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chassen2's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
joannaautumn's review against another edition
4.0
The first play that had Shakespeare's real name printed.
Written in 1594/5 revised in 1597 and first printed out in 1598.
This play shows how language is bendable - it's a play where Shakespeare gave the spotlight to the rhymes(62% of the play rhymes) over the blank verse.
Written in distichs, quatrains, even implementing sonnets inside the play structure - it's a masterful demonstration of Shakespeare's skill.
Full of word plays, battle of wits, and verbal misunderstandings, one should read it in English to truly appreciate it.
The plot of the comedy is thought to be original, considering that none other sources of inspiration were found; nonetheless, the main idea did come from a historical background, more precisely in the neoplatonism in the Renaissance. Two big names that influenced Shakespeare could be the Italian neoplatonists Giovanni Pico della Mirandola and Marsilio Ficino, to keep things brief, that is where Ferdinand and the idea of forming a "little academe
Still and contemplative in living art." come from. Where one will follow a certain number of restrictions and rules to reach knowledge unavailable to the common folk.
Such rules were consisting of not speaking or meeting with women, fasting, sleeping for only three hours a day, spending the remaining of the time studying.
All of which were broken almost at the exact moment as the pact between the four gentlemen was formed.
The reason why they were so quick to break their own rules and pact is that they had a wrong motivation for them in the first place.
None of them had that knowledge as a goal but the idea of appearing smart and receiving higher knowledge unavailable to the common folk — in other words, this comedy portrays the misuse of knowledge and highlights the importance of balance and common sense.
It's no coincidence that one of the wisest characters here are the ones not exposed to an abundance of knowledge - as seen in Moth and the ladies from the court of the French Princess, all of these characters outwit the King and His company raising the question of whom is even knowledgable?
There is a clear polarization between the pairs here, and might I say a dash of poking fun at both of them and how much they misunderstand each other.
The men in the play were motivated by external factors in their pact and broke the pact when another external factor came, Shakespeare put the accent on the eyes here as a tool of male self-deception.
All of them fall in love after they have seen the women, now, the eyes played a big role in the Renaissance, the way love was planted in a man's heart is through looking at the woman's eyes, a lot of sonnets glorified this first look and the eyes themselves. That's why, in the manner of court love, which Shakespeare critics here as being unnatural, all of the men write sonnets about their ladies' eyes, but later couldn't tell which one was which when they put on their masks and tricked them. Berowne, the most vocal men out of the four, expresses his idea of female beauty, not even fully realizing his narcissism, there was this one passage:
Even in his defense of women he thinks about himself.
In many ways, this play's humor is directed at the expense of men rather than women, the women were presented as intelligent and wanting to outwit the men from the get-go, almost as if having fun and entertainment derived from the male suffering, especially portrayed in Rosaline who at times reminds me of Shakespeare's Dark Lady from the Sonnets.
Unlike in Much Ado, these "lovers" part at the end of the play and it is hinted that the men will not fulfill this deal either, given their history and Berowne's words that "a play does not last that long" nor do the ladies have any hopes of them changing since they didn't realize their fault, so it truly is a Love's Lobour's lost - because their love, just like their academic pursuit is born out of the wrong reason. Shakespeare wouldn't be Shakespeare if he didn't end his comedy the way he did, with two sonnets about Spring and Winter showing that life indeed, does go on its course.
In the end, the play that on a surface read shows a beautiful verbal comedy with a lot of tricks and unfulfilled love a deeper analysis shows a complex array of topics from true and false knowledge and culture, the origin of love, and the nature of both men and women, this piece provides even more interesting information upon each reread.
------------------------------------------------------------
Love the themes in this comedy, review to come.
Written in 1594/5 revised in 1597 and first printed out in 1598.
This play shows how language is bendable - it's a play where Shakespeare gave the spotlight to the rhymes(62% of the play rhymes) over the blank verse.
Written in distichs, quatrains, even implementing sonnets inside the play structure - it's a masterful demonstration of Shakespeare's skill.
Full of word plays, battle of wits, and verbal misunderstandings, one should read it in English to truly appreciate it.
The plot of the comedy is thought to be original, considering that none other sources of inspiration were found; nonetheless, the main idea did come from a historical background, more precisely in the neoplatonism in the Renaissance. Two big names that influenced Shakespeare could be the Italian neoplatonists Giovanni Pico della Mirandola and Marsilio Ficino, to keep things brief, that is where Ferdinand and the idea of forming a "little academe
Still and contemplative in living art." come from. Where one will follow a certain number of restrictions and rules to reach knowledge unavailable to the common folk.
Such rules were consisting of not speaking or meeting with women, fasting, sleeping for only three hours a day, spending the remaining of the time studying.
All of which were broken almost at the exact moment as the pact between the four gentlemen was formed.
The reason why they were so quick to break their own rules and pact is that they had a wrong motivation for them in the first place.
None of them had that knowledge as a goal but the idea of appearing smart and receiving higher knowledge unavailable to the common folk — in other words, this comedy portrays the misuse of knowledge and highlights the importance of balance and common sense.
