Sean McGrory-10/4/2012

           I attended the Love’s Labour’s Lost play which was created by William Shakespeare. The play was put on by the American Shakespeare Center. The production of the play was part of the Shakespeare for a new generation. The play had a really well planned out plot to it.

          The play begins with the King of Navarre and Lords Dumaine, Longaville, and Berowne pledging to study for a three-year duration and even go as far as vowing off women for that time period. This has to be such a hard pledge to stay faithful to. What happens next is a country lover named Costard was found with a woman named Jaquenetta. He was arrested for this because it was against the law. King of Navarre puts Costard in the supervision of Don Armado. Don Armado is a Spaniard who is actually in great love with Jaquenetta.

        The princess of France then arrives next. Her three ladies join her. Their names are Maria, Katherine, and Rosaline. The princess then sends her manservant named Boyet to see if they will be allowed to enter the king’s court. The king though refuses them entry. He though permits them to stay in his park.

        The play though takes on a drastic transformation when the King sees the princess for the first time. He immediately falls in love with her. The lords also become struck with great affection towards the princess’s ladies. Lords Dumaine and Longaville marvel at Katherine and Maria separately. Also the lord Berowne and lady Katherine regenerate their love for each other.
         Don Armado then sets free Costard so he will deliver his love letters to Jaquenetta. Though before Costard carries out this mission he is side tracked by Berowne. Berowne hands over his own love letter to Costard that he has wrote to Rosaline. Costard then mixes up the letters and delivers them to the wrong people. He gives the letter that was suppose to go to Jaquenetta to the princess instead and tells him that the letter was intended for Rosaline from Berowne.

       Then two men realize that Costard has mixed up the love letters. These two men were Holofernes and Sir Nathaniel. Holofernes was a local schoolteacher and Sir Nathaniel was a parson. Berowne when he is by himself reads different lines of the love letter that he has written in admiration of Rosaline. Dumaine, Longaville, and the King all make a huge mistake. They read out loud their love letters for the women they have such great admiration for and find out they are not truly alone. Berowne is hiding close by listing to everything they say.

       Next Costard and Jaquenetta deliver the letter from Berowne to Rosaline. Which then the lords and king decide to make a pact and forget about the pledges they have made. They chase after the love ones they admire. Don Armado then tells Sir Nathaniel, Holofernes, Dull, Moth, and Costard that, at the King’s demand he is organizing performance for the ladies of France. Finally the play ends on a sad note. You find out that the princesses is need back home in France so her and the ladies must leave. Though the princess and the ladies make a promise that if the men stay faithful for one year they will return and be theirs.