Love's Labour's Lost
Tags
Summary
The King of Navarre and his three courtiers vow to renounce worldly pleasures and struggle against earthly desires in pursuit of everlasting honor, swearing a solemn oath: three years without the company of women. Later, the old King of France sends his daughter to Navarre to negotiate territorial matters. When the beautiful princess arrives with her three attendants, the king and his three courtiers promptly fall in love, and the solemn oath they swore is cast to the winds. Just as the four men strive to court their loves, a French messenger suddenly arrives with news...
Editor's review
Love's Labour's Lost is one of Shakespeare's earlier comedies. The entire play revolves around the King of Navarre and his three courtiers swearing to forswear women for three years and devote themselves to study, only to break their oath swiftly upon the arrival of the French princess and her party. The work's interest lies not in a complicated plot but in its irony regarding the gap between oath and desire, ideal and human nature. The play abounds in puns, rhetorical wordplay, and witty repartee; its dense language makes it a fitting sample for experiencing Shakespeare's comic style. In terms of character arrangement, the correspondence between the four men and the princess's attendants gives the courtship—mockery—renewed declaration sequences an obvious pattern and performative quality, and readers should note their stage effect. The play does not end in the usual wedding celebration; instead, news brought by a messenger abruptly cools the comic tone—a device worth discussing on its own. Suitable as advanced reading after an introduction to Shakespeare's comedies, and also for theater enthusiasts analyzing line rhythm and character interactions. When reading, consult annotations to understand metaphors and wordplay; if using a translation, choose an edition with ample notes.
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Literary readers who have read one or two Shakespeare comedies and wish to expand their reading
- Enthusiasts of dramatic research or performance interested in rhetorical dialogue and wordplay
- College students wishing to understand the themes of oath-breaking and irony in Shakespearean comedy
- Readers who enjoy light, witty dialogue and can accept a turn at the end
Not a good fit for
- Readers new to Shakespeare who prefer to start with tightly plotted works
- Readers who prefer realistic subjects or strong dramatic conflict and lack patience for witty dialogue
- Readers who only want a quick plot summary and are unwilling to read annotations carefully
Reading tips
- Read through once to grasp the character relationships, then return to passages dense with puns and rhetoric.
- Choose a fully annotated translation; when encountering wordplay, read the note first, then reread the original line.
- Mark the dialogue corresponding to each of the four courtships as you read, observing differences in the characters' language.
- After finishing the ending, recall the opening oath and trace how the play's attitude toward oaths changes.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 剧中人物
- 地点
- 第一幕
- 第一场
- 第二场
- 第二幕
- 第一场
- 第三幕
- 第一场
- 第四幕
- 第一场
- 第二场
- 第三场
- 第五幕
- 第一场
- 第二场
FAQ
Can I read this directly without having read other Shakespeare works?
Yes, but it requires some patience. The plot is simple; the difficulty lies mainly in the language: puns, rhetoric, and witty repartee are dense, and without annotations it is easy to miss the jokes. Choose a fully annotated translation, sort out the character relationships first, then read scene by scene. If you prefer to start with more story-driven works, read other comedies first and return to this one.
Why doesn't the play end with the usual happy reunion?
At the end, a French messenger brings news that shifts the play from courtship frolic to seriousness, and the characters' marriages are postponed. This breaks the conventional comic resolution and lends reflective weight to the earlier jokes about oaths and desire. Read it as another irony directed at making oaths lightly, rather than as a mere plot wrap-up.
How can I reduce the obstacles posed by wordplay when reading a translation?
Prioritize translations with detailed annotations that identify puns and allusions; when a line doesn't make sense, read the note first, then reread. First clarify scene by scene who is speaking to whom, then focus on the rhetorical level. If possible, compare with the English original or watch a stage production to appreciate the rhythm and comic effect of the lines.
Comments
Find this book
This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.
About the author
William Shakespeare
Author · English · 1564–1616
William Shakespeare (1564–1616) was an English playwright, poet, and actor of the Renaissance. Born in Stratford, he is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language. His representative works include Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Antony and Cleopatra, and his sonnets. His plays span tragedy, comedy, and history, with vividly drawn characters and a poetic, rhetorically charged style that probes human nature and power with particular depth. Translated into many languages and performed worldwide, his works have had a profound influence. This site holds 187 of his works, including English-Chinese bilingual editions for comparative reading.