It's no coincidence that one of the wisest characters here are the ones not exposed to an abundance of knowledge - as seen in Moth and the ladies from the court of the French Princess, all of these characters outwit the King and His company raising the question of whom is even knowledgable?
There is a clear polarization between the pairs here, and might I say a dash of poking fun at both of them and how much they misunderstand each other.
The men in the play were motivated by external factors in their pact and broke the pact when another external factor came, Shakespeare put the accent on the eyes here as a tool of male self-deception.
All of them fall in love after they have seen the women, now, the eyes played a big role in the Renaissance, the way love was planted in a man's heart is through looking at the woman's eyes, a lot of sonnets glorified this first look and the eyes themselves. That's why, in the manner of court love, which Shakespeare critics here as being unnatural, all of the men write sonnets about their ladies' eyes, but later couldn't tell which one was which when they put on their masks and tricked them. Berowne, the most vocal men out of the four, expresses his idea of female beauty, not even fully realizing his narcissism, there was this one passage:
"For when would you, my lord, or you, or you,
Have found the ground of study's excellence
Without the beauty of a woman's face?
From women's eyes this doctrine I derive; They are the ground, the books, the academes From whence doth spring the true Promethean fire
Why, universal plodding poisons up
The nimble spirits in the arteries,
As motion and long-during action tires
The sinewy vigour of the traveller.
Now, for not looking on a woman's face,
You have in that forsworn the use of eyes
And study too, the causer of your vow;
For where is any author in the world
Teaches such beauty as a woman's eye?
Learning is but an adjunct to ourself
And where we are our learning likewise is:
Then when ourselves we see in ladies' eyes,
Do we not likewise see our learning there?"
Even in his defense of women he thinks about himself.
In many ways, this play's humor is directed at the expense of men rather than women, the women were presented as intelligent and wanting to outwit the men from the get-go, almost as if having fun and entertainment derived from the male suffering, especially portrayed in Rosaline who at times reminds me of Shakespeare's Dark Lady from the Sonnets.
Unlike in Much Ado, these "lovers" part at the end of the play and it is hinted that the men will not fulfill this deal either, given their history and Berowne's words that "a play does not last that long" nor do the ladies have any hopes of them changing since they didn't realize their fault, so it truly is a Love's Lobour's lost - because their love, just like their academic pursuit is born out of the wrong reason. Shakespeare wouldn't be Shakespeare if he didn't end his comedy the way he did, with two sonnets about Spring and Winter showing that life indeed, does go on its course.
In the end, the play that on a surface read shows a beautiful verbal comedy with a lot of tricks and unfulfilled love a deeper analysis shows a complex array of topics from true and false knowledge and culture, the origin of love, and the nature of both men and women, this piece provides even more interesting information upon each reread.
------------------------------------------------------------
Love the themes in this comedy, review to come.
leesmyth's review against another edition
3.0
There were some wonderful laugh-out-loud moments, but also many stretches I found rather dull. (Some of those stretches might be more amusing to those with enough Latin to get the references, jokes, and errors without constant reference to the notes.) The open-ended ending for the four sets of noble lovers seems appropriate.
(For what it's worth, I'm fairly certain I've only seen this one performed once - it may well have been the peripatetic NY Classical Theatre production in 2007.)
(For what it's worth, I'm fairly certain I've only seen this one performed once - it may well have been the peripatetic NY Classical Theatre production in 2007.)
brandonalan's review against another edition
4.0
As love is full of unbefitting strains,
All wanton as a child, skipping and vain,
Formed by the eye and therefore, like the eye,
Full of strange shapes, of habits, and of forms,
Varying in subjects as the eye doth roll
To every varied object in his glance;
annecrisp's review against another edition
4.0
This play would be hilarious when performed live, but it goes a little slowly when read to oneself. I give it 4 stars because I can see it's potential. Plays are meant to be performed and not read anyway.
acelli's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
bkoser's review against another edition
Probably would benefit more from a re-read and seeing a performance than any other play to this point. A lot of the jokes I needed the footnotes to understand, so I ended up being more impressed than amused.
Current ranking:
1. Hamlet
2. Macbeth
3. A Midsummer Night's Dream
4. The Taming of the Shrew
5. Othello
6. The Comedy of Errors
7. Love's Labor's Lost
8. Two Gentlemen of Verona
9. Titus Andronicus
Read: The Norton Shakespeare, 3rd edition
- Introductory essay
- Asimov's Guide to Shakespeare - Love's Labor's Lost chapter
Current ranking:
1. Hamlet
2. Macbeth
3. A Midsummer Night's Dream
4. The Taming of the Shrew
5. Othello
6. The Comedy of Errors
7. Love's Labor's Lost
8. Two Gentlemen of Verona
9. Titus Andronicus
Read: The Norton Shakespeare, 3rd edition
- Introductory essay
- Asimov's Guide to Shakespeare - Love's Labor's Lost chapter
briancrandall's review
5.0
Berowne
Taffeta phrases, silken terms precise,
Three-piled hyperboles, spruce affectation,
Figures pedantical — these summer flies
Have blown me full of maggot ostentation. [V,ii]