only of love and spoke of their passion in elaborate (and sometimes
awful) verse. Love at first sight was commonplace. The characters
suffered the pangs of unrequited love. In the forest settings of
these stories, you might encounter a lion, a magician, or a band of
thieves. Elizabethans would have recognized the poetic rustics
Silvius and Phebe from As You Like It as stock characters out of
such a pastoral romance. They would have enjoyed seeing Rosalind
save Orlando from becoming just another lovesick young man like
Silvius.

Many noble Elizabethan households kept professional fools such as
Touchstone for entertainment. His role was actually written for
Robert Armin, who had been a professional fool before joining
Shakespeare's acting company. Jesters occupied a special place in
Elizabethan society. They could mix with both kings and servants. As
long as they pleased their masters, they could say almost anything
they wished. Often, Shakespeare's fools tell the truth when nobody
else will. As you will see, Touchstone exposes pretension and
foolishness wherever he finds them.

The romance and humor of As You Like It are played out against a
backdrop of danger and political intrigue. Rosalind and Orlando both
flee the city under threat of death. Much is made of the "envious
court," where nobody can be trusted and where flatterers are always
seeking to add to their own power. This darker side of life was also
a part of Shakespeare's England. When Elizabeth became queen in 1558,
she inherited both religious tensions and grave financial
difficulties. Fortunately, she was a shrewd politician and
skillfully played her noblemen against each other, so that no
individual could gain enough power to threaten her.

A very real threat to Elizabeth was posed by Mary, Queen of Scots.
Until Mary's execution in 1587, Elizabeth lived with the fear that
the Roman Catholics might rally around Mary and mount a rebellion.
In this play, Duke Frederick fears that Rosalind's graces will
remind the people of her father and cause them to revolt.

So As You Like It does mirror the concerns of Shakespeare's audience.
But what about the author, what of Shakespeare the man? Very little
is actually known about him. Neither he nor anybody else of his era
ever recorded the story of his life. A few facts are known. He was
born in Stratford, a small English country town on the Avon River,
and baptized on April 26, 1564. Since infants were generally
baptized at three days, his birth date may have been April 23. His
father was John Shakespeare, a prosperous Stratford businessman and
town council member. William's mother, Mary, was the daughter of a
well-to-do landowner. William was the eldest of their six children.
Shakespeare almost certainly attended the local grammar school.
There, his studies would have included Latin, rhetoric (grammar,
composition), and literature.

In November 1582 he married Anne Hathaway, eight years his senior.
Anne's age, combined with the fact that their first child was born
only six months after the wedding, has led some scholars to believe
that the marriage was one of necessity. That may not be the case,
however, because at that time it was socially acceptable for an
engaged couple to sleep together. William and Anne had two girls,
Susanna and Judith, and one son, Hamnet, who died young.

Nobody knows what work Shakespeare did while in Stratford. He may
have been a schoolteacher or a private tutor in a wealthy household.
Like Orlando in As You Like It, he had to leave his birthplace to
find his future. Unlike Orlando, who fled to the country, William
headed for the big city, London. (Legend has it that he had to leave
Stratford after being caught hunting illegally on a large estate,
but no records exist to verify that story.) In London he became
first an actor and later a playwright. Along with success, he found
envy. The first mention of Shakespeare in London is in a pamphlet by
a rival playwright, Robert Greene. In "A Groatsworth of Wit" (groat:
an old English coin worth four pennies), Greene warned fellow
university-educated playwrights of an upstart actor (Shakespeare)
who had the gall to write plays. Nevertheless, Shakespeare became
the most successful playwright of his day. He was an actor (of small
parts), a playwright, and a partner in the Lord Chamberlain's Men, a
theater company favored by Queen Elizabeth. Her successor, James I,
elevated the company to the rank of King's Men in 1603.

Although plays were a popular form of entertainment, they weren't
highly regarded as literature. To secure his artistic reputation,
Shakespeare wrote poems. Between 1592 and 1601, he penned three long
narrative poems--Venus and Adonis, The Rape of Lucrece, and The
Phoenix and the Turtle--as well as a famous series of sonnets.

As You Like It premiered in 1599 or 1600, about the same time that
Shakespeare's company moved into the Globe Theatre, across the
Thames River from the city of London. Shakespeare's reputation had
been firmly established by nineteen previous plays. Among the
eighteen to follow would be his four great tragedies--Hamlet,
Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth. By 1612, Shakespeare had returned
to live in Stratford, where he owned a fine house called New Place.
He died there, presumably on his birthday, April 23, 1616.

As You Like It was rarely performed in the first century after
Shakespeare's death. In 1723 an enterprising London producer
combined the play with Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing and A
Midsummer Night's Dream to create a collage called Love in a Forest.
But by the nineteenth century, As You Like It had become one of
Shakespeare's most frequently performed works. The Romantic spirit
of that time probably helped the play to find new favor with
audiences. In addition, many leading ladies wanted to play the
showcase role of Rosalind. As You Like It is still popular today.
Audiences enjoy its blend of humor and romance, and fall in love
with Rosalind just as Orlando does.


AS YOU LIKE IT: THE PLOT

Orlando, the youngest son of Sir Rowland de Boys, is fed up. Since
his father's death, his oldest brother, Oliver, has refused to give
Orlando either the proper education or the money that Sir Rowland
intended for him. Oliver hates Orlando. When he learns that Orlando
intends to try his skill against a professional wrestler named
Charles, Oliver incites Charles to kill Orlando in their match.

The country is ruled by Duke Frederick, who seized the throne from
his own older brother by force. The wronged brother, Duke Senior,
has been exiled to the Forest of Arden with many of his lords. His
daughter, Rosalind, however, has remained at court. She and Duke
Frederick's daughter, Celia, love each other like sisters.

Observing Orlando and Charles preparing for their match, Rosalind
and Celia fear that the wrestler will hurt Orlando. Much to
everybody's surprise, Orlando defeats Charles. But when Duke
Frederick finds out that Orlando is the son of Sir Rowland, who was
once his enemy, he coldly dismisses the young man and leaves. The
ladies offer Orlando a word of congratulation, and as they do so, it
is clear that Rosalind and Orlando have already fallen in love.

Duke Frederick accuses Rosalind of stealing the people's affection
away from his own daughter. As a punishment, she must leave the city
or be put to death. Celia, who cares more for Rosalind than for her
wicked father, resolves to run away with her cousin to the Forest of
Arden. For safety's sake, Celia disguises herself as a peasant girl,
named Aliena, while Rosalind dons a boy's outfit and assumes the
name Ganymede. They convince Duke Frederick's court fool (clown),
Touchstone, to go with them.

