# Longaville — Love’s Labour’s Lost character guide

> Longaville in Love’s Labour’s Lost by William Shakespeare.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Lord Longaville

**First appearance:** 0001-act-i

## Snapshot

A lord of Navarre who signs the ascetic oath with solemn resolve, then quietly falls for Maria and learns how quickly a scholar's vow can turn to sonnet.

## Who they are

Longaville is one of the three lords who swear to the King's three-year fast, declaring that 'the mind shall banquet, though the body pine' and that fat paunches make lean pates. He is described by Maria as a man of 'sovereign parts,' glorious in arms and arts, but with a sharp wit matched to a will too blunt to spare anyone in its path. His early resolve makes him a foil to Biron's open skepticism, and his swift surrender to love proves that the oath's strictures are no match for young blood and a marriage-feast memory.

## In the story

### [Scene I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/love_s_labour_s_lost_se/chapters/act-i-scene-i)

Agrees to the oath and proposes the penalty of losing a tongue for women who come near the court.

### [Scene I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/love_s_labour_s_lost_se/chapters/act-ii-scene-i)

Asks Boyet about Maria's identity; described as having a sharp wit.

### [Scene III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/love_s_labour_s_lost_se/chapters/act-iv-scene-iii)

Longaville is found with a poem for Maria, admits his perjury, and agrees to the group's romantic pursuit.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/love_s_labour_s_lost_se/characters/longaville
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/love_s_labour_s_lost_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/love_s_labour_s_lost_se/characters