In Act 5 Scene 2 of Shakespeare’s Loves Labours Lost he presents love, friendship and honesty by the responses to the gifts and the love poetry. The King sends diamonds, probably a pendant, and a piece of love poetry. The love poetry is written all over the piece of paper on both sides and the margin as well and to seal it the King had to put the seal on where he had written Cupid. This is shown when the Princess says ‘Yes, as much love in rhyme, As would be cramm’d up in a sheet of paper, Writ o’ both sides the leaf, margin and all, That he was fain to seal on Cupids name.’ This also shows then presentation of love in the play, by using the name Cupid and by the love poetry. Rosaline receives a letter from Biron. He has drawn her picture in the lettering by the black letters on the white paper resembling black hair and eyes set against white skin. This is shown when Rosaline says ‘Nay, I have verses to, I thank Biron. O’ he hath drawn my picture in this letter.’ The Princess replies ‘Anything Like?’ to which Rosaline says ‘Much in the letters, nothing in the praise.’ Katherine receives a pair of gloves and a letter from Dumaine. Katherine’s reaction to this letter is that she thinks it is a pack of lies. This is shown when she says ‘Yes madam, and moreover, Some thousand verses of a faithful lover: A huge translation of hypocrisy.’ Finally Maria receives some pearls and a letter from Longueville. Maria’s reaction to this is that she wishes that the chain were longer and the letter shorter. This is shown when Maria says ‘This and these pearls to me sent Longueville. The letter is too long by half a mile.’ The Princess replies ‘I think no less. Dost thou not wish in heart the chain were longer and the letter short,’ to which Maria says ‘Aye, or I would these hands might never part.’ The responses to the gifts and the love poetry show mainly the presentation of love in Act 5 Scene 2 of Shakespeare’s Loves Labours Lost however it also shows friendship. The Princess has a very good friendship with her ladies and so does the King with his followers. This is shown by the ladies receiving and talking about their gifts together and also by mocking their lovers together. This shown by Rosaline’s reaction saying that she’ll ‘torture Biron before she goes back to France,’ ‘The Princess is scathing about her gifts from Navarre,’ and Katherine describing her letter as a ‘huge translation of hypocrisy.’
In Act 5 Scene 2, Shakespeare presents the themes of love, friendship and honesty considering the relationships when love and friendship are put under pressure. In the Scene the main time that the love and friendships are put under pressure is when the lords come back, dressed in their normal clothes, and admit that they were there before dressed as Muscovites. The friendship between the King and his followers is strained when they realise that the Princess and her ladies knew who the Muscovites were all along. This is shown when the King says ‘(Aside to his lords) We were descried. They’ll mock us now downright’ to which Dumaine replies ‘(Aside to the King) Let us confess and turn it to a jest.’ This shows that the King and his followers are worried about the Princess and her ladies mocking them about dressing up as Muscovites. The other time when love and friendship is put under pressure in Act 5 Scene 2 is when the Princess and her ladies reveal that they had swapped ‘favours’ and the King and his followers realise that they have been tricked by the ladies which also shows the presentation of honesty as well. Love and friendship between the King and his followers and the Princess and her ladies is strained and put under pressure also with the conversation between the King, Biron and the Princess. The King says ‘My faith and this the Princess I did give, I knew this by the jewel on her sleeve,’ to which the Princess replies ‘ Pardon me, sir this jewel did she wear. And Lord Biron, I thank him, is my dear, what will you have me or your pearl again?’ Biron says ‘Neither of either; I remit both twain, I see the trick on’t.’ Just after that Costard enters and saves the situation by introducing the show of the Nine Worthies.
In Act 5 Scene 2 of Shakespeare’s Loves Labour Lost, he presents love, friendship and honesty by the comparison of love and learning in the play. At the start the King and his followers believe they want to study and abide by a strict set of rules for three years, however, at the end, they don’t want to because they realise how much more fun they have when they are in love compared to the boredom of living by the rules, studying and learning. At the start when the King is telling his followers what they are going to be doing, there is just the four of them and they are all good friends, which shows the presentation of friendship in the play. The King treats his followers very well and so they are all good friends with one another. Also at the start when the King is telling his followers what rules they must abide by for three years, there are many strict rules read out. These are things like not to see women, not eat for one day a week and only allowed to sleep for three hours a night. These rules would make life very tedious and boring and this is shown by Biron who is very reluctant to sign the oath. It takes the King, Dumaine and Longueville quite a long time to persuade Biron to sign who wants to study but doesn’t like the rules. Towards the end the King and his followers are in love with the Princess and her ladies. During this time they have a lot more and enjoy their time much more than when they were studying and abiding by the strict rules. The King and his followers realise that they have a lot more fun and enjoyment when they are in love compared to the boredom of the studying and learning.
In Love Labours Lost he presents love, friendship and honesty by the last scene as an ending to the play. It is quite a sharp ending to the play when Marcadé brings news of the French Kings death. The Princess and her ladies hear of this and leave straight away. Act 5 Scene 2 is a reasonably long scene and shows the true feelings between the Princess and her ladies and the King and his followers and how each of them feels towards each other. Throughout the final scene Shakespeare present love, friendship, and honesty at one point or another. Love is presented when the King and his followers tell the Princess and her ladies how they really feel about them and also by the gifts and the love poetry sent by the men. Friendship, in the final scene, is presented by Shakespeare showing what a great friendship the King has with his followers. He also shows how the Princess and her ladies are such good friends as well. In the final scene, Shakespeare presents honesty by both the King and his followers and the Princess and her ladies admitting their disguises to fool each other. The men are the first to admit their disguise because they realise the women knew who the Muscovites were all along. However, they are then told that the ladies were disguised with the masks and fooled the men by swapping each other ‘favours’. Part way through Act 5 Scene 2 Shakespeare starts making the ends of each line rhyme. These rhyming lines reflect and emphasize the words but also set a pace for the play to be read at. I feel that Act 5 Scene 2 is a good ending to the play, as it is sharp. Shakespeare presents love, friendship and honesty throughout the scene and is a good ending because it shows everyone’s true feelings and concludes the play.
William Shakespeare presents love, friendship and honesty in Loves Labours Lost. This is especially done in Act 5 Scene 2 and is done in many different ways including the responses to the gifts and the love poetry, the relationships when love and friendship are put under pressure, the comparison of love and learning and the last scene as an ending to the play. The themes Shakespeare presents through the responses to the gifts and the love poetry is mainly love and friendship. This is done by Shakespeare showing the Kings relationship and friendship with his followers and the Princesses with her ladies. The themes presented through the relationships when love and friendship are put under pressure are love, friendship and honesty. This is shown by both the Princess and her ladies and the King and his followers admitting their disguises and trying to trick each other. The comparison of love and learning in the play presents the themes of love and friendship. Shakespeare does this by showing the King and his followers boredom of studying and abiding by the strict set of rules compared to the fun they have when they are in love. The themes presented by Shakespeare through the last scene as an ending to the play are the themes of love, friendship and honesty. Love is presented throughout the scene, friendship is shown by the friendships the King has with his followers and that of the Princesses and her ladies and honesty is shown by both the men and the women admitting their disguises. I think that William Shakespeare has wrote a good and exciting play and presents the themes of love, friendship and honesty not only through Act 5 Scene 2 but throughout the whole play as well.
