Original: Oft have I heard of you, my Lord Biron,
Modern: I’ve heard a lot about you, Lord Biron,

Original: Before I saw you; and the world’s large tongue
Modern: Before I ever met you; and everyone talks about how

Original: Proclaims you for a man replete with mocks,
Modern: You’re a man who’s full of jokes and insults,

Original: Full of comparisons and wounding flouts,
Modern: Always making clever comparisons and hurtful remarks,

Original: Which you on all estates will execute
Modern: Which you use against people of every social class

Original: That lie within the mercy of your wit.
Modern: Who are at the mercy of your sharp tongue.

Original: To weed this wormwood from your fruitful brain,
Modern: To remove this bitter habit from your clever mind,

Original: And therewithal to win me, if you please,
Modern: And at the same time to win my love, if you want it,

Original: Without the which I am not to be won,
Modern: Because without doing this, you cannot have me,

Original: You shall this twelvemonth term from day to day
Modern: You must spend this entire year, every single day,

Original: Visit the speechless sick and still converse
Modern: Visiting sick people who can barely speak and talking

Original: With groaning wretches; and your task shall be,
Modern: With suffering, miserable people; and your job will be,

Original: With all the fierce endeavor of your wit
Modern: Using all the power of your intelligence and humor

Original: To enforce the pained impotent to smile.
Modern: To make these suffering, helpless people smile.

In Act V, Scene ii, line 827 of “Love’s Labour’s Lost,” Marcade, a messenger, arrives with grave news that interrupts the festivities and courtship games. He informs the Princess of France that her father, the King, has died. This announcement immediately transforms the mood of the scene from one of wit, mockery, and romantic pursuit to one of solemn grief. The Princess prepares to depart immediately for France to attend to her duties, and the lords’ elaborate attempts at courtship are suddenly rendered inappropriate and futile by this tragic development.

The young lords—the King of Navarre, Berowne, Longaville, and Dumaine—plead for answers from their respective ladies before they depart, hoping to secure some promise of future union. However, the Princess and her ladies impose a year’s trial period on each suitor: the King must retire to a hermitage for a year, Berowne must visit hospitals and use his wit to cheer the sick, and the other lords receive similar penances. If after this time the men prove constant in their affections, the ladies promise to consider their suits favorably. The play concludes with songs of Spring and Winter performed by the characters, representing the passage of time and the seasonal cycles that will measure the lords’ devotion during their year of waiting.

“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.