Love's Labour's Lost Literature and Writing

What happens when you fall in love? In Love's Labour's Lost, step #1 is writing a love letter. Writing is practically a prerequisite to being in love.

Once a character explores the art of love-writing that character must endure the humiliation of either: 1) someone reading your letter aloud to strangers, or 2) your best friends eavesdropping on you and mocking your most intimate confessions. Despite the embarrassment, however, love is a wise and inspirational teacher, whose influence can be most clearly seen in the student's writing.

Questions About Literature and Writing

1. Why do the lovers in the play become poets?
2. We see only the lords participating in literary exercises. Why don't the women in Love's Labour's Lost write poems?
3. Who do you think wrote the best love letter? Why?

Chew on This

Reading letters aloud contributes to the atmosphere of romantic tension and influences the characters' actions in Love's Labour's Lost.