Love’s Labour’s Lost · Character

Costard

A rustic swain hauled before the King for dallying with Jaquenetta, then conscripted as the unwitting courier of the lords' secret letters.

supporting

Also known as Costard the swain, goodman Costard

First appearance: act i

As a supporting figure in Love’s Labour’s Lost, Costard is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Brought in under arrest for being with Jaquenetta; he humorously confesses and quibbles over the proclamation.

In the storyScene IOpen this moment free

See Costard in Scene I Book page

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Costard is the play's clown, a laborer whose confessed affair with the wench Jaquenetta lands him in the King's custody just as the court swears to three years of austere study. His plain speech and cheerful guilt expose the gap between the lords' lofty vows and ordinary appetite, and his role as letter-carrier lets him tangle the threads of Armado's and Biron's rival affections. He matters because his body and his blunders keep puncturing the court's pretensions to purity.

Continue beside the text

The fuller portrait of Costard sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.

See Costard in act i

Character Web

24 connections

A slice of how Costard sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Social
Professional
Other

Character groups

Main lovers and performers
Protagonist

+19 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This scene is the dramatic climax because it marks the emotional peak where Biron, the play’s most vocal oppon…

Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.

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Relationships

Holofernes
social · ambivalent
Costard, the clown, and Holofernes, the pedant, interact as comic foils in the play's… How this plays out →
Biron
social · ambivalent
King of Navarre
professional · ambivalent
King of Navarre
professional · ambivalent
Biron
social · ambivalent
King of Navarre
professional · ambivalent

Holofernes
Costard, the clown, and Holofernes, the pedant, interact as comic foils in the play's subplot.
Biron
Biron and Costard share a comedic dynamic as lord and clown, often involved in mistaken deliveries and wordplay.
King of Navarre
Costard is a subject of the King, often delivering messages and getting into trouble with the court's laws.
King of Navarre
Costard is a subject of the King, often delivering messages and getting into trouble with the court's laws.
Biron
Biron and Costard share a comedic dynamic as lord and clown, often involved in mistaken deliveries and wordplay.
King of Navarre
Costard is a subject of the King, often delivering messages and getting into trouble with the court's laws.

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Costard in act i

In the story

Costard appears across 7 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Scene I
Brought in under arrest for being with Jaquenetta; he humorously confesses and quibbles over the proclamation.
Scene II
Brought in by Dull, sentenced to fast three days a week, and taken to prison by Moth.
Scene I
Costard is freed by Armado and given a letter for Jaquenetta; he later accepts a shilling from Biron to deliver a letter to Rosaline.
Scene I
Delivers the misdirected letter from Biron to the Princess, mistaking her for Rosaline.
Scene II
Accompanies Jaquenetta and delivers the letter.
Scene III
Costard delivers Jaquenetta's letter to the king, revealing Biron's poem, and is dismissed with Jaquenetta.
Scene I
Exchanges jests with Moth and mentions the remuneration from Armado.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Costard unlock in the free preview.

See Costard in act i

See Costard in Scene I