When Duke Frederick discovers that Celia and Rosalind are missing,
he assumes they are with Orlando and angrily commands Oliver to find
them and bring his daughter back. Meanwhile, warned by his father's
old servant Adam that Oliver intends to murder him, Orlando has fled
with Adam to the Forest of Arden.

After a long, hard journey, the ladies and Touchstone arrive in the
forest. Rosalind arranges with Corin, an old shepherd, to buy a
cottage for them and a flock of sheep.

Orlando and Adam finally reach Arden. Tired and starving, they find
a haven in the camp of Duke Senior (Rosalind's father) and his lords.

Orlando now turns his thoughts to love. He writes passionate but
amateurish poems to his beloved Rosalind and hangs them on the trees.
He doesn't know, of course, that she is in the forest. She discovers
the poems and is thrilled that Orlando is near.

Disguised as Ganymede, Rosalind finds Orlando in the forest and
strikes up a conversation with him. He never suspects her true
identity. Adopting a cynical attitude toward women, Rosalind tells
Orlando that his lovesick behavior is foolish. She offers to cure
him of love by playing a game with him. She will pretend to be his
Rosalind. If he will woo her, she will demonstrate how impossible
women are. Although he doesn't want to be cured, Orlando agrees to
play along. They plan to meet the next day to begin the "love cure."

While waiting for Orlando to keep their appointment, Rosalind
observes a young shepherd named Silvius wooing Phebe, a shepherdess.
Phebe scorns Silvius, who swears that her rejection will kill him.
Rosalind soon has heard enough. She steps in and berates Phebe for
her cruelty. Thinking that Rosalind is a man, Phebe immediately
falls in love with her! Rosalind, of course, rejects Phebe and
quickly leaves.

Orlando finally arrives for his first dose of love cure. After
Ganymede demonstrates how difficult women can be, Orlando leaves,
promising to return shortly.

Silvius shows up with a letter from Phebe to Ganymede. He assumes
that it's an angry message. But when Rosalind reads it aloud, he's
dismayed to learn he's brought a love letter. Rosalind sends the
crushed lover back to Phebe.

Then Oliver, Orlando's brother enters, bearing a message for the
"youth" Rosalind. It seems that Orlando has just saved Oliver's life
by fighting and killing a fierce lioness that was ready to attack.
As a result, Oliver has seen and renounced the evil of his ways.

Celia and Oliver fall in love at first sight. Their joy only
increases Orlando's sadness at being separated from Rosalind.
Ganymede offers to make Rosalind appear the next day by magic.

The following day, all the lovers gather at Duke Senior's camp.
Touchstone arrives with Audrey, a country wench he's decided to
marry. Rosalind reveals her true identity, paving the way for a
joyful conclusion to the story. Rosalind will marry Orlando; Oliver
and Celia will wed; Phebe, seeing that Ganymede is a woman, decides
she loves Silvius after all; and Touchstone and Audrey will marry.

Before the celebrating can begin, a message arrives that Duke
Frederick, who set out into the forest with the intention of killing
Duke Senior, has met an old religious man along the way and been
converted. Duke Senior's lands and position are therefore restored
to him. After music and dancing, Rosalind asks the lovers in the
audience to bid her farewell with their applause.



AS YOU LIKE IT: ROSALIND

Rosalind's function in the plot of As You Like It is vital. Once
circumstances have driven all the major characters to the Forest of
Arden, Rosalind either causes or contributes to all the major
conflicts. It is she who resolves them all in the end.

She's a complex and deeply human character. In Act I, you are first
struck by her wit as she and Celia joke about such subjects as love
and luck. At the same time, Shakespeare reminds you that Rosalind is
an outsider, even in the court where she has grown up. Her father,
the rightful duke, has been exiled. Although Rosalind misses him
terribly, she will laugh and joke for her friend Celia's sake.

Rosalind has the ability to rise above her own deeply felt emotions.
Her love for Orlando makes her feel as giddy as any lovesick
adolescent. (Look at her excitement when she learns that Orlando is
in the forest.) She could easily surrender to the temptation to run
around reciting poetry and swearing to die for love. Instead, she
administers a love cure to Orlando that makes both of them stand
back and take a good look at how ridiculous many conventional
attitudes toward love really are. Thus, she avoids confusing the
"idea of love" with love itself.

She is also remarkably clever. She makes up the love cure on the
spot and quickly invents an uncle and a magician to justify the
stories she tells. And she's practical enough to be sure that she
and Celia acquire a place to live as soon as they reach Arden.

Rosalind is a good judge of character. She appreciates the skill of
Touchstone, the court fool, and immediately sees through the
pretensions of Jaques, Duke Senior's melancholy attendant. She has
only to observe Silvius and Phebe for a few moments in order to size
up their situation accurately.

Finally, you should take note of her courage. She boldly tells the
usurping duke that her father was no traitor. It also takes spunk to
go on a dangerous journey disguised as a man because highwaymen
would probably attack the man first.


AS YOU LIKE IT: ORLANDO

Readers' opinions about Orlando tend to fall into two camps. Some
view him as the embodiment of all the virtues a Renaissance
gentleman should possess. Others consider him dull and even stupid.

Even his brother Oliver, who hates him, admits that Orlando is well
thought of in the community. He's considered gentle and naturally
noble. Although he's physically strong (as his defeat of Charles the
wrestler proves), he will not harm his brother. He should respect
his older brother, and he does. Later, even after Oliver has plotted
to kill him, Orlando only hesitates a moment before risking his life
to save Oliver's. When Orlando and his faithful old servant Adam are
starving, Orlando will not eat a bite until he has seen to the old
man's needs. Such courtesy must be a product of his nature, because
he's been denied a gentleman's education.

So, Orlando is strong, gentle, and noble. Is he witty and
intelligent, too? He does outsmart Jaques in a contest of words. But
nobody would read his love poems and find much to praise in them. As
a lover, he tends to be a bit sappy. Without Rosalind's help, he
could be another Silvius. Does that make him a fool? Rosalind must
see hope for him. Under her guidance, he does improve.

Do you see Orlando's weaknesses as indications that he's noble but
not very intelligent? Or do you regard them as the kinds of
imperfections that make him more human?


AS YOU LIKE IT: CELIA

In Act I, Celia has just as much to do and say as Rosalind. She
fades into the background, however, as the play goes on. Although
she remains undeveloped, many readers find her a charming character.
She and Rosalind share a deep, loving friendship, and her importance
is a function of that relationship.

First, she serves as a confidant, a person with whom Rosalind can
talk openly about her feelings. While Rosalind hides her true
emotions in her scenes with Orlando, she is absolutely honest with
Celia.

