Love's Labor's Dialogue Lost Part II

One of the evidences that Love's Labor's Lost was written for a specific audience is the dialogue itself. Specifically the use of wordplay. Because the play uses an extraordinary amount of banter it is unfortunately difficult to follow. C.L. Barber, author of Shakespeare's Festive Comedy: A Study of Dramatic Form and its Relation to Social Custom, had this to say on the specific and extraordinary amount of banter:

"This kind of thing does weigh down parts of the play; it is dated by catering to a contemporary rage, a failure rare in Shakespeare's works, and one that suggests that he was writing for a special audience."

The fact that there is also an exuberant amount of verse, as the men attempt to woo their potential lovers, helps to aid the idea of audience catering and the cutting of such dialogue may be beneficial to a modern audience.

Barber, C.L. Shakespeare's Festive Comedy: A Study of Dramatic Form and its Relation to Social Custom. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1959. 95-99. Print.