Love's Labour's Lost Act 2 – “Beauty is bought by judgment of the eye, not uttered by base sale of chapmen’s tongues.”

Love's Labour's Lost Act 2 – “Beauty is bought by judgment of the eye, not uttered by base sale of chapmen’s tongues.”
I start to realise how much Shakespeare has grown and blossomed as a dramatist by 1594. The language of ‘Love’s Labour’s Lost’ flows, the characters are so whole and he is able to have character and action grow subtly together on stage. Nowhere is this obvious than in the short but dramatically seamless Act 2 of ‘Love’s Labour’s Lost’.

Enter the Princess of France and her female entourage of Rosaline, Maria and Katherine. There is no coincidence that they number the same as the King or Duke of Navarre’s (depending on the edition) academy. Her attendant Boyet, goes to tell the King of her arrival since she has heard of the vows and pronouncement that "no woman may approach his silent court". Of course, with no men around, the ladies share their assessments of the men who have joined the academy and taken the King’s Vow. Maria shows admiration for Lord Longaville when she describes him. Katherine knows Dumaine, while Rosaline describes Berowne as “… a merrier man, within the limit of becoming mirth…”
When Boyet returns, the Princess is told that the King will see her but that he will keep his vows and thus desires her not to come to the palace. Boyet relates that the King will "lodge you in the field". The Princess does not have time to catch her breath when the King arrives. The Princess is greeted by him with “Fair Princess, welcome to the court of Navarre…”

To this she forthrightly retorts that:
“’Fair’ I give thee back again, and ‘welcome’ I have not yet.”

 

The Princess then gets down to business and previous agreements made with his father and the King of France concerning a hundred thousand crowns and who gets Aquitaine are raised. Deciding to take time over this important (but narratively insignificant issue, the King departs but promises he will return the next day with his decision. Then the interesting part of the scene is quickly revealed as Boyet is hassled by each of the King’s fellow academy members for the name of the three Princess’ entourage they are enamoured with.

 

The scene ends with Boyet revealing to the Princess that he truly thinks the King is “infected” with love and “… His heart… with your print impressed.”