What raises Celia from dramatic device (someone serving merely to
help the play along) to a character who is interesting in her own
right is her wit. From their first appearance, Celia matches
Rosalind in her ease with words. Since Celia doesn't fall in love
until nearly the end of the play, she also retains her cool judgment.
Thus, when Rosalind expresses her own romantic feelings, Celia is
there to undercut them with pointed jests.


AS YOU LIKE IT: JAQUES

Jaques (pronounced "Jake-ways" or "Jake-weez") has been the focus of
much debate. Is he a caricature of the many self-styled social
critics Shakespeare saw around him? Or is he a genuine critic of
society who voices Shakespeare's own cynical view of life? Many
readers see Jaques as a "railer," a professional griper who adopts a
melancholy pose. Is he profound or foolish? That you can even ask
such questions is a tribute to Shakespeare's genius in portraying
his major characters. You can take different views of them, just as
you can of real people.

Duke Senior and his followers treat Jaques with a certain amount of
respect, but they clearly derive more amusement than instruction
from his pronouncements. Touchstone patronizes Jaques, although
Jaques doesn't realize it. Orlando plainly tells Jaques that he
hates his company. Rosalind accuses him of being a traveler who
pretends not to like his own country only to get attention.

Are these assessments correct? Readers who see Jaques as
Shakespeare's spokesman point to his speech about the Seven Ages of
Man. If Shakespeare wanted to satirize Jaques's cynical views, would
he have Jaques express his sentiments so beautifully? On the other
hand, does the play as a whole support such a viewpoint? Would
Shakespeare have picked Jaques as his spokesman? You must make up
your mind based on your interpretation of the text.

Jaques is what Elizabethans called a "humor" character. To the
Elizabethans, humor meant temperament. A humor character is based on
an exaggerated personality trait. Elizabethans believed that a
person's temperament (mood or personality) was regulated by the
balance of four bodily fluids: blood, phlegm, choler, and melancholy.
According to this theory, if the balance of your bodily fluids
changed, your mood would alter. If a person was constantly sad and
gloomy, like Jaques, Elizabethans believed he had too much
melancholy (also called "black bile") in his system. That's why
there are references to "the melancholy Jaques."


AS YOU LIKE IT: TOUCHSTONE

Many noble households in Shakespeare's time kept "licensed fools."
These fools were essentially entertainers. They wore "motley," a
patchwork coat of various colors. Touchstone, the fool of Duke
Frederick's household, becomes Rosalind and Celia's traveling
companion when they escape to the Forest of Arden. Like Feste in
Shakespeare's Twelfth Night or the Fool in King Lear, Touchstone is
a "wise" fool. Under the guise of spouting amusing nonsense, he
reveals the truth about the people he meets.

Touchstone's name describes his function. A touchstone was used to
test the purity of precious metals--that is, to determine the
genuineness or quality of a thing. This fool unmasks pretension and
foolishness wherever he sees it. His primary technique is mimicry.
For example, the first time he hears Silvius carrying on about Phebe,
Touchstone does a funny imitation of the lovesick shepherd. He
accomplishes two things: He makes the audience laugh, and he points
out the absurdity of Silvius's behavior.

He uses the same approach on the melancholy Jaques, who finds sad
morals everywhere. Touchstone mimics him by delivering a gloomy but
meaningless sermon about the consequences of time passing, making
Jaques believe he's found a kindred spirit. Touchstone reveals that
Jaques's pronouncements may not be as profound as Jaques would like
people to believe.

Touchstone doesn't always mimic the person he's talking to. With
Corin and William, he imitates a learned man from the city. His
manners and his "learned examples" are all nonsense, but the
shepherds are fooled. Shakespeare uses Touchstone to clarify one of
the satiric points of As You Like It--that real shepherds are not
"poetical," like their counterparts in pastoral romances.

Touchstone's courtship of Audrey parodies the pure, spiritual love
that Silvius talks about by demonstrating the opposite extreme.
Silvius sees love as something poetic and marriage as the
fulfillment of a great spiritual longing. Touchstone regards
marriage as a way to fulfill one's sexual urges. He purposely
chooses an ugly woman and clearly states his intention to leave her
once he tires of her.

As you read each of Touchstone's scenes, ask yourself, Whom is the
fool mimicking? What point is he making?


AS YOU LIKE IT: OLIVER

Orlando's brother Oliver starts the play as a villain. When you
first meet him, he is arrogant and cruel. He has stolen Orlando's
inheritance by refusing to give him a gentleman's education or the
money that their late father intended for Orlando. When Orlando wins
acclaim by defeating Charles the wrestler, the jealous Oliver plots
to murder his brother.

Several times in Act I, Oliver is called "unnatural." That means he
respects neither his dead father's wishes nor the laws of God,
according to both of which he should love and care for his brother.
His ill treatment of the faithful old servant, Adam, demonstrates
his contempt for all the Old World virtues.

Some readers believe that Oliver is motivated by envy. He says in a
soliloquy (monologue) that people love Orlando and, as a consequence,
ignore Oliver. Thus, he's an example of what Duke Senior calls the
"envious court." Other readers hold that Oliver's psychological
motivations are beside the point. He is not a study of a good man
ruined by envy. He's evil because Shakespeare needed him to be. (The
same is often said of a much more fully developed villain--Iago in
Othello.)

When you see Oliver at the end of Act IV, he has undergone a
complete and miraculous conversion. His forsaking of evil serves two
purposes: It parodies the types of sudden conversions found in
pastoral romances, and it allows Celia to fall in love with him,
thus providing another couple for the climactic wedding scene.


AS YOU LIKE IT: SILVIUS AND PHEBE

These two rustics, or country folk, are the typical shepherds and
shepherdesses of pastoral romances. Though uneducated, Silvius and
Phebe speak in verse. Their sheep must be wandering loose somewhere,
because their only concern is love.

The roles they play are determined by convention. Phebe proudly
scorns Silvius, who constantly pursues her, swearing eternal love.
He seems actually to believe that her frowns can kill him, and he's
always ready to die for love. When Phebe falls in love with Ganymede,
she expresses the same sentiments.

Can a modern audience appreciate these characters? Of course. Most
people who have ever been in love can identify with Silvius (and
later with Phebe). Can you? If you regard them as people (rather
than as literary parodies), they become embodiments of all the
ridiculous extremes to which love can drive almost anybody.


AS YOU LIKE IT: CORIN, WILLIAM, AND AUDREY

These three rustics are very different from Silvius and Phebe.
Instead of speaking in elaborate verse, Corin, William, and Audrey
express themselves simply and have very limited vocabularies.

