What did Shakespeare say love is?

Answer 1

He never personally said what love is, only implied through his work. It's a matter of opinion, but one would think by the outcomes he wrote; love is tragedy. Although there are some plays where love leads to the death of both lovers (Romeo and Juliet, Antony and Cleopatra), the death of one of the lovers (The Two Noble Kinsmen), or the unhappiness of both lovers (Troilus and Cressida), and others where the issue is ambiguous (The Duke and Isabel in Measure for Measure, Helena and Bertram in All's Well, Jessica and Lorenzo in Merchant of Venice, Petruchio and Kate in The Taming of the Shrew ), in most cases love enables the characters to overcome their difficulties and find happiness in the end (The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Twelfth Night, As You Like It, Much Ado About Nothing, The Merry Wives of Windsor, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Merchant of Venice (except Jessica and Lorenzo), Cymbeline, A Winter's Tale and The Tempest)

for the 2/14 NYT xword puzzle, love is "blind"