Original: A time, methinks, too short
Modern: A time that I think is too short

Original: To make a world-without-end bargain in.
Modern: To make a promise that’s supposed to last forever.

Original: No, no, my lord, your grace is perjured much,
Modern: No, no, my lord, you have broken your word many times,

Original: Full of dear guiltiness; and therefore this:
Modern: You’re full of costly guilt; so here’s what I propose:

Original: If for my love, as there is no such cause,
Modern: If you claim to love me (though you have no real reason to),

Original: You will do aught, this shall you do for me:
Modern: And you’ll do anything for me, then do this:

Original: Your oath I will not trust; but go with speed
Modern: I won’t trust your promises anymore; but go quickly

Original: To some forlorn and naked hermitage,
Modern: To some lonely and bare place where hermits live,

Original: Remote from all the pleasures of the world;
Modern: Far away from all worldly pleasures and temptations;

Original: There stay until the twelve celestial signs
Modern: Stay there until the twelve signs of the zodiac

Original: Have brought about the annual reckoning.
Modern: Have completed a full year’s cycle.

Original: If this austere insociable life
Modern: If this harsh and solitary life

Original: Change not your offer made in heat of blood;
Modern: Doesn’t change the promise you made in passion;

Original: If frosts and fasts, hard lodging and thin weeds
Modern: If cold weather and fasting, rough shelter and poor clothing

Original: Nip not the gaudy blossoms of your love,
Modern: Don’t kill the showy flowers of your love,

Original: But that it bear this trial and last love;
Modern: But instead your love survives this test and remains true;

Original: Then, at the expiration of the year,
Modern: Then, when the year is over,

Original: Come challenge me, challenge me by these deserts,
Modern: Come back to me, claim me based on what you’ve earned,

Original: And, by this virgin palm now kissing thine
Modern: And I swear by this pure hand now touching yours

Original: I will be thine; and till that instant shut
Modern: I will be yours; and until that moment I’ll lock

Original: My woeful self up in a mourning house,
Modern: My sad self away in a house of mourning,

Original: Raining the tears of lamentation
Modern: Crying tears of grief

Original: For the remembrance of my father’s death.
Modern: In memory of my father’s death.

Original: If this thou do deny, let our hands part,
Modern: If you refuse to do this, let our hands separate,

Original: Neither entitled in the other’s heart.
Modern: With neither of us having any claim on the other’s heart.

In Act V, Scene ii of “Love’s Labour’s Lost,” the Princess of France and her ladies prepare to receive the King of Navarre and his lords, who arrive disguised as Muscovites. The ladies, having been forewarned of this masquerade by Boyet, decide to mask themselves and exchange the love tokens they have received, so that each lord will mistakenly woo the wrong lady. The disguised men attempt to court the ladies with elaborate speeches and entertainment, but the women mock them and refuse to dance or engage seriously with their advances. Eventually, the frustrated lords depart, and the ladies unmask and celebrate the success of their trick.

When the King and his companions return in their own identities, pretending the earlier visit never occurred, the ladies expose their deception and reveal how each man courted the wrong woman due to the exchanged tokens. The men are thoroughly embarrassed and confess their broken oaths regarding their original vow to avoid women and dedicate themselves to study. The scene then shifts dramatically when Marcade, a messenger, arrives with news that the Princess’s father, the King of France, has died. The Princess immediately prepares to depart for France, and when the King and lords press their suits of love, the ladies impose conditions: the men must wait one year, during which time they must perform various penances to prove the sincerity of their affections. The play concludes with the songs of Spring and Winter performed by the characters Ver and Hiems, after which the company departs.

“Love’s Labour’s Lost” opens with Ferdinand, the King of Navarre, and his three courtiers—Berowne, Longaville, and Dumain—taking a solemn oath to dedicate three years to scholarly pursuits while forswearing the company of women, fasting, and sleeping only three hours per night. Their noble intentions are immediately complicated by the arrival of the Princess of France and her three attending ladies—Rosaline, Maria, and Katharine—who come on a diplomatic mission regarding Aquitaine. Despite their vows, all four men quickly fall in love with the visiting ladies, though they initially attempt to hide their feelings from one another.

The romantic complications intensify when each man tries to secretly woo his chosen lady while believing himself to be the only oath-breaker. Comic relief is provided by a cast of eccentric characters including Don Armado, a bombastic Spanish knight who loves the country wench Jaquenetta; Costard, a simple clown; and the pedantic schoolmaster Holofernes. The ladies, aware of the men’s affections, decide to test their suitors’ sincerity by disguising themselves at a masque, leading to a delightful scene of mistaken identities where each man woos the wrong woman.

The play builds toward what seems like a conventional comic resolution with multiple betrothals, but Shakespeare subverts expectations in the final act. News arrives that the Princess’s father, the King of France, has died, casting a somber shadow over the festivities. The ladies impose a year-long trial on their suitors—the men must prove their love’s constancy through a period of good works and patient waiting. The play concludes unusually for a Shakespearean comedy, with promises of future union rather than immediate marriages, ending with the famous songs of Spring and Winter that celebrate the eternal cycle of seasons and human nature.