Another example of Shakespeare's comic fascination with the battle between and misunderstanding of the sexes, Love's Labour's Lost is a difficult play to read, but one which is extremely effective on stage. The Play opens with King Ferdinand of Navarre and his courtiers taking a vow of study and sexual abstinence for a period of three years. However, their vows are soon placed under strain with the arrival of the Princess of France and her ladies in waiting. The inevitable happens, and the different couples attempt to surreptitiously communicate, causing much hilarious confusion and embarrassment in the process. Shakespeare deploys every farcical element in the book, including impersonation, wrongly delivered letters, outrageous puns and word play, fights, drunkenness and masquerades, as Ferdinand's entourage soon learn that rather than running from women to books, it is in fact the opposite sex that "are the books, the arts, the academes/That show, contain, and nourish all the world". However, one of the most interesting aspects of the play is that it does not end with everyone marrying and living happily ever after. The women give as good as they get from the men, and in the end turn the tables in extremely interesting ways. One of Shakespeare's most linguistically challenging, but also intelligent comedies. --Jerry Brotton
Used availability for William Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost
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Hardback Editions
June 2009 : Hardback
| Title: Love's Labour's Lost (The New Cambridge Shakespeare) Author(s): William Shakespeare ISBN: 0-521-22277-X / 978-0-521-22277-8 (UK edition) Publisher: Cambridge University Press Availability: Amazon UK More details... |
November 2005 : Hardback
| Title: LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST Author(s): William Shakespeare ISBN: 1-4218-1318-1 / 978-1-4218-1318-9 (USA edition) Publisher: 1st World Publishing Availability: Amazon More details... |
May 1999 : Hardback
| Title: Love's Labour's Lost (The Big Works Collection) Author(s): William Shakespeare ISBN: 1-929142-08-0 / 9781929142088 (USA edition) Publisher: One Page Book Co Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
June 1956 : Hardback
| Title: Love's Labour's Lost (The Arden Shakespeare) Author(s): William Shakespeare ISBN: 0-416-47310-5 / 978-0-416-47310-0 (UK edition) Publisher: Arden Shakespeare Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
Paperback Editions
February 2010 : Paperback
| Title: Loves Labours Lost Author(s): William Shakespeare ISBN: 1-60512-586-5 / 9781605125862 (USA edition) Publisher: Akasha Classics Availability: Amazon More details... |
July 2009 : Paperback
| Title: Love's Labour's Lost (The New Cambridge Shakespeare) Author(s): William Shakespeare ISBN: 0-521-29431-2 / 978-0-521-29431-7 (UK edition) Publisher: Cambridge University Press Availability: Amazon Amazon UK More details... |
January 2009 : Paperback
| Title: Love's Labour's Lost Author(s): William Shakespeare ISBN: 1-4209-3219-5 / 978-1-4209-3219-5 (USA edition) Publisher: Digireads.com Availability: Amazon More details... |
August 2008 : Paperback
| Title: Love's Labour's Lost (Modern Library Classics) Author(s): William Shakespeare ISBN: 0-8129-6914-6 / 978-0-8129-6914-6 (USA edition) Publisher: Modern Library Availability: Amazon Amazon UK More details... |
July 2008 : Paperback
| Title: The Oxford Shakespeare: Love's Labour's Lost (Oxford World's Classics) Author(s): William Shakespeare ISBN: 0-19-953681-3 / 978-0-19-953681-8 (UK edition) Publisher: Oxford Paperbacks Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
November 2007 : Paperback
| Title: Love's Labours Lost (Shakespeare Library Classic) Author(s): William Shakespeare ISBN: 1-59986-777-X / 9781599867779 (USA edition) Publisher: Filiquarian Availability: Amazon More details... |
