Roesen, Bobbyann [Anne Barton], "Love's Labour's Lost," Shakespeare Quarterly 4 (1973), pp. 411-426. One of the first critical essays to take the play seriously.
Turner, John, "Love's Labour's Lost: The Court at Play," in Shakespeare: Out of Court: Dramatizations of Court Society, ed. Graham Holderness, Nick Potter, and John Turner (1990), pp. 19-48. Historical-sociological treatment.
THE PLAY IN PERFORMANCE
Branagh, Kenneth, "Love's Labour's Lost," in Shakespeare in Perspective Volume Two, ed. Roger Sales (1985). Actor's perspective.
Brooke, Michael, "Love's Labour's Lost on Screen," www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/564633/index.html. Pithy overview of 1965, 1975, and 1985 BBC television productions and 2000 Kenneth Branagh film.
Gilbert, Miriam, Love's Labour's Lost, Shakespeare in Performance (1993). Good overview.
Holland, Peter, English Shakespeares: Shakespeare on the English Stage in the 1990s (1997). Considers some key modern productions.
Luscombe, Christopher, "Launcelot Gobbo and Moth," in Players of Shakespeare 4, ed. Robert Smallwood (1998). View from a small but key part.
Pendergast, John S., Love's Labour's Lost: A Guide to the Play (2002). Helpful insights.
Richardson, Ian, in Shakespeare's Players, ed. Judith Cook (1983). On playing Berowne.
RSC "Exploring Shakespeare: Love's Labour's Lost." Particular focus on Gregory Doran's 2008 production, starring David Tennant as Berowne.
For a more detailed Shakespeare bibliography and selections from a wide range of critical accounts of the play, with linking commentary, visit the edition website, www.therscshakespeare.com.
AVAILABLE ON DVD
Love's Labour's Lost, directed by Elijah Moshinksy (BBC television Shakespeare, 1985). Very competent rendering in neoclassical eighteenth-century setting.
Love's Labour's Lost, directed by Kenneth Branagh (2000). Not entirely successful updating into the style of a 1930s Cole Porter musical, with very heavily cut text.
REFERENCES
1. In each of his first two comedies, The Blind Beggar of Alexandria (1596) and An Humorous Day's Mirth (1597), the playwright George Chapman appears to allude to Shakespeare's play.
2. Quoted in E. K. Chambers, William Shakespeare: A Study of Facts and Problems (2 vols, 1930), Vol. 2, p. 332.
3. Dr. Johnson on Shakespeare, ed. W. K. Wimsatt (1969), p. 108.
4. W. May Phelps and John Forbes-Robertson, The Life and Life-Work of Samuel Phelps (1886), p. 165, quoted in Miriam Gilbert, Love's Labour's Lost, Shakespeare in Performance (1993), p. 35.
