Summary & Analysis

Love's Labour's Lost, Act 1 Scene 2 — Summary & Analysis

Setting: The same Who's in it: Adriano de armado, Moth, Armado, Dull, Jaquenetta, Costard Reading time: ~9 min

What happens

Don Adriano de Armado, a vain Spanish braggart, confesses to his witty page Moth that he is in love with Jaquenetta, a country dairymaid. Moth deflates Armado's romantic posturing with clever wordplay, while Armado swears he will become a poet and write sonnets. When Dull arrives with Jaquenetta and Costard, Armado attempts courtship, but his elaborate language fails to impress the unimpressed girl. He frees Costard from prison and gives him a letter to deliver to Jaquenetta.

Why it matters

This scene establishes Armado as the play's chief comic figure—a man whose inflated language and grandiose self-regard are constantly undercut by reality. Moth, though his page and theoretically his inferior, controls every conversation through sharp wit and simple truths. When Armado asks what great men have loved, Moth lists Hercules and Samson; when Armado boasts of his rapier skill, Moth deflates him with elementary math. The verbal sparring reveals that Armado's 'love' is entirely constructed from literary convention and self-delusion. His flowery language about being 'in love with a base wench' and his need to compose sonnets show a man in love with the idea of loving, not with Jaquenetta herself.

Jaquenetta's presence deepens the irony. She responds to Armado's elaborate courtship with bewilderment and practical indifference—she doesn't even listen to his promises. Costard's presence adds another layer: his simple 'I will fast, being loose' and his confusion over rewards show that even the common people in this world operate more honestly than the nobility. The scene's humor lies in the gap between Armado's self-image as a magnificent lover and his actual powerlessness. He must rely on servants and chance meetings; he cannot even hold a woman's attention through sheer force of eloquence. By freeing Costard and hiring him as a messenger, Armado essentially admits he needs help—a crack in his magnificent facade that Moth's earlier mockery has already exposed.

Key quotes from this scene

I do affect the very ground, which is base, where her shoe, which is baser, guided by her foot, which is basest, doth tread. I shall be forsworn, which is a great argument of falsehood, if I love. And how can that be true love which is falsely attempted? Love is a familiar; Love is a devil: there is no evil angel but Love. Yet was Samson so tempted, and he had an excellent strength; yet was Solomon so seduced, and he had a very good wit. Cupid’s butt-shaft is too hard for Hercules’ club; and therefore too much odds for a Spaniard’s rapier. The first and second cause will not serve my turn; the passado he respects not, the duello he regards not: his disgrace is to be called boy; but his glory is to subdue men. Adieu, valour! rust rapier! be still, drum! for your manager is in love; yea, he loveth. Assist me, some extemporal god of rhyme, for I am sure I shall turn sonnet. Devise, wit; write, pen; for I am for whole volumes in folio.

I am in love with the very ground, which is low, where her shoe, which is even lower, guided by her foot, which is the lowest, treads. I will be lying, which is a clear sign of falsehood, if I love. And how can that be true love which is faked? Love is a habit; Love is a devil: there is no bad angel but Love. Yet Samson was tempted that way, and he had amazing strength; yet Solomon was misled the same, and he had very good sense. Cupid’s arrow is too strong for Hercules’ club; and that makes it too much of a challenge for a Spaniard’s sword. The first and second reasons won’t work for me; the thrust he doesn’t care about, the duel he doesn’t care about: his shame is being called a boy; but his glory is in defeating men. Goodbye, courage! Rust, sword! Be quiet, drum! because your leader is in love; yes, he loves. Help me, some impromptu god of poetry, because I know I’ll start writing a sonnet. Come up with ideas, wit; write, pen; because I’m ready to write whole books.

Don Adriano de Armado · Act 1, Scene 2

Armado stands alone, wrestling with his sudden love for Jaquenetta and the contradiction between his military pride and his newfound devotion. This speech lands because it captures the moment a man realizes he has become ridiculous—and decides to commit to the ridiculousness anyway, calling for sonnets and volumes of verse. It shows how love, in this play, unmakes identity and forces even the proudest men to surrender their armor.

You are a gentleman and a gamester, sir. DON

You’re a gentleman and a gambler, sir. DON

Moth · Act 1, Scene 2

Moth, asked by Armado how he knows so much, flatters him by calling him a gentleman and a gambler—attributes of a complete man. The line works because it is Moth teaching Armado how to seduce through words, showing the page's own mastery of courtship language. It reveals that flattery, in this play, is both the tool of love and the lie at its heart.

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