What does If love be blind love cannot hit the mark mean?

Answer 1

The popular saying is "Love is blind," meaning someone in love can't see the other person's flaws. Shakespeare is saying that if this is true, then the person can't succeed at love, either, because they "can't hit the mark" or hit the target.

Answer 2

IMPORTANT: because of the words that this website sensors, I had to do some creative word changes. I did a pretty good job and you should understand the answer to the question and processes of how to get to that conclusion, however, in the future, do not come to this website for the meanings of Shakespearean text unless you are happy with the copy/paste milquetoast definition that you can find anywhere. Best thing to do is learn how to investigate the text yourself for its meanings, then tell your parents what you are learning in school, the sit back and watch the chaos. If you do a search of this question, or ask your blissfully ignorant high school teacher, you will probably be told something akin to "If Romeo's love is blind, he won't know what to look for in love". This is incorrect, and furthermore, not even close. To solve this meaning you need more of Mercutio's line for context, and the key to the delightful meaning lies therein:

"If love be blind, love cannot hit the mark.

Now will he sit under a medlar tree

And wish his mistress were that kind of fruit

As maids call medlars when they laugh alone.—

O Romeo, that she were, O, that she were

An et caetera, thou a pop’rin pear."

Let's set aside the line in question and skip ahead. What is a Medlar Tree? A Google search will tell you it is a fruit tree that has had various culinary uses over the years. Thanks Google, but we need to know why Shakespeare would have invoked the image of a Medlar Tree. If you look up the historical meaning of the Medlar, you will see that people back then decided it looked like a gaping rear end, and a common slang for the Medlar Fruit was "open ahole". Another common meaning at the time for "Medlar" was a "woman of the night". My personal guess is therefor that "Medlar Tree" refers to a house of ill repute. It could be an a-hole tree, but we would have to ask the original artist to be certain. Ok, last two things, et caetera means "etcetera", or etc" or everything that is left (gross!). what is the ye-olde English definition of "pop'rin pear". Well, poperin pear was a common euphemism for a male genitalia. These are the clues we have to figure out this line. Leaving out the first line, I give this as my own written definition:

"He will sit outside a house of ill repute, and wish his girlfriend was a woman of the night. Oh Romeo, if only she were an open ahole and you were a male genitalia!"**

Which would lead me to conclude that "If love be blind, love cannot hit the mark", is a beautifully poetic way of saying "If Romeo tried to make love, he would probably put it in the wrong hole". This would also be in line with the character of Mercutio, who is basically Shakespeare's Stiffler from American Pie.