Love's Labour''s Lost (Annotated)

Warning: don't go reading this play looking for snazzy, intricate plot. Instead, read it for a prime example of Big Billy Shakespeare being a wordsmith. This play is all about the "how," not the "what." The story's a bit thin, but there's not a plot-point in this play that isn't introduced, embellished, or concluded with a round of wordplay.The King of Navarre and his lords Berowne, Longaville, and Dumain meet and swear off food, women, and sleep in order to study for three years. Berowne, the most independent of the four friends, isn't so keen on this whole idea (huh. wonder why?). He reminds the King that the Princess of France is visiting on business. And what are they going to do for fun, anyway?They'll be entertained by Armado, a Spanish soldier full of stories told in the bizarrely verbose style first introduced by a letter. He's tattling on the villager Costard for his entanglement with dairymaid Jaquenetta. The King sentences Costard to a week with only bread and water.Armado is with his spicy page, Moth, sighing for love of Jaquenetta. She enters with the constable Dull and Costard. She's not so interested in Armado, so he takes his anger out on Costard and imprisons him. Giving up his warring ways, Armado sits down to write a love letter.