Love's Labours LostPhoemixx Classics Ebooks, 2021 M08 13 - 155 pages Love's Labours Lost - William Shakespeare - Love's Labour's Lost is one of William Shakespeare's early comedies, believed to have been written in the mid-1590s for a performance at the Inns of Court before Queen Elizabeth I. It follows the King of Navarre and his three companions as they attempt to forswear the company of women for three years of study and fasting, and their subsequent infatuation with the Princess of Aquitaine and her ladies. In an untraditional ending for a comedy, the play closes with the death of the Princess's father, and all weddings are delayed for a year. The play draws on themes of masculine love and desire, reckoning and rationalization, and reality versus fantasy.Though first published in quarto in 1598, the play's title page suggests a revision of an earlier version of the play. While there are no obvious sources for the play's plot, the four main characters are loosely based on historical figures. The use of apostrophes in the play's title varies in early editions, though it is most commonly given as Love's Labour's Lost. |
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Common terms and phrases
adieu ADRIANO DE ARMADO Alisander Aquitaine ARMADO Sweet beauty beseech blood BOYET break brow COSTARD court cuckoo Cupid dance dear dost thou doth DULL DUMAIN Enter DON ADRIANO Exeunt Exit BIRON face fair fair lady Fair lord faith favour FERDINAND Ay FERDINAND Madam FERDINAND Reads fool forsworn gentle give goose grace hast hath hear heart heaven Hector Hercules hobby-horse HOLOFERNES Sir honour horns humour JAQUENETTA Judas Judas Maccabaeus KATHARINE king l'envoy lady letter liege light LONGAVILLE look Love's lovers Maccabaeus MARIA Marry master MERCADE merry mistress mock MOTH Navarre never Nine Worthies numbers o'er oath pardon perjured plantain Pompey praise pricket PRINCESS prove remuneration rhyme ROSALINE shalt shame sigh sings SIR NATHANIEL sore speak sport swain swear Sweet Lord sworn tell thee thine thou art thy love tongue troth Troyan true twill vizard vouchsafe wench word Worthies