Love's Labour's Lost

What role do Dumaine, Longaville, Maria, and Katherine play? How does William Shakespeare differentiate between their characters, and what purpose does their inclusion serve?

How are pride and honor presented in the play? How do these ideas relate to the primary themes of The Masculine Pursuit of Love, Fantasy Versus Reality, and/or The Complexities of Language?

How does Shakespeare explore responsibility in Love’s Labour’s Lost? How are characters confronted with the consequences for their actions? How do they assign or take responsibility (or evade it)?

Love’s Labour’s Lost interacts with the conventions of Elizabethan theatre, reflecting that its intended purpose was as a piece of live theatre to be experienced, not a text to be read. What clues does Shakespeare give about how to stage it? How might the play’s impact be different when fully staged?

How does Shakespeare present the passing of time in the play? Does he offer clues about how much time is passing? How might this relate to the theme of Fantasy Versus Reality in particular?

How do social and political status impact the characters in the play? Which elements differentiate the characterization of the upper-class characters from the lower-class ones?

Consider the events that are shown onstage and those that are reported. Examples include the news of the Princess’s father’s death and Jaquenetta’s pregnancy; the remainder of the hunt; the diplomatic negotiation over Aquitaine, which the Princess refers to as having been resolved at the end of the play. How do the unseen events contribute to the play’s exploration of its main themes, such as Fantasy Versus Reality?

How does Shakespeare present change and constancy in Love’s Labour’s Lost? Do any of the characters change significantly during the play? Why or why not?