'Love's Labour's Lost' Act 5 - "... a light heart lives long."

‘Love’s Labour’s Lost’ Act 5 – “… a light heart lives long.”

What a bizarre mix of theatrical styles, events and language forms are evident in Act 5 of ‘Love’s Labour’s Lost’. This is the first time Shakespeare uses the device of a play within a play as we see the supposedly intellectuals practice and rehearse the ‘Nine Worthies’ play they will present. The play within the play seems to take the form of a tableaux catwalk-like presentation similar to the ones evident in masque balls which became popular in various stages in the 1590’s and in the early 1600’s. It also gives us some insight into how plays might have been rehearsed in Shakespeare’s time even though the whole sequence is a parody.

We start with Holofernes and Nathaniel ridiculing Don Armado’s intelligence and his pronunciation of English words. These ‘intellectuals’ are also mocked by he young boy Moth when he whispers to Costard the Clown "They have been at a great feast of languages, and stolen the scraps…” When Armado enters he requests that Holofernes and Nathaniel help him in an “… ostentation, or show, or pageant, or antick…” he has been asked to put on by the King for the Princess and her ladies. And so the play of the ‘Nine Worthies’ is born. Since they do not number nine, some of them will have to play multiple roles. They exit, in need of plenty of rehearsal.

The women enter and the Princess displays the ‘bling’ sent to her by the King. The conversation turns to love and we hear how Katherine’s sister had a man make “her melancholy, sad and heavy, and so she died…” She ends this sad tale with the moral that “… a light heart lives long.” The deluge of love revelations erupts. Rosaline reveals that Berowne has sent verses and portrait, Katherine unveils the gloves and letters that Dumaine has secretly bestowed upon her and Maria divulges that also received a letter from Longaville which was accompanied by some pearls. If this all seems strange, sublime and melodramatic, then the arrival of Boyet informing the ladies that the men are about to arrive and court them dressed as Muscovites makes the scene turn into chaotic farce. The women can do nothing better than to put masks over their faces to further deceive the men.

Of course, each of the gentlemen woos the wrong female (using the by now switched gifts as an indication of their love’s identity) and after the men go, the women express their amazement at the ease with which each man was fooled.

When the men come back as themselves, the women reveal that they weren’t fooled. The ‘Nine Worthies’ play begins to general heckling and derision. When Armado finally enters as Hector, Costard reveals that Jaquenetta is pregnant. In true commedia style, Armado challenges Costard to a duel. At this moment of high farce, the tragic news of the death of the Princess’ father, the King of France is delivered. The Princess is devastated and prepares to leave. The King and the men discard their frivolities and once more declare their love. The King is told by the Princess to live life as a hermit for a year and if he still loves her after that time, she will return his love. The other men are given similar year-long rain checks on their love. It seems that love may be able to just wait.

And so the play ends as “… the wind doth blow…” of the final song of the play within the play that tells of love in all its winter and its spring.