William Shakespeare: Love's Labour's Lost

The vow: The King of Navarre, and his three friends, Berowne, Longaville and Dumaine, all swear themselves to three years of study, abstaining from all distractions, particularly of the female kind. Meanwhile, the Princess of France and her three ladies, Rosaline, Maria, and Katharine, attended by Boyet, are on an embassy to Navarre’s court. Love and letters: The ladies arrive, and the King and his lords fall in love with them. The vow is broken: The four lords enter one by one, each despairing about his love for his particular woman. They disguise themselves as Russians, but Boyet informs the ladies beforehand, and the ladies exchange identities.