Love’s Labour’s Lost – Act 1 “… it were labour lost to speake of Loue."

Love’s Labour’s Lost – Act 1 “… it were labour lost to speake of Loue."

It had been a good start to 1594 with the re-opening of the theatres in spring. The formation of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men using many of the actors from the Lord Strange’s Men  was a turning point for Shakespeare. This company, under the patronage of the Lord Chamberlain Henry Carey, First Baron Hunsdon, meant that the future looked bright for a young playwright like Shakespeare. In fact, Shakespeare had been appointed the official House Playwright of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men early in the year, so he now got a healthy cut of the profits of any of their performances of his plays at the Rose Theatre.

It had been quite a year for theatre. His own ‘The Comedy of Errors’ had been a success and would get some runs in the provinces and maybe a late autumn or winter performance at one of the barrister’s societies or clubs, perhaps even at the ever popular Honourable Society of Gray’s Inn. That would bring in some extra cash. But for Shakespeare, the highlights also probably included two performances he saw early in the season. In April, the combined companies of the Queen Elizabeth’s Men and the Sussex Men put on a curious play called ‘The moste famous Chronicle historye of King Leire of England and his Three Daughters’. Shakespeare thought the story had promise and with more time, he thought he could himself rejig this story later. The other play that blew him away was a revival production at the Rose Theatre by the same company of Marlowe’s ‘The Jew of Malta’.

Shakespeare knew that Marlowe was the master. His stories were new and innovative and Shakespeare knew that he had to at some point write his own original stories rather than re-hashing and improving the stories of others. But the climate for a large tragedy or a histrionic piece didn’t seem quite right to him so soon after the plague. Besides, light comedies seemed all the rage in London at the close of summer. Henslowe would probably pay five to ten pounds up front for another comedy before the end of the season. He also knew he could whip up a comedy in a little over a week and with a week of rehearsal slipped in around other performances, he could have extra money in his pocket in three weeks. More if it moved into the company’s repertoire. So his mind started to dwell on a comedy; a love story based around the words from a poem by John Florio called ‘His Firste Fruites’ written in 1578. Shakespeare had probably read it in a collection of poems he had picked up cheap in the marketplace (along with other collections sold cheap by families of victims of the plague). The lines of the poem that stuck in his head and on his bookshelf were:

"We neede not speak so much of loue,

al books are ful of lou,

with so many authours,

that it were labour lost to speake of Loue."

Shakespeare’s ‘Love’s Labour’s Lost’ begins with the Duke of Navarre and his three lords’ quest to devote their lives, for three years, to their academy and their pursuit of learning. They believe this will bring them fame amongst others.

"Let fame, that all hunt after in their lives,

Live regist'red upon our brazen tombs"

And so for three years, they will swear to devote their lives to their academy and their pursuit of learning. Their oath involves fasting, forsaking some sleep and staying away from women. While the lords Longaville and Dumaine want to take the oath without question, Lord Berowne sees the oath as containing,

“… barren tasks, too hard to keep,

Not to see ladies, study, fast, not sleep…"

Berowne foresees that even the Duke himself may have trouble fulfilling the oath since the French Duke’s daughter is about to seek an audience with him.  But in the end, all agree to the oaths of the academy.

Constable Dull enters with a letter and a fool. The letter is from Don Armado. The fool is the aptly named Costard and as the Duke discovers from the letter, Costard has tried to court Jaquenetta and Don Armado has thereby sent Costard to the Duke to be disciplined. Thos of low birth can't court ladies. Costard’s puns and pedantic definitions do him no good. He tries to avoid punishment by maintaining that Jaquenetta is not a wench but a damsel, not a damsel but a virgin, and finally not a virgin but a maid. This all does him no good and he is sentenced to fast on bran and water for a week but the Duke can't cope with Costard's word play so he sends him back to Don Armado.

We then find out that Don Armado is upset with Costard primarily because he himself has great love and desire for Jaquenetta. Confusion ensues when Costard and Jaquenetta arrive back and Don Armado is informed that the Duke himself has sent Costard and Jaquenetta back. As Constable Dull says:

“Sir, the duke's pleasure is, that you keep Costard

safe: and you must suffer him to take no delight

nor no penance; but a' must fast three days a week.

For this damsel, I must keep her at the park: she

is allowed for the day-woman.”

Armado declares his love for Jaquenetta but she promptly leaves, not impressed by these overtures. Moth is then imprisoned with Costard for dubious reasons. Probably he will suffer more from Costard's puns and word plays than from imprisonment itself. Armado laments that the oath will keep him from wooing his love Jaquenetta and he decides that writing sonnets (and plenty of them) is the only way to curb his desire and love itself.

“Assist me, some extemporal god of rhyme,

for I am sure I shall turn sonnet. Devise, wit;

write, pen; for I am for whole volumes in folio.”