The crossword solution for the term DIFFICULTY, TO THE BARD is RUB. This is a reference to William Shakespeare's play 'Romeo and Juliet', in which Romeo says 'My only love sprung from my only hate! Too early seen unknown, and known too late! Prodigious birth of love it is to me, that I must love a loathed enemy.' This line speaks to the difficulty of Romeo's situation, as he is in love with his family's enemy.