Corin befriends Rosalind, Celia, and Touchstone when they first
arrive in the forest. He arranges for Rosalind and Celia to purchase
a cottage, some land, and a flock of sheep. Since he knows a lot
about tending sheep, Rosalind and Celia hire him to look after their
flock. Corin is a good, simple man. Touchstone's nonsense philosophy
confuses him, but the fool cannot make Corin doubt his own values.

Audrey is as earthy as Phebe is "poetical." Before Touchstone can
woo her, he has to promise to look after her goats. She understands
very little of what he says and believes that he's a courtier (a
member of the royal court). If Touchstone tells the truth, she is
extremely unattractive. A great deal of humor is derived from her
coarseness and lack of sophistication. At one point, for example,
Touchstone has to tell her to "bear [her] body more seeming
[properly]" (Act V, scene iv, lines 72-73). After a distinctly
unromantic courtship, she marries Touchstone.

William is a country bumpkin who may have once been engaged to
Audrey. When he comes to discuss the matter with Touchstone, the
fool confuses him utterly and sends him on his way. Many readers
consider William's one scene a classic example of Shakespeare's
skill in comedic writing.


AS YOU LIKE IT: DUKE FREDERICK AND DUKE SENIOR

Duke Frederick is a usurper (someone who seizes power illegally). He
has taken the throne from his older brother, Duke Senior, and
banished him to the forest. Elizabethans believed that rulers were
placed on their thrones by God. Therefore, a usurper offended God as
well as man. Frederick lives in constant fear of being overthrown
himself. (In that way he's similar to another usurper in Shakespeare,
Macbeth. Unlike Macbeth, however, Frederick has not committed murder.
) As a consequence, he is capable of swift mood changes and acts of
terrible cruelty. He banishes Rosalind, because he fears that she is
stealing the people's affection away from his own daughter, Celia.
He probably also fears that, as the daughter of the rightful ruler,Rosalind might inspire the people to revolt. All he cares about is
preserving his own power.

Duke Senior, on the other hand, is gentle, generous, and
philosophical. He treats the lords who have joined him in exile like
equals, although they still show him the respect due his position.
He gladly welcomes Orlando and Adam into their group. He tries to
find good in everything, even their banishment. Although living in
the forest is difficult, he claims to prefer that life to the lies,
flattery, and deception he had to deal with in the city.

Some readers question whether he really enjoys the forest as much as
he says he does. They point out how willingly he returns to the city
at the end of the play. Is he trying to convince himself that he
likes the forest? Or is he pretending to be cheerful for his
companions' sake?


AS YOU LIKE IT: ADAM

Orlando's faithful old servant, Adam, represents the virtues of the
Old World. He clearly loved his master, Sir Rowland, and is now just
as devoted to Sir Rowland's son Orlando. He even goes so far as to
give Orlando all the money he has saved. Orlando proves his nobility
by treating Adam with love and respect. The wicked Oliver, on the
other hand, mistreats Adam, thus proving his villainy.


AS YOU LIKE IT: AMIENS

The Lord of Amiens is one of Duke Senior's men. He engages in
conversation with Jaques but, unlike the duke, does not dispute with
him. Amiens's main function is to sing songs about the forest life.


AS YOU LIKE IT: LE BEAU

Le Beau, a courtier, is one of Duke Frederick's followers. He is a
dandy, one who always dresses in the latest fashion, no matter how
ridiculous it, or he, may look. Rosalind, Celia, and Touchstone band
together to make fun of his posing. He is not merely a figure of fun,
however. After the wrestling match, he risks his own safety to warn
Orlando that the duke may harm him.


AS YOU LIKE IT: SIR OLIVER MARTEXT

Sir Oliver is a priest, who shows up to marry Touchstone and Audrey.
His name provides a clue to his character--he will mar (ruin) histext (the wedding ceremony). By hiring this inept priest, Touchstone
underscores his attitude toward marriage--that it is like the mating
of animals.



AS YOU LIKE IT: SETTING

The first act of As You Like It takes place in the city. Here, a man-
made order has been imposed. Oliver owns his house. The duke lives
in the palace and rules the land. The wildness of nature has been
tamed. Trees grow in an orchard; grass is neatly trimmed into a lawn.
The same rigid order is found in the city's social structure. People
know exactly whom they have to please in order to get ahead.
Flattery and outright deception are commonplace.

Almost all the action in Acts II to V occurs in the Forest of Arden.
There, no such man-made order exists. Except for the modest cottage
purchased by Rosalind and Celia, ownership is never an issue. One
scene is distinguished from another simply by its taking place in
"another part of the forest." Duke Senior never gives commands. His
lords treat him like a respected older gentleman.

There are similarities between this forest and the woodland settings
of pastoral romances. It's a rather magical place. In no real forest
does the animal population include both sheep and lions. An old,
religious hermit lives there, and so, it seems, does Hymen, the god
of marriage. Yet, there are realistic elements. The shepherd Corin
has a hard life, and the duke and his men must contend with cruel
winter winds.


AS YOU LIKE IT: THEMES

Here are some major themes of As You Like It. Some appear to
contradict each other (like the first two). As you study the play,
you should decide which ones you consider valid.

1. THE PASTORAL LIFE

In Elizabethan pastoral romances (love stories set in the country),
rustic life was idealized as simpler, happier, and healthier than
city life. Some readers believe this play expresses the same
attitude. In the city, Rosalind's and Orlando's virtues arouse so
much envy that both must flee to avoid being murdered. In the
country, these two noble characters prosper. Virtuous Duke Senior
seems to be happier in exile than he was at court. Country folk like
Corin and Audrey are simple, hardworking people. Silvius and Phebe
may seem silly, but they are harmless and rather charming. Finally,
both villains (Oliver and Duke Frederick) renounce evil as soon as
they arrive in the forest.

2. A SATIRE OF THE PASTORAL LIFE

Some readers believe that As You Like It exposes the absurdity of
the so-called pastoral ideal. Duke Senior speaks about Arden as if
it were the Garden of Eden, but he returns to the city the first
chance he gets. Silvius and Phebe aren't even real shepherds. They
exist only to demonstrate the absurd way rustics are portrayed in
pastoral fiction. Real shepherds, such as Corin and William, are dim-
witted clowns. Arden isn't Eden--it's a place where the winter winds
will freeze you, if the wild beasts don't kill you first.

