Love's Labour's Lost (1631)
Love's Labour's Lost is a 1631 drama book written by William Shakespeare.
The King of Navarre and three noble companions swear an oath: three years of study and fasting, with no women allowed near the court. Then the Princess of France arrives with her ladies, and every vow buckles under first attraction. Shakespeare packs the play with wordplay, love-sonnets passed hand to hand, and a gallery of comic figures, the pompous schoolmaster Holofernes, the braggart Don Armado, the clown Costard. Written around the mid-1590s for a courtly audience, it runs on verbal wit and mock-courtship, then turns unexpectedly grave in its final act, complicating the marriages a comedy usually delivers.
Quick answers
What is Love's Labour's Lost about?
The King of Navarre and three noble companions swear an oath: three years of study and fasting, with no women allowed near the court. Then the Princess of France arrives with her ladies, and every vow buckles under first attraction. Shakespeare packs the play with wordplay, love-sonnets passed hand to hand, and a gallery of comic figures, the pompous schoolmaster Holofernes, the braggart Don Armado, the clown Costard. Written around the mid-1590s for a courtly audience, it runs on verbal wit and mock-courtship, then turns unexpectedly grave in its final act, complicating the marriages a comedy usually delivers.
When was Love's Labour's Lost published?
Love's Labour's Lost was published in 1631.
Who made Love's Labour's Lost?
Love's Labour's Lost was written by William Shakespeare.
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A few thoughts on Love's Labour's Lost
Kenneth Branagh filmed it in 2000 as a 1930s song-and-dance musical, stitching Gershwin and Berlin standards between the verse, the easiest way in for anyone who finds the punning dense on the page. Branagh's Much Ado About Nothing pairs well too, the same sunlit ensemble romance and sparring wit carried onto the screen.