ABSTRACT
Shakespeare thought of love, as many men have done, in terms of the sun, the moon and stars, night skies and vast seas, of spring and summer, the burning rose and the sweet dawn, of rich jewels, a phoenix riddle and everything of beauty; he saw engagement in love as a game, a quest, a war, a sickness, a willing servitude, and the under-standing, meeting, and fulfilment of two human beings. But if we wish to discover what Shakespeare thought and felt about love, what implicit judgements shaped the romantic tales that are presented in the early comedies, it will be helpful to follow a single image through the plays, the image of love as a kind of wealth.
