Love’s Labours Lost is one of Shakespeare’s funniest comedies and at the same time one of his most morally serious. The King of Navarre and three of his lords vow to spend three rigorous years studying and fasting – and isolating themselves from women. But no sooner are the vows made than four noblewomen of France turn up and tempt the men to break their vows. The comedy combines rhetorical fireworks and farcical stage-action – not to mention numerous reluctant revelations of love – that keep us laughing and prime us for a classic romantic-comedy ending. But a surprise twist in the final scene upends our expectations and drives home the play’s serious questions: what is the purpose of education? And how does one earn another’s love? In this course, you’ll learn the story of Love’s Labours Lost, see how it engages with key cultural issues of Shakespeare’s day, and ends as thoughtfully as it does unconventionally. 

In Part 1, you’ll be guided through a detailed account of the story with commentary by Gordon Teskey, Francis Lee Higginson Professor of English Literature at Harvard University. Many critics claim that Love’s Labours Lost is too difficult for modern readers to understand and enjoy, but here you’ll be guided on how to approach this play and on the kind of pleasures it offers. This summary is told using the language of the play itself, placing key quotations in context to help you understand where these lines come from and what they mean.