Love’s Labour’s Lost is a five-act comedy by the English dramatist William Shakespeare. It is a play from the second period of his artistic development. Shakespeare probably wrote and staged it in 1595 or 1596. It was first published in 1598. Shakespeare probably based Love’s Labour’s Lost on a number of sources, but critics have not identified any major ones.
King Ferdinand of Navarre and his friends, the lords Berowne, Longaville, and Dumain, vow to live without the company of women for three years. But the princess of France unexpectedly arrives at the king’s court with three female companions. The comedy centers on the efforts of the men to woo the women while pretending to keep their vow. Love’s Labour’s Lost has handsome scenes of spectacle and several entertaining comic characters who contribute to the fun. These include Don Adriano de Armado, a “fantastical Spaniard” who has an extravagant and colorful way with words; a schoolmaster named Holofernes; a constable named Dull; and a clown named Costard. The men propose to their visitors, but the courting is interrupted by news that the father of the princess has died. The princess and her friends make haste to depart, but they promise to marry their suitors after a year and a day—as long as the young men will submit to an ordeal. So King Ferdinand must live in an isolated hermitage, and Berowne must attend the sick and make them laugh. The men agree to be bound by the ladies’ terms, and the play ends.
This witty comedy has more references to events of the day than do any of Shakespeare’s other plays. Many of these references have lost their meaning for modern audiences, which makes numerous passages difficult to understand. In addition, much of the language is elaborate and artificial. But Shakespeare included two simple and lovely songs to end the piece—”When Daisies Pied and Violets Blue” and “When Icicles Hang by the Wall.”
