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All Site ContentRomeo and JulietAct 2Scene 3
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"To season love"
Language
Act 2,
Scene 3
Lines 66-76

An explanation of the “season” wordplay in Act 2, Scene 3 of myShakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

Friar Laurence

Is Rosaline, that thou didst love so dear,
So soon forsaken? Young men's love then lies
Not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes.
Jesu Maria, what a deal of brine
Hath washed thy sallow cheeks for Rosaline!               
How much salt water thrown away in waste
To season love that of it doth not taste.
The sun not yet thy sighs from heaven clears,
Thy old groans ring yet in my ancient ears —
Lo, here upon thy cheek the stain doth sit
Of an old tear that is not washed off yet.
  • "To season" can mean "to preserve." Brine, or salt water (in this case, tears) is used as a preservative. But it has been wasted here since Romeo's relationship with Rosaline hasn't lasted very long.
  • But the phrase can also mean "to flavor." In this sense, the flavor has been wasted, since Rome never got to "taste" his relationship with Rosaline.