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Why is Mercutio's teasing of Romeo about Rosaline ironic?
Quick answer:
Mercutio's teasing of Romeo about Rosaline is ironic because he is unaware that Romeo is no longer in love with Rosaline but has fallen for Juliet. This dramatic irony occurs in Act II when Mercutio mocks Romeo's romantic nature, assuming his distraction is due to Rosaline, while the audience knows Romeo's affections have shifted to Juliet.
The ever-mischievous Mercutio loves nothing more than to tease his good friend Romeo over his incorrigibly romantic nature. He's pretty cynical when it comes to matters of the heart and so finds Romeo's capacity for falling head over heels in love at the drop of a hat a source of endless amusement.
By the time we've reached Act II Scene IV, Romeo is on the verge of marrying his beloved Juliet. Yet Mercutio doesn't know anything about it. When Romeo doesn't show up for their meeting one night, he wrongly assumes that it's because he's still hopelessly in love with Rosaline:
Why, that same pale hard-hearted wench, that Rosaline,
Torments him so, that he will sure run mad.
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