February 2006 : Paperback
| Title: Love's Labour's Lost (Webster's Korean Thesaurus Edition) Author(s): William Shakespeare ISBN: 0-497-90040-8 / 978-0-497-90040-3 (USA edition) Publisher: ICON Group International, Inc. Availability: Amazon More details... |
January 2006 : Paperback
| Title: Love's Labour's Lost (Webster's Thesaurus Edition) Author(s): William Shakespeare ISBN: 0-497-25350-X / 978-0-497-25350-9 (USA edition) Publisher: ICON Group International, Inc. Availability: Amazon More details... |
September 2005 : Paperback
| Title: Love's Labour's Lost (Penguin Shakespeare) Author(s): William Shakespeare ISBN: 0-14-102055-5 / 978-0-14-102055-6 (UK edition) Publisher: Penguin Books Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
August 2002 : Paperback
| Title: Love's Labour's Lost Author(s): William Shakespeare ISBN: 1-59109-393-7 / 9781591093930 (USA edition) Publisher: BookSurge Classics Availability: Amazon More details... |
February 2002 : Paperback
| Title: Love's Labour's Lost: Oxford School Shakespeare Author(s): William Shakespeare ISBN: 0-19-832012-4 / 978-0-19-832012-8 (UK edition) Publisher: OUP Oxford Availability: Amazon Amazon UK More details... |
March 2000 : Paperback
| Title: Love's Labour's Lost Author(s): William Shakespeare ISBN: 0-14-029074-5 / 978-0-14-029074-5 (UK edition) Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd Availability: Amazon Amazon UK More details... |
September 1998 : Paperback
| Title: The Oxford Shakespeare: Love's Labour's Lost (Oxford World's Classics) Author(s): William Shakespeare ISBN: 0-19-283880-6 / 978-0-19-283880-3 (UK edition) Publisher: Oxford Paperbacks Availability: Amazon UK More details... |
June 1998 : Paperback
| Title: "Love's Labour's Lost" (Arden Shakespeare: Third) Author(s): William Shakespeare ISBN: 0-17-443500-2 / 978-0-17-443500-6 (UK edition) Publisher: Thomson Learning Availability: Amazon Amazon UK More details... |
July 1995 : Paperback
| Title: Love's Labour's Lost (Wordsworth Classics) Author(s): William Shakespeare ISBN: 1-85326-259-5 / 9781853262593 (UK edition) Publisher: Wordsworth Editions Ltd Availability: Amazon Amazon UK More details... |
November 1988 : Paperback
| Title: Love's Labour's Lost (Signet Classics) Author(s): William Shakespeare ISBN: 0-451-52267-2 / 978-0-451-52267-2 (USA edition) Publisher: Signet Availability: Amazon Amazon UK More details... |
April 1982 : Paperback
| Title: Love's Labour's Lost (New Penguin Shakespeare) Author(s): William Shakespeare, John Kerrigan ISBN: 0-14-070738-7 / 978-0-14-070738-0 (UK edition) Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd Availability: Amazon Amazon UK More details... |
1969 : Paperback
| Title: Love's labour's lost Author(s): G B Harrison ISBN: 0-14-070123-0 / 978-0-14-070123-4 (UK edition) Publisher: Penguin Availability: Amazon Amazon UK More details... |
November 1968 : Paperback
| Title: Love's Labour's Lost (Arden Shakespeare) Author(s): William Shakespeare ISBN: 0-416-10440-1 / 978-0-416-10440-0 (UK edition) Publisher: Routledge Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
1965 : Paperback
| Title: Love's Labour's Lost Author(s): William Shakespeare Publisher: Dell Publishing Co., Inc. Availability: Amazon UK More details... |
January 1963 : Paperback
| Title: Love's Labour's Lost. Author(s): William Shakespeare Publisher: Signet Classics Availability: Amazon UK More details... |
Other Editions
May 2012 : Kindle edition
| Title: Love's Labour's Lost (2012 Academic Edn. / Interactive TOC / Incl. Study Guide) Author(s): Mark.C Garde, William Shakespeare Publisher: DIGIPUBLISHED Availability: Amazon Amazon UK More details... |
December 2011 : Kindle edition
| Title: Love's Labour's Lost (Illustrated) Author(s): William Shakespeare Publisher: Black Swan Classics Availability: Amazon UK More details... |
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