Want to know where Love’s Labour’s Lost is set? See each setting Shakespeare used in the play on the map below.
Shakespeare set Love’s Labour’s Lost outside, in a park outside the royal court of Navarre – current day Basque-country in north-eastern Spain. It takes place in Shakespeare’s own time, and therefore provides maximum opportunity for the audience to identify with it. As usual in these outside plays, it is full of fun and love. It’s warm. The ladies who have been denied entrance to the court camp out in the park. The moon and the stars are brightly visible at night and the sky is blue by day. Men hide in trees, and it’s all romance in sunny Spain.
The map below shows all the Spanish locations Shakespeare used for Love’s Labour’s Lost. You can zoom in on the map for a more detailed view of an area, and click the icons on the map for more information. Text in the more info box are the specific locations Shakespeare references in his Love’s Labour’s Lost text.
Planning on following in Shakespeare’s footsteps with a trip to Spain?
We’ve pulled together some of the very best resources about Basque country – and Spain more broadly – from travel writers and bloggers, to help you get the most out of your trip:
13 stunning places to visit in Northern Spain, as curated by My Path In The World.
A travel guide to the north coast of Spain, written by Road Is Calling.
Unstoppable Stacey Travels discusses San Sebastian in Basque country, the city with the most Michelin stars per meter in all of Europe.
How to spend 48 hours in San Sebastian, shared by Children of Wanderlust.
We Solo Travel discuss the Northern Spain travel battle – San Sebastian or Bilbao?
Everything you need to know before travelling to Spain, from Traveling Lifestyle.
Read The Travelling Chilli’s 33 unique facts about Spain.
The Travel Blogs share their best day trips from Madrid – including to Alcala de Henares, the birthplace of ‘the Spanish Shakespeare’, Cervantes.
Explore the best of Southern Spain, with guides from Visit Southern Spain.
Take a break from the mainland and enjoy Spain’s Canary Islands, with this guide from Kali Travel.
Discover some wonderful traditional Spanish recipes, courtesy of Spanish Food Guide.
If you plan to spend enough time in Spain to see everything of interest, Nomadic Fire has a good round up of requirements for a long term Spanish visa.
Know of any other useful Navarre resources? Let us know in the comments below!
Kingdom of Navarre
The play is set in Navarre Southern France. Probably Pau, the birthplace of Henry of Navarre who was king of France at the time Shakespeare wrote the play. Spanish Navarre was incorporated into Catille 80 years earlier.