Books › Love's Labour's Lost
Love's Labour's Lost
First published 1631 · 500 pages
A dizzying, word-drunk romp where high-minded vows crumble spectacularly in the face of human desire.
What it feels like
Reading this play feels like attending a sun-drenched, intellectually dizzying garden party where everyone is trying far too hard to be clever. It is a brisk, word-drunk romp that revels in the sheer joy of language, throwing puns, sonnets, and rapid-fire banter at the reader with exuberant speed. The atmosphere is festive and deeply theatrical, inviting you to laugh at the folly of arrogant young men who believe they can outsmart human nature. Yet, beneath the sparkling wit and romantic chaos lies a surprisingly tender exploration of idealism versus reality. It will thoroughly delight fans of sharp romantic comedies and linguistic acrobatics, offering a joyful, chaotic ride that ends with an unexpectedly poignant, bittersweet sigh.
- Mood
- festive
- sun-drenched
- intellectual
- theatrical
- Tone
- playful
- satirical
- exuberant
- witty
- bittersweet
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- the folly of vows · linguistic acrobatics · idealism vs. reality · the intoxicating nature of love
- The writing
- Relentlessly clever and highly ornate, bursting with rapid-fire puns, intricate rhymes, and dazzling rhetorical flourishes.
- The arc
- Moves from arrogant, high-minded idealism into a chaotic, joyful romantic entanglement, before landing on an unexpectedly sobering note of reality.
- Who it's for
- Readers who delight in linguistic acrobatics, romantic comedies of errors, and watching overly intellectual people make spectacular fools of themselves for love.
Content notes
- bawdy humor
- off-page death of a parent
About the book
From the book:KING. Let fame, that all hunt after in their lives,Live regist'red upon our brazen tombs,And then grace us in the disgrace of death;When, spite of cormorant devouring Time,Th' endeavour of this present breath may buyThat honour which shall bate his scythe's keen edge,And make us heirs of all eternity.Therefore, brave conquerors- for so you areThat war against your own affectionsAnd the huge army of the world's desires-Our late edict shall strongly stand in force:Navarre shall be the wonder of the world;Our court shall be a little Academe,Still and contemplative in living art.You three, Berowne, Dumain, and Longaville,Have sworn for three years' term to live with meMy fellow-scholars, and to keep those statutesThat are recorded in this schedule here.Your oaths are pass'd; and now subscribe your names,That his own hand may strike his honour downThat violates the smallest branch herein.If you are arm'd to do as sworn to do,Subscribe to your deep oaths, and keep it too.
Description from Open Library.
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