3. VARIETIES OF LOVE

As You Like It is a love story. The word "love" has many meanings.
Through its various characters and their relationships, the play
comments on several varieties of love.

a. Romantic Love

The essence of romantic love, as portrayed in literature, is that
love must remain unfulfilled. The lovers are separated by distance,
circumstance, or some unkind act of fate. Therefore, they quietly
pine away for each other. This romantic ideal became popular in
medieval times. By Shakespeare's time, the conventions of romantic
love had been refined into a formula by the writers of romantic
prose and poetry. Silvius and Phebe act out those conventions.
Rosalind and Orlando flirt with the formula but ultimately rise
above it.

b. Sexual Love

In sexual love, fulfillment is the only consideration. As Touchstone
explains, people have needs. Marriage is an efficient, socially
acceptable means to satisfy those physical needs. The love object
need not be beautiful, noble, or inspirational--only available and
willing.

c. Balanced Love

Rosalind and Orlando occupy a middle ground between the romantic and
the purely sexual. They both feel the joy and excitement of romance,
as they do inspire each other. But they want their love to lead to
fulfillment. Rosalind has only just met Orlando when she tells Celia
that she wants him to be the father of her children. Is their love
the most complete love found in this play? What evidence can you
offer to support your opinion?

d. Love as Friendship

Rosalind and Celia enjoy an ideal friendship. They feel each other's
pain and enjoy each other's good qualities. There is no envy between
them. Such friendships were frequently portrayed in Renaissance
fiction, but the relationship was generally between two men.

4. FORTUNE AND NATURE

The play can be viewed as a study of the difference between what
people deserve and what they get. "Nature," according to the
Elizabethans, referred to the qualities a person is born with.
"Fortune" was thought of as a force that determined a person's
worldly position. By Nature, Orlando is honest, virtuous, and noble.
Fortune, however, has deprived him of his birthright. His brother
Oliver is petty and jealous, but Fortune has given him wealth and
power. All the noble characters suffer in this play. In the end, the
imbalance is corrected.

5. NATURAL VS. ARTIFICIAL

Affectations (pretensions) have always been good targets for satire.
In As You Like It, Shakespeare exposes several forms of artificial
behavior. The affectations of courtiers are parodied by Touchstone.
Corin, William, and Audrey provide realistic examples of country
folk in contrast to the artificial characters portrayed by Silvius
and Phebe. Rosalind systematically explains how the conventions of
romantic love do not agree with the realities of life. While
ridiculing pretense, Shakespeare celebrates genuine nobility and
real love.

6. ROLE PLAYING

"All the world's a stage," says Jaques, "and all the men and women
merely players" (Act II, scene vii, lines 149-150). Every person
plays a variety of roles in real life-parent, child, friend, lover,
enemy, and so on. Some of the characters in this play engage in
playacting as well. Some of the role playing produces positive
results. Rosalind's disguise as a man enables her to teach Orlando a
valuable lesson. Celia's disguise allows her to escape from the
court of her wicked father. Touchstone amuses and instructs by
assuming various roles at will. Other roles cause problems. Silvius
and Phebe act out the limited conventions of romantic love; without
Rosalind's help, their relationship would remain static. Some
readers consider Jaques a consummate role player. They hold that his
criticisms come not from true feeling but from a desire for
attention.

7. ORDER VS. DISORDER

Elizabethans believed that God established the order and rank of
people and things. Whoever disturbed that order committed a sin.
Duke Frederick upset God's plan when he stole his older brother's
throne. Oliver committed a wrong by refusing to respect his late
father's wishes. These sins cause suffering. The noble characters
must endure hardship, and the villains can't enjoy the power and
wealth they've stolen. By the end of the play, the natural order is
restored. Both villains are converted, and God's will once again
prevails.


AS YOU LIKE IT: STYLE

You can learn a lot about the characters in As You Like It by
examining the way they speak. For example, if you look at Orlando's
use of language in Act I, you will notice that his statements are
bold and direct but always respectful. That suggests that he's a
noble young man, forced to stand up for his rights. Oliver, in
contrast, is snide and deceitful. The tyrant Duke Frederick often
gives commands. His speeches contain neither wit nor poetry.
Rosalind and Celia have a natural optimism and enthusiasm for life
that no hardship can subdue. Their speech accordingly bubbles with
wit and good humor.

In the forest, when Orlando's thoughts turn to love, his mode of
expression changes. He becomes fanciful and poetic in talking about
Rosalind. Silvius and Phebe speak only in verse; love is all that
matters to them. The severely limited vocabularies of Corin, William,
and Audrey tell you that these are genuine rustics--uneducated, and
familiar only with matters pertaining to sheep and goats.

Some of the dialogue is written in verse (Silvius and Phebe's, for
example). For these passages, Shakespeare used unrhymed iambic
pentameter--that is, lines of ten syllables each, with every second
syllable accented. Other characters, like Corin and Audrey, speak
less formally in prose. Most of the others alternate between two
styles.

Shakespeare's language is loaded with imagery--words and phrases
that make you see a picture. The imagery tells you something about
the speaker's character or his emotions. A good example is Jaques's
famous speech about the Seven Ages of Man (Act II, scene iii).
Jaques paints a picture to describe each age, from the "mewling and
puking" infant to the old man who has entered "second childishness."
Each image reflects Jaques's melancholy and overcritical nature.

As you read, ask yourself: How is each character using language?
What does his or her language reveal about that character?


AS YOU LIKE IT: ELIZABETHAN ENGLISH

All languages change. Differences in pronunciation and word choice
are apparent even between parents and their children. If language
differences can appear in one generation, it is only to be expected
that the English used by Shakespeare four hundred years ago will be
markedly different from the English used today. The following
information on Shakespeare's language will help a modern reader to a
fuller understanding of As You Like It.


AS YOU LIKE IT: MOBILITY OF WORD CLASSES

Adjectives, nouns, and verbs were less rigidly confined to
particular classes in Shakespeare's day. Adjectives were often used
as adverbs. In Act II, scene iv, line 54, for example, "wiser" is
used for "more wisely":

Thou speakest wiser than thou art ware of.

They could also appear as verbs. In Act I, scene iii, line 5, "lame"
means "make [me] lame":

...come lame me with reasons.

Nouns, including proper nouns, could be used as verbs. "Estate" is
used to mean "leave as my estate":

...all the revenue that was old Sir Rowland's
will I estate upon you,...
(V, ii, 10-12)

and "Phebe" means "treats [me] as Phebe would":

She Phebes me.
(IV, iii, 39)


AS YOU LIKE IT: CHANGES IN WORD MEANING

The meanings of all words undergo changes, a process that can be
illustrated by the fact that "prevent" used to mean "come before,"
as in the biblical "He prevented [came before] the dawn." Many of
the words in Shakespeare still exist today but their meanings have
changed. The change may be small, as in the case of "honest,"
meaning "chaste," in

'Tis true, for those she makes fair, she scarce
makes honest; and those she makes honest, she
makes very ill-favoredly.
(I, ii, 36-38)

or more fundamental, so that "countenance" (I, i, 17) meant
"lifestyle," "underhand" (I, i, 138) meant "unobtrusive," "villains"
(II, ii, 2) meant "lower servants," "fond" (II, iii, 7) meant
"foolish," and "modern" (IV, i, 6) meant "trite."