5. New York Times, 29 March 1891.
6. Gordon Crosse, Fifty Years of Shakespearean Playgoing (1941), p. 94.
7. John Dover Wilson, Shakespeare's Happy Comedies (1962), pp. 64, 73.
8. The Times, 29 April 1946.
9. Sally Beauman, The Royal Shakespeare Company: A History of Ten Decades (1982), p. 166.
10. Lionel Hale, The Old Vic: 1949-50 (1950), p. 32.
11. Helen Dawson, "A Labour of Love?" Plays and Players 16(5) (February 1969).
12. Irving Wardle, The Times, 20 December 1968.
13. Charles Marowitz, New York Times, 5 January 1969.
14. Gilbert, Love's Labour's Lost, pp. 78-9.
15. John S. Pendergast, Love's Labour's Lost: A Guide to the Play (2002), p. 156.
16. Robert Giroux, New York Times, 12 February 1989.
17. Sheridan Morley, New Statesman, 10 March 2003.
18. Stanley Kauffman, "Well, Not Completely Lost," New Republic, 10-17 July 2000, pp. 32-3.
19. A. O. Scott, "What Say You, My Lords? You'd Rather Charleston?" New York Times, 9 June 2000.
20. Andrew St. George, Financial Times, 7 September 1990.
21. Harold Matthews, Theatre World 61(484) (May 1965).
22. Irving Wardle, The Times, 8 August 1973.
23. Rhoda Koenig, Independent, 29 October 1993.
24. Peter Roberts, Plays and Players 12(9) June 1965.
25. B. A. Young, Financial Times, 8 April 1965.
26. Irving Wardle, The Times, 8 August 1973.
27. Roger Warren, Shakespeare Survey 32 (1979).
28. Russell Jackson, Cahiers Elisabethains 28 (October 1985).
29. Christopher Edwards, Spectator, 27 October 1984.
30. Michael Coveney, Observer, 9 September 1990.
31. Peter Holland, English Shakespeares (1997), p. 164.
32. Holland, English Shakespeares, p. 187.
33. Stanley Wells, Times Literary Supplement, 5 November 1993.
34. Wells, Times Literary Supplement, 5 November 1993.
35. Pendergast, Love's Labour's Lost, p. 106.
36. Robert Speaight, Shakespeare Quarterly 16 (1965).
37. Christopher Luscombe, "Launcelot Gobbo and Moth," in Players of Shakespeare 4, ed. Robert Smallwood (1998).
38. Kenneth Branagh, "Love's Labour's Lost," in Shakespeare in Perspective Volume Two, ed. Roger Sales (1985).
39. Rhoda Koenig, Independent, 29 October 1993.
40. Martin Dodsworth, Times Literary Supplement, 26 October 1984.
41. Jackson, Cahiers Elisabethains.
42. Warren, Shakespeare Survey, 1979.
43. Gilbert, Love's Labour's Lost, p. 177.
44. Ian Richardson talking about playing Berowne (1975), in Shakespeare's Players, ed. Judith Cook (1983).
45. Michael Billington, Guardian, 10 May 1975.
46. John Barton, program note for Love's Labour's Lost, RSC, 1965.
47. J. W. Lambert, Drama 130 (Autumn 1978).
48. Gilbert, Love's Labour Lost, p. 173.
49. Warren, Shakespeare Survey.
50. Jackson, Cahiers Elisabethains.
51. Michael Ratcliffe, Observer, 14 October 1984.
52. Gilbert, Love's Labour's Lost, p. 211.
53. Robert Smallwood, Shakespeare Quarterly 42 (1991).
54. Holland, English Shakespeares, p. 191.
55. Janet Clare, "Love's Labour's Lost," in Shakespeare in Performance, ed. Keith Parsons and Pamela Mason (1995).
56. Holland, English Shakespeares, p. 187.
57. Gilbert, Love's Labour's Lost, p. 212.
58. Holland, English Shakespeares, p. 197.
59. Samuel Schoenbaum, Times Literary Supplement, 27 October 1978.
60. Anne Barton, program notes for Love's Labour's Lost, RSC, 1978.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
AND PICTURE CREDITS
Preparation of "Love's Labour's Lost in Performance" was assisted by two generous grants: from the CAPITAL Centre (Creativity and Performance in Teaching and Learning) of the University of Warwick, for research in the RSC archive at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, and from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) for a term's research leave that enabled Jonathan Bate to work on "The Director's Cut."
Picture research by Helen Robson and Jan Sewell. Grateful acknowledgment is made to the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust for assistance with picture research (special thanks to Helen Hargest) and reproduction fees.
Images of RSC productions are supplied by the Shakespeare Centre Library and Archive, Stratford-upon-Avon. This library, maintained by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, holds the most important collection of Shakespeare material in the UK, including the Royal Shakespeare Company's official archives. It is open to the public free of charge.
For more information see www.shakespeare.org.uk.
1. Design for a knot garden, private collection (c) Bardbiz Limited 2. Directed by Peter Brook (1946). Angus McBean (c) Royal Shakespeare Company 3. Old Vic (1949). (c) John Vickers Theatre Collection
4. Directed by Michael Kahn (2006). Malcolm Davies (c) Shakespeare Birthplace Trust 5. Directed by Barry Kyle (1984). (c) Stephen Macmillan
6. Directed by Ian Judge (1993). Malcolm Davies (c) Shakespeare Birthplace Trust
7. Directed by John Barton (1965). Tom Holte (c) Shakespeare Birthplace Trust 8. Directed by Terry Hands (1990). Joe Cocks Studio Collection (c) Shakespeare Birthplace Trust 9. R
econstructed Elizabethan playhouse (c) Charcoalblue
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1.1 Location: Navarre, in the king's park. This is the location for the entire play Ferdinand in fact, the King of Navarre at the time of the play's composition was Henri Berowne, Longaville the Duc de Berowne and the Duc de Longueville both fought for King Henri Dumaine perhaps based on Charles de Lorraine, Duc de Mayenne and initially King Henri's opponent 1 fame renown
2 registered recorded
2 brazen brass-plated, enduring (plays on sense of "shameless") 3 grace honor
3 disgrace disfigurement/shame
4 spite in spite
4 cormorant i.e. ravenous (literally, a greedy seabird) 5 breath i.e. life/speech
6 bate abate, blunt
6 his i.e. time's
6 keen sharp/eager
9 affections passions
11 late recent
11 in force i.e. be binding
12 Navarre the place/the king
13 academe institution of learning (originally Plato's academy near Athens) 14 Still ... in calmly, constantly studying contemplative in meditating on 14 living art the art of living/vitality within scholarship 16 term period of time
