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willardk's review against another edition
4.0
What I enjoyed most was the presence of strong female characters. That's what I love about Beatrice in Much Ado. It's a very feminist conclusion, yes, but there's only so many times you can read about the damsel in distress before you get bored. To be fair, Shakespeare's women are usually more complex, but these four women were most enjoyable because as well as being eloquent, they were cheeky. And I like cheeky.
lilrusski's review against another edition
2.0
[2,5/5* || full review @grandepoque instagram]
‘method to madness’; romantic entanglement interlocks with linguistic conjecture in shakespeare’s wittiest and, unfortunately, least known play. a challenge in the form of a frantic adventure skidding across the red leaves scattered across montreal’s wide and winding streets in search of a current print paperback copy to tick off my course list, rummaging through the shelves of the hidden independent bookshops, tucked away amid brownstone buildings. the clerks at my rival university’s bookshop now know me well for my routine purchases of various shakespeare editions. my souvenir mug collection has been growing in tandem with my shakespeare collection.
this work, in particular, proves a doozy to read, which can translate to a meagre headache, for the ill-prepared enthusiast.
perched on the fifth floor of a skyscraper, i could hardly make rhyme or reason of the king of navarre and his three attendants’ linguistic manipulations and comical disguises (pretending to be russian barons to woo the ladies they have forsworn themselves of). the plot in of itself is fairly simple; each character finds a perfect match at the exact moment in which they have forsworn themselves of earthly (simple) pleasures. they have made a pact to dedicate themselves to academia and enlightenment, at the cost of physical comfort — seeking discomfort for the purpose of a great perhaps, a theme i adore reading in its manifold interpretations. my rating is mostly affected by the trouble i had digesting this narrative within a limited timeframe, limited as i have been recently to consuming shakespeare’s plays in the space of a half day.
the globe stage production cast a nefarious irish actor for the clown costard, who bounces around, ripping apart the performance of courtly love in elizabethan society. if anything, the creative license entailed with the adaptation of shakespeare’s plays renders this the most sensible of his plays, for it is simple in plot, but complex in verbosity. the humour hinges on the details of the prose and poetics. it is one of the few intended for readers, not viewers.
‘method to madness’; romantic entanglement interlocks with linguistic conjecture in shakespeare’s wittiest and, unfortunately, least known play. a challenge in the form of a frantic adventure skidding across the red leaves scattered across montreal’s wide and winding streets in search of a current print paperback copy to tick off my course list, rummaging through the shelves of the hidden independent bookshops, tucked away amid brownstone buildings. the clerks at my rival university’s bookshop now know me well for my routine purchases of various shakespeare editions. my souvenir mug collection has been growing in tandem with my shakespeare collection.
this work, in particular, proves a doozy to read, which can translate to a meagre headache, for the ill-prepared enthusiast.
perched on the fifth floor of a skyscraper, i could hardly make rhyme or reason of the king of navarre and his three attendants’ linguistic manipulations and comical disguises (pretending to be russian barons to woo the ladies they have forsworn themselves of). the plot in of itself is fairly simple; each character finds a perfect match at the exact moment in which they have forsworn themselves of earthly (simple) pleasures. they have made a pact to dedicate themselves to academia and enlightenment, at the cost of physical comfort — seeking discomfort for the purpose of a great perhaps, a theme i adore reading in its manifold interpretations. my rating is mostly affected by the trouble i had digesting this narrative within a limited timeframe, limited as i have been recently to consuming shakespeare’s plays in the space of a half day.
the globe stage production cast a nefarious irish actor for the clown costard, who bounces around, ripping apart the performance of courtly love in elizabethan society. if anything, the creative license entailed with the adaptation of shakespeare’s plays renders this the most sensible of his plays, for it is simple in plot, but complex in verbosity. the humour hinges on the details of the prose and poetics. it is one of the few intended for readers, not viewers.
vegandanimal's review against another edition
4.0
Worth an extra star just for Moth, who is a delight of a character.
messy_dreamer's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
readingisadoingword's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
The is the 11th Shakespeare play we've read as part of the #UpstartCrows2023 readalong.
I found this an unusual read, although it contained many familiar elements - a variety of courting couples, oaths sworn and regretted, confused letters, disguises and mistaken identities and of course and ultimate resolution!
There is a LOT of wordplay in this one! Verbal sparring between the characters almost obscures the plot but it also calls attention to the double meanings of words - and in a play focussed on the taking and breaking of oaths, this seems pertinent.
I enjoyed the clever use of language and while it sometimes felt excessive, it certainly showcased Shakespeare's humour. I also appreciated the female characters, the Princess and her ladies, whilst also finding themselves in love, remain in command of events and they tease the men before, ironically extracting a vow of a year's absence from them, before fully committing.
There are discussions to be had about human nature, desire and abstinence and whether betraying oneself to keep an oath is in fact the best path.
This was fun and one I'd like to see on stage!
I found this an unusual read, although it contained many familiar elements - a variety of courting couples, oaths sworn and regretted, confused letters, disguises and mistaken identities and of course and ultimate resolution!
There is a LOT of wordplay in this one! Verbal sparring between the characters almost obscures the plot but it also calls attention to the double meanings of words - and in a play focussed on the taking and breaking of oaths, this seems pertinent.
I enjoyed the clever use of language and while it sometimes felt excessive, it certainly showcased Shakespeare's humour. I also appreciated the female characters, the Princess and her ladies, whilst also finding themselves in love, remain in command of events and they tease the men before, ironically extracting a vow of a year's absence from them, before fully committing.
There are discussions to be had about human nature, desire and abstinence and whether betraying oneself to keep an oath is in fact the best path.
This was fun and one I'd like to see on stage!
jenmkin's review against another edition
5.0
It might help that I saw a really good production of this play, but it's honestly up there in the list of my favorite Shakespeare plays. Mostly, though, I think that it's a result of the way that Love's Labour's Lost defies the conventions of Comedy—and, specifically, of other Shakespearean comedies which involve multiple romantic plotlines—by not ending with marriage, but with a "who knows what could come in the future." The tragedy of a death underscores so much of the play, from the beginning, when it is merely a possibility, to the end, when it has come to pass, and it feels honest and realistic in a way that sharply contrasts with the outlandish humor of the romantic storyline.
Overall, Love's Labour's Lost grants its heroes and heroines an agency that's usually reserved for the characters in the tragedies, which is super interesting to consider. I think a comparative analysis between this play and another comedy would be great—particularly Much Ado About Nothing or As You Like It, considering the debate around the play Love's Labour's Won, which is listed among Shakespeare's works on early documents, and is often theorized to be either 1. a lost sequel to Love's Labour's Lost (which is reasonable, since the play ends on a cliffhanger) or 2. an alternate name for an existing play, with both Much Ado & As You Like It as possible options put forth by theorists.
Overall, Love's Labour's Lost grants its heroes and heroines an agency that's usually reserved for the characters in the tragedies, which is super interesting to consider. I think a comparative analysis between this play and another comedy would be great—particularly Much Ado About Nothing or As You Like It, considering the debate around the play Love's Labour's Won, which is listed among Shakespeare's works on early documents, and is often theorized to be either 1. a lost sequel to Love's Labour's Lost (which is reasonable, since the play ends on a cliffhanger) or 2. an alternate name for an existing play, with both Much Ado & As You Like It as possible options put forth by theorists.
jessicalyric's review against another edition
lighthearted
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
read247_instyle_inca's review against another edition
challenging
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.0