AS YOU LIKE IT: VOCABULARY LOSS

Words not only change their meanings but are frequently discarded
from the language. In the past, "kine" was a plural form of "cow"
and "lich" meant "corpse." The following words used in As You Like
It are no longer current in English, but their meanings can usually
be gauged from the context in which they occur.

HINDS (I, i, 19) farm servants

INTENDMENT (I, i, 132) intention

HUSSIF (I, ii, 30) housewife

QUINTAIN (I, ii, 241) stuffed dummy used in jousting

MISCONSTERS (I, ii, 255) misconstrues

SWASHING (I, iii, 116) swaggering

ROYNISH (II, ii, 8) coarse

MEED (II, ii, 8) reward

DOG APES (II, iv, 97) baboons

COVER (II, v, 28) set the table

BOB (II, vii, 55) jest

CHARACTER (III, i, 6) inscribe

FELLS (III, ii, 51) fleece

PERPENT (III, ii, 65) consider

BACKFRIENDS (III, ii, 155) false friends

BREATHER (III, ii, 275) living human being

QUOTIDIAN (III, ii, 356) severe, uninterrupted fever

POINT-DEVICE (III, ii, 372) neat

BOW (III, iii, 71) yoke

CARLOT (III, v, 108) peasant

LEER (IV, i, 64) complexion

BASTINADO (V, i, 54) beating, cudgeling

THRASONICAL (V, ii, 30) boasting


AS YOU LIKE IT: VERBS

Shakespearean verb forms differ from modern usage in three main
ways:

1. Questions and negatives could be formed without using "do/did":

What said he? How looked he? Wherein went
he? What makes he here?
(III, ii, 216-18)

And:

This must I do, or know not what to do;
(II, iii, 34)

Shakespeare had the option of using forms a and b whereas
contemporary usage permits only the a forms:

a                           b

Is Orlando going?            Goes Orlando?
Did Orlando go?              Went Orlando?
You do not look well.        You look not well.
You did not look well.       You looked not well.

2. Many past participles and past tense forms are used that would be
ungrammatical today. Among these are

"broke" for "broken" in

Or if thou hast not broke from company
(II, iv, 37)

"eat" for "eaten" in

Why, I have eat none yet.
(II, vii, 89)

"love-shaked" for "love-shaken" in

I am he that is so love-shaked.
(III, ii, 357)

"begot" for "begotten" in

...that was begot of thought,...
(IV, i, 202)

and "writ" for "wrote" in

To show the letter that I writ to you.
(V, ii, 77)

3. Archaic verb forms sometimes occur with "thou" and "he/she/it":

Thou art not for the fashion of these times,
(II, iii, 59)

And:

...knowest thou not the Duke
Hath banished me his daughter?
(I, iii, 90-91)


AS YOU LIKE IT: PRONOUNS

Shakespeare and his contemporaries had one extra pronoun, "thou,"
which could be used in addressing a person who was one's equal or
social inferior. "You" was obligatory if more than one person was
addressed:

I beseech you, punish me not with your hard
thoughts, wherein I confess me much guilty to
deny so fair and excellent ladies anything.
(I, ii, 172-74)

but it could also be used to indicate respect. Duke Senior often
uses "thou" when addressing his subordinates but always receives
"you" in return:

Duke: Art thou thus boldened man by thy distress?
Orlando: You touched my vein at first.
(II, vii, 92 and 95)

Frequently, a person in power used "thou" to a child or a
subordinate but was addressed "you" in return. This invariably
happens in the speeches between Adam and Orlando:

Orlando: Why whither Adam wouldst thou have me go?
Adam: No matter whither, so you come not here.
(II, iii, 29-30)

One further pronominal reference warrants a comment. The third
person pronouns "he" and "it" were frequently interchanged:

I'll tell thee, Charles, it is the stubbornest young
fellow...
(I, i, 140)

And whistles in his [its] sound.
(II, vii, 163)


AS YOU LIKE IT: PREPOSITIONS

Prepositions were less standardized in Elizabethan English than they
are today, and so we find several uses in As You Like It that would
have to be modified in contemporary speech. Among these are "of" for
"about" in

...who perceiveth our natural wits too dull to
reason of such a goddess...
(I, ii, 51)

"of" for "from" in

Rosalind: Where learned you that oath, fool?
Touchstone: Of a certain knight....
(I, ii, 59-60)

"up" for "off" in

To fright the animals and kill them up
(II, i, 62)

and "of" for "by" in

...I were better to be married of him than of
another;
(III, iii, 81-82)


AS YOU LIKE IT: MULTIPLE NEGATION

Contemporary English requires only one negative per statement and
regards such utterances as "I haven't none" as nonstandard.
Shakespeare often uses two or more negatives for emphasis, as when
Celia advises Rosalind

But love no man in good earnest, nor no further
in sport neither, than with safety...
(I, ii, 26-27)

or when Orlando tells Jaques

Nor shalt not till necessity be served.
(II, vii, 90)

or when Rosalind, in the epilogue, assures the audience

What a case am I in then, that am neither a
good epilogue, nor cannot insinuate with you
in the behalf of a good play?
(V, iv, 204-206)


AS YOU LIKE IT: FORM AND STRUCTURE

As You Like It is divided into five acts, which are subdivided into
scenes. Many readers have commented that almost all the major events
of the play occur in the first act and a half. The city characters
are introduced and the necessary history is explained (exposition).
Each of the major characters is given a reason to go to the Forest
of Arden. After Act II, scene iii, only one short scene takes place
in the city.

In the country, nothing happens quickly except the characters'
falling in love. The tension of the plot grows out of Rosalind's
disguise. When will she reveal her true identity? What will happen
when she does? In that sense, Rosalind has the power to end the play
whenever she chooses. She takes time to explore the consequences of
her disguise while discussing matters of love and philosophy. More
confusions and additional pairs of lovers are added until Act V,
scene ii, when Rosalind decides that it's time to unmask herself.
The four marriages in Act V, scene iv, the repentance of both
villains, and the restoration of Duke Senior's dukedom all give the
play an entirely happy ending. Music and dancing follow, after which
Rosalind turns to the audience and delivers a short epilogue.