17 keep observe
18 schedule document/list
19 passed pledged
19 subscribe sign
20 hand sword/handwriting
21 branch clause
22 armed prepared (plays on sense of "carrying weapons") 23 deep solemn
23 it subscription (to the oath)
25 pine starve, languish
26 pates heads (i.e. wits)
26 dainty bits choice morsels of food
28 mortified dead to worldly pleasures
29 grosser coarser, earthier
30 gross whole/coarse
30 baser slaves those subject to inferior pleasures 32 in according to the tenets of/by the study of 33 say ... over repeat their vows
36 observances requirements
37 As such as
38 enrolled written
43 wink close one's eyes/sleep
44 wont accustomed
44 think no harm i.e. sleep
49 pass away from renounce
50 an if if
52 space duration
54 By ... nay a common oath
55 end aim
57 common sense ordinary understanding
58 recompense reward
59 Come on quibbles on common
65 too hard-a-keeping oath an oath too hard to keep 66 troth faith
70 stops impediments
70 quite completely
71 train entice
71 vain foolish, trifling, self-gratifying 73 pain effort, suffering, labor
73 purchased acquired
73 inherit bring about more
74 As for example
75 the while in the meantime
76 falsely treacherously
76 his look its sight
77 Light i.e. eyes, thought to produce the beams of light by which they saw 77 light intellectual enlightenment
77 light ... beguile the eyes are cheated out of enlightenment (by excessive study) 78 ere before
78 darkness intellectual obscurity
80 Study me let me learn
81 fairer more beautiful (plays on sense of "lighter") 82 dazzling blinding (my eyes)
82 that eye i.e. of the fairer woman 82 heed focus of attention/guardian
85 saucy insolent
86 Small little
87 Save except
87 base lowly, secondhand
88 godfathers ... lights astronomers who name the stars, as godparents name children at baptism 90 profit of benefit from
90 shining i.e. starlit
91 wot know
91 they the stars/the walkers
92 Too ... fame an excess of knowledge brings only a vainglorious reputation 93 every godfather i.e. any ordinary person 95 Proceeded argued (plays on sense of "taking a university degree") 95 proceeding intellectual advancement
96 weeds pulls up
96 lets ... weeding allows the weeds to flourish 97 green geese innocent simpletons/geese fed on grass 99 Fit in his in a manner appropriate to its 101 reason
100 In reason nothing i.e. it doesn't follow logically 101 rhyme i.e. the opposite of
102 envious malicious
102 sneaping biting/nipping (rhyme puns on "rime"--i.e. frost) 103 first-born infants youngest plants
104 proud glorious/arrogant
106 abortive premature, unnatural
108 new-fangled shows newly created, elaborate displays (of flowers) 109 like of I delight in
109 in season i.e. at its proper time 110 too late i.e. in life
111 climb ... gate i.e. pointless
112 sit you out don't take part
114 barbarism uncivilized ignorance
117 bide endure
117 three years' day day of three years 126 Marry by the Virgin Mary
128 hence away from here
128 dread dreadful/frightening
129 gentility civilized behavior
133 article clause
134 in embassy as an ambassador
136 complete perfect
137 Aquitaine area of southwest France
140 vainly pointlessly
142 overshot wide of the mark (i.e. mistaken) 143 would wants
146 towns ... lost i.e. a town that is burnt down as part of a military campaign is no gain at all 147 force necessity
148 lie lodge
148 on mere out of absolute
149 forsworn perjured, oath breakers
151 affects passions, desires
152 might personal strength
152 grace div
ine favor
153 word phrase
155 at large as a whole
157 in attainder accused/convicted
158 Suggestions ... me I am as susceptible to temptation as any man 160 the ... oath the last one to swear, but the one who will keep his word the longest/the least likely to keep my oath the longest 161 quick lively
162 haunted With frequented by
164 in ... planted involved in whatever is fashionable 165 mint creative source/wealth (literally, place where money is coined) 168 compliments accomplishments, courtesy 169 mutiny discord
170 child of fancy flamboyant, fanciful creature 170 hight is called
171 For interim as an interval
172 high-born noble/lofty
173 tawny browned (by sun)
173 debate strife
174 delight take pleasure
176 for my minstrelsy as my minstrel (i.e. musician, entertainer) 177 wight person
179 Costard literally "large apple"; slang for "head"
179 he i.e. Armado
179 swain low-ranking man/rustic
179 sport entertainment
181 duke's i.e. king's
183 reprehend malapropism for "represent"
184 tharborough thirdborough (i.e. parish constable) 187 commends you commends himself to you (i.e. greets you respectfully) 188 abroad at large
189 contempts malapropism for "contents"
189 touching concerning
190 magnificent ostentatious/splendid (joking allusion to the 1588 Spanish Armada, often referred to as "magnificent") 191 How ... matter however debased the content 191 high lofty
193 high hope great expectation
193 low heaven i.e. small blessing 195 forbear refrain from
198 be it let it be
198 style puns on "stile" to climb
200 to about
201 manner nature, way it is expressed
201 taken ... manner caught in the act/with the stolen goods 203 In ... following a commonly used legal phrase 203 form bench
203 those three i.e. words (manner, form, following; punned on in the ensuing explanation) 205 park enclosed land used for hunting
207 manner custom, nature
210 correction punishment
210 God ... right a formal prayer said before trial by combat 214 simplicity stupidity/simple nature
216 welkin's heavens'
216 vicegerent deputy
217 dominator ruler
218 fostering supporting
222 but so merely so-so, not saying much
224 peace be extended to
224 Be i.e.
226 Of ... secrets Costard again extends the meaning of the king's words 227 sable-coloured black
228 commend commit
228 black oppressing humour i.e. melancholy 228 humour mood (one of the four bodily "humours" that governed the disposition) 229 physic medicine
229 as I am on my word as
234 ycleped called
236 obscene repulsive
236 preposterous improper, perverse
237 snow-white pen i.e. goose quill 237 ebon-coloured black