousin into believing that Romeo was the charmer who tried his hands on several ladies in Verona, and that Juliet was just one of them.
The two sisters instead wandered in and around pubs and drinking bars, chatting with other men as Juliet tried not to think about Romeo until one evening when Rosaline decided to admit to Juliet about the truth.
When she arrived in Juliet’s room, she noticed that Juliet received multiple letters from Romeo, while she was deprived of a single reply to the multiple letters that she sent him. Romeo arrived below Juliet’s balcony at the same time, and Rosaline convinced Juliet to send him away.
A heartbroken Juliet felt befooled after she chanced upon a neckpiece which said “Romeo and Rosaline.” Juliet told her elder cousin that Romeo fell for her because she was prettier and richer than Rosaline.
Rosaline plotted against Juliet and asked her friend Paris, who is gay, to marry her cousin and use her as a decoy. Paris agreed and so did Juliet’s parents when they heard of the proposal. The engagement party was boycotted by Juliet, who seemed to have run off with Romeo.
Rosaline and Dario landed on Montague land, and on their swords, looking for both. However, they got away. Dario and Rosaline bonded on their way back, but the former announced that he was leaving to return to his fleet.
After Rosaline returned, she went through the letters that Romeo wrote to Juliet. She wrote a letter to Juliet, apologizing for her actions. Her letter landed in Tybalt’s hands, and he confronted Romeo for a challenge. Romeo killed Tybalt in defense, and the family heads quarreled over Tybalt’s dead body in the city center.
It was during this time that Romeo and Juliet revealed that they were secretly married, but were ordered to annul the same. Rosaline decided to set things right with Dario’s help, and approached Juliet with a plan. But the latter seemed to have her own.
After Rosaline explained to Juliet her escape plan for the lovers, Juliet said that she planned on faking her death. She drank a potion that paralyzed the body for a few hours, which should give her and Romeo enough time to reunite and flee.
When Rosaline realized the absurdity of Juliet’s idea, Juliet fell asleep.
What happens after Juliet is declared dead?
Rosaline decided to toss Juliet’s body from the balcony for Dario to catch. She was caught in the middle of her actions and was jailed. However, her father came and helped her escape.
She went to Juliet’s to-be crypt and found Dario and Romeo already there. She devised a plan, wherein, Romeo must fake his death as well. As the two families of Montague and Capulet arrived on the scene, the play began.
She declared the deaths of Romeo and Juliet and blamed the tragedy on the two warring families. As an informal truce for peace was being set up, Juliet woke up. The families were surprised as she kissed a fake-dead Romeo and pretended to die again.
As peace set in in Verona, Rosaline and Dario handed over the latter’s boat to Romeo and Juliet for them to escape to Cyprus. Rosaline and Dario kissed shortly after as the former rightfully wondered if the two would be a part of the legend called Romeo and Juliet.
The film ended with star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet finding it hard to pass their time. The two realized how much they lacked in common, and had nothing to talk about. As Juliet noted that they had “just seven more hours” to reach their destination, Romeo added, “Then, the rest of our lives.”
Rosaline is currently streaming on Hulu.
