During act 1 of the play, these gentlemen signed the agreement, the king states: “Therefore, brave conquerors, for so you are/ that war against your own affections/ And the huge army of the world’s desires, / Our late edict shall strongly stand in force.” (1.1.8-11). These lines sound in some way familiar, how many times students have say this before going to college? Perhaps not all but many try to concentrate in their studies, however, when love comes knocking at the door they are no different than the gentlemen in the play. They will forget about the promises they made to themselves and in a way become a joke to their peers for giving into love, as Berowne reads: “If any man be seen to talk with a woman within the term of three years, he shall endure such public shame as the rest of the court can possible devise” (1.1.132-135)
Many students are willing to give up anything to become what they want to be, unfortunately it is not all of them. Perhaps many of college students can relate to Costard, clever and willing to risk being punished for his love to Jaquenetta, as he states: “I had rather pray a month with mutton and porridge.” (1.1.302-303), this also shows that when it comes to love one can become a rebel and somehow a child in this matter, that what he wants he must have and he rather be punish for wanting it.
The princess and her ladies also resemble today’s woman, witty, decisive, and they let the men do much of the courting, but they are the ones that want to be in control of the situation. The princess states: “"God bless my ladies, are they all in love, /That every one her own hath garnished/ With such bedecking ornaments of praise?" (II.i.78-80), this passage shows somehow that when it comes to love men do not have much of a choice; these “ornament of praise” are the tricks a woman may use to make a man fall in love. And like today’s women they play tricks to see what man is the most suitable, as the princess states: “The gallants shall be tasked, / For ladies. We will every one be masked” (5.2.133-134) The games that were played by the women symbolizes how even today a woman may use a trick like this, to see if a man will continue to court her. When a man ask for something, such as dance, one should deny the first try, as the princess states: “No, to the death we will not move a foot, / Nor to their penned speech render we no grace, but while ‘tis spoke each turn away her face” (5.2.153-155). By denying an invitation a woman knows that if he is really interested he will ask again.
Shakespeare somehow ended the play quite different than expected, however, he left the reader with the knowledge of courtship, what a man is capable to do for his beloved, and what a woman may do to test that love, it is not cruelty, it is just a test for both parts to see who is worthy to say they have fallen in love.
