The words are spoken by Romeo's friend Benvolio in Act I Scene II. The young men are due to attend the Capulet feast that evening, at which—unbeknownst to Romeo—he will lay eyes on Juliet for the first time. At this stage in the play, Romeo's become completely infatuated with Rosaline. But Benvolio's convinced that this is a just a passing fancy. He's certain that when when he introduces Romeo to the other girls at the Capulets' party he'll think that Rosaline is ugly by comparison. Or, as he puts it, he'll "make thee think thy swan (i.e Rosaline) a crow." And Benvolio is not far wrong. Although Romeo never seriously thinks that Rosaline is ugly, he does realize, when he sees Juliet for the first time, that he never really knew the meaning of true beauty until this precise moment.
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