AS YOU LIKE IT: SOURCES

Shakespeare didn't create his plots from scratch but derived aspects
of them from other sources. The basic story and many details of the
plot of As You Like It come from a pastoral romance by Thomas Lodge
entitled Rosalynde. (Lodge didn't invent the story, either; he based
it on a 14th-century narrative poem called The Tale of Gamelyn.)
Printed in 1590, Lodge's novel supplies the story of the exiled king,
the hostility between the two brothers, the young maidens in
disguise, the escape from the city to the forest, and the lovesick
shepherds. Lodge's Rosalynde also woos her lover while she is
disguised as a man. The hero saves his wicked brother's life, after
which the brother repents and falls in love with Rosalynde's friend.

Shakespeare's alterations and additions are noteworthy. Lodge's
novel is bound by the conventions of the pastoral romance. The play
is richer and more meaningful because it takes liberties with those
conventions. Shakespeare's Rosalind is more three-dimensional and
human than Lodge's, partly because Shakespeare gives her a sense of
humor. Shakespeare also peoples his forest with characters, such as
Touchstone and Jaques, who refuse to accept the pastoral ideal. The
simpleminded rustics, such as Corin, William, and Audrey, are
totally unlike the poetic shepherds of pastoral romances.


AS YOU LIKE IT: THE GLOBE THEATRE

One of the most famous theaters of all time is the Globe Theatre. It
was one of several Shakespeare worked in during his career and many
of the greatest plays of English literature were performed there.
Built in 1599 for L600 just across the River Thames from London, it
burned down in 1613 when a spark from a cannon in a battle scene in
Shakespeare's Henry VIII set fire to the thatched roof. The theater
was quickly rebuilt and survived until 1644. No one knows exactly
what the Globe looked like but some scholarly detective work has
given us a pretty good idea.

When it was built, the Globe was the latest thing in theater design.
It was a three-story octagon (eight-sided building) with covered
galleries surrounding an open yard some 50 feet across. Three sides
of the octagon were devoted to the stage and backstage areas. The
main stage was a raised platform that jutted into the center of the
yard, or pit. Behind the stage was the tiring house--the backstage
area where the actors dressed and waited for their cues. It was
flanked by two doors and contained an inner stage with a curtain
used when the script called for a scene to be discovered. (Some
scholars think the inner stage was actually a tent or pavilion that
could be moved about the stage.) Above the inner stage was the upper
stage, a curtained balcony that could serve as the battlements in
Hamlet or for the balcony scene in Romeo and Juliet. Most of the
action of the play took place on the main and upper stages.

The third story held the musicians' gallery and machinery for sound
effects and pyrotechnics. Above all was a turret, from which a flag
was flown to announce "Performance today." A roof (the shadow)
covered much of the stage and not only protected the players from
sudden showers but also contained machinery needed for special
effects. More machinery was located under the stage, where several
trapdoors permitted the sudden appearance of ghosts in a play and
allowed actors to leap into rivers or graves, as the script required.

For a penny (a day's wages for an apprentice), you could stand with
the "groundlings" in the yard to watch the play; another penny would
buy you a seat in the upper galleries; and a third would get you a
cushioned seat in the lower gallery--the best seats in the house.
The audience would be a mixed crowd--scholars, courtiers, and
merchants and their families in the galleries; rowdy apprentices and
young men looking for excitement in the yard; and pickpockets and
prostitutes taking advantage of the crowds to ply their trades. And
crowds there would be--the Globe could probably hold 2,000 to 3,000
people, and even an ordinary performance would attract a crowd of 1,
200.

The play you came to see would be performed in broad daylight during
the warmer months. In colder weather, Shakespeare's troupe appeared
indoors at court or in one of London's private theaters. There was
no scenery as we know it, but there are indications that the
Elizabethans used simple set pieces such as trees, bowers, or battle
tents to indicate location. Any props needed were readied in the
tiring house by the book keeper (we'd call him the stage manager)
and carried on and off by actors. If time or location were important,
the characters usually said something about it. Trumpet flourishes
told the audience that an important character was about to enter,
rather like a modern spotlight, and a scene ended when all the
characters left the stage. (Bodies of dead characters were carried
off stage.) Little attention was paid to historical accuracy in
plays such as Julius Caesar or Macbeth, and actors wore contemporary
clothing. One major difference from the modern theater was that all
female parts were played by young boys; Elizabethan custom did not
permit women to act.

If the scenery was minimal, the performance made up for it in
costumes and spectacle. English actors were famous throughout Europe
for their skill as dancers, and some performances ended with a dance
(or jig). Blood, in the form of animal blood or red paint, was
lavished about in the tragedies; ghosts made sudden appearances amid
swirling fog; thunder was simulated by rolling a cannonball along
the wooden floor of the turret or by rattling a metal sheet. The
costumes were gorgeous--and expensive! One "robe of estate" alone
cost L19, a year's wages for a skilled workman of the time. But the
costumes were a large part of the spectacle that the audience came
to see, and they had to look impressive in broad daylight, with the
audience right up close.

You've learned some of the conventions of the Globe Theatre, a
theater much simpler than many of ours but nevertheless offering
Shakespeare a wide range of possibilities for staging his plays. Now
let's see how specific parts of As You Like It might have been
presented at the Globe.

If you could slip back in time and see As You Like It at the Globe,
you might be surprised at the speed of the play. A modern production
of Shakespeare takes at least two and a half hours, and that's with
part of the play omitted. But back in Shakespeare's day, plays took
only about two hours. This could be done because there was no real
break between scenes, and no scenery had to be shifted. Instead,
different parts of the stage could be used.

Imagine how this could work in As You Like It. The first scene of
Act I would take place on the main stage; then the second and third
scenes, set in rooms in the palace, could be acted on the inner
stage. The first scene of Act II (remember, no break between acts)
would be back on the main stage for the forest. The next scene,
another room in the palace, could use the balcony stage. Then one
side of the main stage could serve for Scene iii, in front of
Oliver's house, represented by the door. For Scene iv Rosalind,
Celia, and Touchstone could enter from the other side of the stage
and Rosalind would announce, "This is the Forest of Arden." Each
scene would follow on the heels of the one before it, so that the
play would move very quickly.


AS YOU LIKE IT: LINES 1-23

Orlando de Boys has taken just about as much abuse from his brother,
Oliver, as he intends to stomach. Their father, Sir Rowland de Boys,
is dead, and Oliver, as the eldest brother of three, has taken
charge of the family. Old Sir Rowland made Oliver promise to give
his brothers, Jaques and Orlando, a good education. Oliver kept part
of his word by sending Jaques off to school. Orlando, however, has
been forced to remain at home and denied an education. Oliver also
refuses to give Orlando the thousand crowns his father left him.

