"Love's Labours Lost" by William Shakespeare: The King of Navarre is a scholarly sort. He's so smart, I bet he even knows that Navarre used to be a region of land encompassing northern Spain and southwest France. So intent is he in his scholarly learning, he's sworn off all distractions, committing himself to a strict regimen of fasting, little sleep, and absolutely no women. Berowne, Longaville, and Dumain, three lords desiring to achieve a similar level of enlightenment, all take an oath to study under the King for a period of three years, vowing to forsake excessive food, needless slumber, and feminine company. Oddly enough, I've also gone without women the past three years. It wasn't really a vow, it just sort of worked out that way. I'm a lonely, lonely man.
The King's resolve is put to the test when the Princess of France visits on a matter of official business. Since it falls under the realm of royal duty, the King agrees to a meeting, but he insists the Princess and her entourage must camp outside the castle grounds. That doesn't really go over too well with the Princess and a battle of wills begins to be waged. Of course, the King falls in love with the Princess at first sight, and Berowne, Longaville, and Dumain fall for three of the Princess's friends. The timing couldn't have been worse since they all still have about two years and 364 days to go on their oaths of abstinence.
Obviously, this setup would seem ripe with comedic possibilities, as the men try to secretly woo their loves while not letting their scholarly brothers know they're breaking their vows. But it never really happens that way. Sure, there's a mistaken exchange of letters, with Berowne trying to contact his girl only to have the note delivered to the wrong person, but the error is discovered immediately and nothing really comes of it. Before any other means of interaction can even be attempted, the men all overhear each other lamenting their forbidden love. They unanimously consent to put aside their oaths and unite in pursuit of their common goal.
And that's pretty much it. All the potential conflict is over before it even begins. The men send their ladies gifts and pay their camp a visit. But the women decide to play a trick on them, dressing up in costumes and pretending to be each other so their man will confess his love to the wrong woman. Yeah, that's great. Then the guys put on some sort of lame talent show to impress them, but it only impressed upon my brain how dull the second half of this play was.
Right when things get all festive and whatnot between the would-be lovers, the Princess receives word that her father has died. Hard to get happy after that one. She says her mourning will last one year, but if the King still loved her in twelve months, she would gladly become his wife. The other girls make similar promises, requesting their men do various good deeds and charitable works while they wait out the year. The men, whipped as they are, happily agree. Men will do foolish things for love. Why, I know someone who started reading Shakespeare just to... oh wait, I did that joke last time. Well, at least I'm not doing charitable works!
"Love's Labours Lost" has a nice setup and some potential for comedy, but it never delivers on the promise. Even two shots may be a bit generous. Does this count as charity?
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If you'd like to learn more about Edward de Vere and the truth about Shakespeare, here are a few links to get you started...
Shakespeare Oxford Society Home Page
The Shakespeare Authorship Studies Conference: Who Was Edward de Vere?