In the play Love’s Labour’s Lost, by William Shakespeare, five men, after swearing to not talk to women at all for three years, fall for five women. Hysterics ensue. In an effort to woo the women they have fallen for, these five men, composed of a King and his Lords and constituents, decide to write poetry. Unfortunately for them and the ladies they have fallen for, none of their works are particularly outstanding. However, compared to his four peers, Biron does the finest job of writing his poem, as he flatters the woman he is writing to, stays on topic, and acknowledges her intelligence and wisdom-- all things that are rare to find in the other poems. Though Ferdinand, the King of Navarre, may be the most powerful man in his kingdom, he
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Writing “By heaven, that thou art fair, is most infallible, true, that thou art beauteous, truth itself, that thou art lovely” (31), he may be being slightly repetitive, but this is not an atrocious way to start a poem. Unfortunately for Don Armado, Jaquenetta, and all of Shakespeare’s readers, however, he continues. In an effort to prove his intelligence, Armado makes an effort to use unnecessarily long and complicated words, and repeats himself frequently with different phrasings. As a result, what Armado could say in a sentence takes him an entire paragraph. This can clearly be seen when Don Armado explains the phrase “veni, vidi, vici”, or “I came, I saw, I overcame”-- a process that takes about half the poem to complete. At this point in his poem, Don Armado sounds like a student who never studied for his AP Latin exam more than he does a high-ranking official. This writing style is significant to the overall theme of Love’s Labour’s Lost, as it reinforces the idea that the intelligence displayed by the men in the play-- whether through long, complicated paragraphs, such as with Don Armado, or with the initial oath to study for three years, as seen by the King and his Lords-- is greatly false. Just as how Don Armado needs to do more than show off with his language to prove to those around him that he is intelligent, the King and his Lords must do more than simply lock themselves away for three years and study to truly gain the level of knowledge they desire. Out of all the poems presented in Love’s Labour’s Lost, only one acknowledges this
Writing “By heaven, that thou art fair, is most infallible, true, that thou art beauteous, truth itself, that thou art lovely” (31), he may be being slightly repetitive, but this is not an atrocious way to start a poem. Unfortunately for Don Armado, Jaquenetta, and all of Shakespeare’s readers, however, he continues. In an effort to prove his intelligence, Armado makes an effort to use unnecessarily long and complicated words, and repeats himself frequently with different phrasings. As a result, what Armado could say in a sentence takes him an entire paragraph. This can clearly be seen when Don Armado explains the phrase “veni, vidi, vici”, or “I came, I saw, I overcame”-- a process that takes about half the poem to complete. At this point in his poem, Don Armado sounds like a student who never studied for his AP Latin exam more than he does a high-ranking official. This writing style is significant to the overall theme of Love’s Labour’s Lost, as it reinforces the idea that the intelligence displayed by the men in the play-- whether through long, complicated paragraphs, such as with Don Armado, or with the initial oath to study for three years, as seen by the King and his Lords-- is greatly false. Just as how Don Armado needs to do more than show off with his language to prove to those around him that he is intelligent, the King and his Lords must do more than simply lock themselves away for three years and study to truly gain the level of knowledge they desire. Out of all the poems presented in Love’s Labour’s Lost, only one acknowledges this