Love's Labor's Lost abbreviated

Synopsis


The play takes place in Navarre, a kingdom then located in the northeast portion of present day Spain. Ferdinand is the kingdom’s king and as the play opens he has convinced his buddies, Longaville, Dumaine and Berowne to agree to attend his academy on his terms. For three years the four of them have committed to endure a Spartan existence; the objective being to strictly focus on their books and studies. (Pride, Act 1, Scene 1) They have signed-on to a severe and disciplined regimen; a regimen that includes three hours of sleep a night, one meal a day, and, significantly, neither to see nor talk with women during the three year period. Belatedly realizing what he’s signed up for, Berowne puts up a fuss, but stays the course. (Pleading, Act 1, Scene 1) It’s this last requirement, to not see nor talk with women for three years, that each one independently and quickly breaks; that being the basis for this almost silly, but clever romantic-comedy. At this point Shakespeare introduces Armado, Costard and Jaquenetta; all of whom have important roles and add to the zaniness. (Love, Act 1, Scene 2)

Soon after the young men arrive at the academy, the beautiful daughter of France’s king, the Princess, pays Ferdinand a visit. She has been sent to the academy by her father to negotiate the return of Aquitaine to France. Determined to make his plan work, Ferdinand has the Princess and her Ladies camp in the field outside his compound. But the men soon talk with the Princess and her lady friends, promptly breaking their severe and mutual pledge. (Infatuation, Act 2, Scene 1.1) Each group of four is quickly infatuated with the other, giving us a pretty good idea of how the story will play out. Upon her arrival, the Princess provides Navarre’s king with a paper from her father, a proposed settlement of the Aquitaine issue. In the presence of the Princess and her Ladies, the king reads the document, but isn’t very smooth in the doing. The princess’ attending lord, Boyet, offers his assessment of the king’s reading of her father’s document: the king is smitten by the Princess; he can’t take his eye off her. (Infatuation, Act 2, Scene 1.2)

Also soon after the king and his friends arrive at the academy, Armado, the braggart, also called by the king a “child of fancy” and Costard, who in turn is known as the Clown, pay the king a visit. These two guys, along with Jaquenetta, their common girlfriend, represent the principals in “a play within a play.” Soon Armado asks Costard to deliver a letter from him to Jaquenetta. Separately, but at about the same time, Berowne asks Costard to deliver a letter on his behalf to Rosaline, one of the princess’ ladies. (Love, Act 3, Scene 1) As might be expected, Costard mixes up the letters, delivering each to the wrong young lady. Boyet reads the letter from Armado intended for Jaquenetta, but delivered to the Princess and her Ladies. The Princess suggests to Rosaline that she might later be able to use Armando’s letter to her advantage. Separately, Jaquenetta has Nathaniel, the Curate, read the letter given to her by Costard, she believing it to be from Armado. It isn’t. Holofernes, a schoolmaster and friend of Nathaniel’s, suggests Jaquenetta deliver the letter to the king.

Meanwhile, Berowne, walking through the forest, reads to himself the love poem he’s written to Rosaline, upset with Cupid that he has fallen in love. Sensitive to the commitment he made when he came to the academy, he steps out of the way as the king walks by reading the love poem he’s written to the princess. The king then steps aside hearing Longaville walking through the woods reading the love poem he’s written to Maria. Then Longaville steps aside as Dumaine comes by reading his love poem to Katherine. The king then steps forward, reprimanding both Longaville and Dumaine for breaking the terms of their enrollment in his academy. Berowne boldly comes forward, belittling all three for breaking their oaths. Jaquenetta then enters, carrying a letter. Berowne tries to slip away; the king suggesting he stay. Berowne then rips up the letter that Jaquenetta has in her hand. Dumaine picks up the pieces, noting to all that it is a love poem from Berowne to Rosaline. Berowne admits that the letter is his, but quickly recovers, rallying the four of them, saying “let us fail these troths or else we lose ourselves to keep our oaths.” (Persuasion, Act 4, Scene 3)

Separately, Holofernes announces that he, Nathaniel, Armado, Costard and Boy will present the show “The Nine Worthies” for the benefit of the Princess and her Ladies and the King and his Lords.

Meanwhile, the Princess and her Ladies proudly have a “show and tell” session; sharing with each other the gifts and rhymes they’ve received from the King and his friends. Boyet enters to report that the four young men are about to arrive, disguised as Muscovites. These amateurish-acting guys have really fallen for the women. The Princess has her Ladies wear masks. They also switch the gifts from the men among each other to “deceive” the men, knowing the men are going to try to deceive them, dressed as they are as Russians. The Ladies’ trick works beautifully, each man mistakenly telling one of the young ladies (masked and wearing another’s gift) how much he loves her. The women treat the men with some disdain and the men leave discouraged but not defeated. Boyet senses they will soon return, and they do. (Envy, Act 5, Scene 2) The women welcome the men’s return. (Contrition, Act 5, Scene 2.1) The men soon realize that the woman played the better trick. The men humbly confess their foolishness and seek forgiveness. (Contrition, Act 5, Scene 2.2)

Later Costard enters to announce that the play, The Nine Worthies, is about to begin. The King and his Lords belittle the actors, but the Princess lauds and cheers their effort. The show is interrupted when the Princess learns that her father has died. She declares that she and her Ladies must return to France. (Contrition, Act 5, Scene 2.3) The men beg the women to become their wives. The Princess says that she and her Ladies will mourn her father’s death for one year, but, they say, for the four of them to take the men’s proposals seriously, the men during the next twelve months must live under a form of probation, performing public services. (Counsel, Act 5, Scene 2.1) (Counsel, Act 5, Scene 2.2) At the end of the twelve month period, depending on how well they conduct themselves and how they perform their penance; the women say they just may accept the men’s marriage offers.


Principal Characters


Berowne
Berowne is the most skeptical of the three Lords who agree to join the king at his academy where they plan to study hard under austere conditions for three years. He and Rosaline, two strong-willed friends, but adversaries, have leading support roles to the king and the princess. Berowne and his friends write wonderfully touching love rhymes to the ladies, found in Act 4, Scene 3.

Boyet
Boyet is listed as a lord who attends the Princess, but that understates his role. He is the Princess’ eyes and ears, and they are clear and fine tuned. The well-intentioned king and his friends do stumble through some of their efforts to court the Ladies, and Boyet is always the first to pick up on the often silly efforts of these guys to court the women. Boyet always helps the Ladies take the high road when it comes to dealing with the adolescent courting efforts of the men.

Ferdinand
Ferdinand is the king, the King of Navarre, the initiator of the academy where he and his friends can become learned “heirs of all eternity.” His well-meaning plans that include forsaking the company of women for three years collapse early. Actually they collapse the moment he sees the Princess of France.

Princess of France
The princess is sent to the king’s compound by her father with the objective of reaching a resolution to the Aquitaine conflict, an issue which quickly falls to the wayside. She leads her Ladies well in offsetting the often juvenile antics employed by the king and his men to woo her and her ladies. She is the stable counterweight to the youthful king and his friends.

Rosaline
Rosaline is the other half of the love-struggle between Berowne and herself. She leads the Ladies’ balancing act with the Lords, who, one moment act as adolescent boys; then at another as charming, mature, responsible men.

 A portrait of William Shakespeare