borrowed from Brooke, the death
of Mercutio from the old play. The whole is, however, completely
transfused by the welding fire of genius.

+Love's Labour's Lost+.--Obviously imitative of the comedies of John
Lyly, _Love's Labour's Lost_ is a light, pleasant court comedy, with
but a slight thread of plot. The king of Navarre and three of his
nobles forswear for three years the society of ladies in order to
pursue study. This plan is interrupted by the Princess of France, who
with three ladies comes on an embassy to Navarre. The inevitable
happens; the gentlemen fall in love with the ladies, and, after
ineffectual struggles to keep their oaths, give up the pursuit of
learning for that of love. This runs on merrily enough in courtly
fashion till the announcement of the death of the king of France ends
the embassy, and the lovers are put on a year's probation of constancy.
In the subplot, or minor story, the play is notable for the burlesquing
of two types of character--a pompous pedantic schoolmaster, and a
braggart who always speaks in high-flown metaphor. These two, happily
contrasted with a country curate, a court page, and a country clown
with his lass, make much good sport.

It is often said, but as we believe without sufficient proof, that the
wit combats of the lords and ladies, {146} and the artificial speech of
the sonneteering courtiers, were also introduced for burlesque. These
elements appear, however, in other plays than this, with no intention
of burlesque; and it seems probable that Shakespeare greatly enjoyed
this display of his power as a master in the prevailing fashion of
courtly repartee. In this fashion, as well as in the handling of the
low-comedy figures, and in other ways, Shakespeare followed in the
steps of John Lyly, the author of the novel _Euphues_ and of the seven
court comedies written in the decade before _Love's Labour's Lost_.
Shakespeare's play, however, far surpasses those which it imitated.

+Date+.--The date of _Love's Labour's Lost_ is entirely a matter of
conjecture. It may well have been the very earliest of Shakespeare's
comedies. Most scholars agree that the characteristics of style to
which we have referred, together with the great use of rime (see p. 81)
and the immaturity of the play as a whole, must indicate a very early
date, and therefore put the play not later than 1591.

A quarto was published in 1598, "newly corrected and augmented by W.
Shakespere." T