Valentine is a ghost character in Romeo and Juliet. In act 1, scene 2, Romeo assists an illiterate Capulet servant by reading the list of guests for Lord Capulet's feast, and among the "dozen or so named guests with their unnamed but listed daughters, beauteous sisters, and lovely nieces" is listed "Mercutio and his brother Valentine". Mercutio appears on stage regularly until his death in act 3, scene 1 and is "almost as central a character as Juliet or Romeo, for his death is the keystone of the plot's structure", but Valentine is only mentioned the once in the guest list. The only time it is possible for the character to appear on stage is as one of the crowd of guests at the feast in act 1, scene 5, but if he is, there is nothing in the text to suggest his presence.