The play begins in Oliver's garden. Talking to Adam, an old family
servant for many years, Orlando lists his grievances. His brother
treats him as if he were an ox or a horse. Actually, Oliver treats
the horses better than he treats Orlando, because at least the
horses are taught how to behave. Oliver acts as if Orlando weren't
his brother, even making Orlando eat with the hired hands. Although
he hasn't the means to fight back, Orlando declares he will no
longer stand for this treatment.

It is always important when reading a scene in Shakespeare to look
not only at what the characters say but also at how they say it. The
imagery in this speech makes use of the Elizabethan sense of natural
order. Elizabethans believed that whether you were an angel or a
groundhog, you had a fixed rank ordained by God. One example of the
application of that theory was the "divine right of kings." Rulers
were placed on the throne by God. If you deposed the king, you were
offending God as well as man.

By assigning Orlando a place lower than that of his animals, Oliver
is violating the natural order, which places a man above a beast and
a brother above a hired hand. When Orlando says that his father's
spirit within him rebels against this servitude, he means that the
right and natural order is trying to assert itself.

NOTE: EXPOSITION  One of the difficulties that faces any playwright
at the beginning of a play is the handling of the exposition--
information the audience needs in order to understand the situation.
In several plays (such as Romeo and Juliet and Henry V), Shakespeare
uses a prologue, in which a character speaks directly to the
audience and sets the scene. Here, Orlando speaks to his servant,
Adam, rather than to the audience. But by listening to his complaint,
you learn all you need to know about the first major conflict of the
play.


AS YOU LIKE IT: LINES 24-81

Adam warns Orlando that Oliver is coming. When the older brother
enters, you see that Orlando was telling the truth. Oliver makes no
attempt to hide his contempt for his brother. He behaves as if his
brother has no business in the orchard and asks Orlando what he's
doing there, using the Elizabethan phrase "What make you here?"
Orlando stands up to Oliver, sarcastically replying that he's not
making anything because he hasn't been taught how. Oliver returns
the sarcasm, concluding that if Orlando is not making anything he
must be marring (spoiling) something. Orlando agrees: he's helping
Oliver to spoil one of God's creations--himself.

NOTE: The wordplay in this exchange is remarkable. The entire
sequence evolves out of Oliver's use of the word "make." Orlando
cleverly twists the meaning of the word and throws it back at him.
Oliver does the same, and so on. This type of punning will be used
frequently in the play to serve various functions. Here, the
wordplay underscores the contempt the two brothers feel for each
other.

Orlando confronts his brother with the fact that Oliver's behavior
is unnatural and therefore wrong. Orlando emphasizes that he does
not want to usurp his brother's place. He respects Oliver's
privileges as the oldest brother. That, however, does not alter the
fact that Orlando is a member of the family, too.

Even this respectful rebellion makes Oliver lose his temper. He hits
Orlando, but the younger brother is by far the better fighter.
Orlando "seizes" Oliver, according to the script (probably, in a
wrestling hold--you will soon discover he's an expert wrestler). He
will not let go until he has voiced his complaint. He repeats what
he said in his opening speech--that their father made Oliver promise
to educate Orlando, and Oliver has not done it. Now, Orlando wants
to be trained as a gentleman or given his thousand crowns and left
to find his own way.

NOTE: In Shakespeare's day, the least expensive places were on the
ground floor of the playhouse. There, members of the audience,
called "groundlings," stood for the performance. Since food vendors
passed among them during the show, the groundlings did not always
give the stage their undivided attention. Therefore, important
information was often repeated several times, as it is here.

After making his brother listen, Orlando releases him. Oliver
informs Orlando that, to be rid of him, he will hand over some part
of his inheritance. Orlando repeats that he wants only what he's
entitled to, then leaves. Calling Adam an "old dog," Oliver sends
him away also.

Adam says very little in this scene, but his presence helps make the
difference between the brothers crystal clear. Notice that Orlando
treats the old man, who was Sir Rowland's servant, with respect,
using him as a confidant. Orlando's good relationship with Adam
indicates that he's like his father. On the other hand, Oliver
demonstrates how different he is from their father by calling Adam
an old dog. Look at what Adam says to Oliver as he leaves: "God be
with my old master; he would not have spoke such a word."


AS YOU LIKE IT: LINES 82-155

Left alone, Oliver declares his intention to put Orlando in his
place without giving up a thousand crowns. He calls for his servant
Dennis and asks whether Charles, the wrestler, is still waiting to
talk to him. Dennis says that Charles is at the door.

NOTE: Observe how swiftly Shakespeare gets his plot moving. Oliver
needs some means to punish Orlando, and Charles conveniently waits
outside. The first act is dense with events. In later acts, the pace
of the plot will slow down. More time will be given to character
development and comic interaction between the characters.

Charles, a huge, thickly muscled wrestler, lumbers in and greets
Oliver. As the two converse, you learn about the situation at court.
Notice Oliver's pointed question: "What's the new news at the new
court?" You have to wonder why the court is new. Then you find out:
It is new because it is now headed by a usurper--"the old Duke is
banished by his younger brother the new Duke."

Once again, the natural order has been disturbed. Today, you might
wonder whether the old duke was deposed because he was a bad ruler.
(In The Tempest, Shakespeare shows you that Prospero was easy to
depose because he did not attend to business.) You might allow for
the possibility that the new duke led a just and necessary
revolution. But to the Elizabethan way of thinking, the old duke was
clearly the ruler God intended for the country. The new duke must be
in the wrong. What's more, the new duke is the old duke's younger
brother. As Orlando has said, a younger brother must respect his
older brother's rights and privileges.

Oliver questions Charles about the old duke's daughter, Rosalind. It
seems that Rosalind has not gone into exile with her father. Because
she and the new duke's daughter are so close, Rosalind has stayed
behind in the new duke's court.

Oliver then asks where the old duke will live. Look carefully at
Charles's answer, because it introduces a major theme of the play:

They say he is already in the Forest of Arden,
and a many merry men with him; and there
they live like the old Robin Hood of England.
They say many young gentlemen flock to him
every day, and fleet the time carelessly as they
did in the golden world.

In Shakespeare's time, many people believed life in the country to
be healthier, happier, and more natural than city life. Today you
still hear people talking about the joys of getting "back to nature.
" But is a person who lives in the country happier than a city
person? There was a genre of literature in Shakespeare's day called
pastoral. Pastoral novels, poems, and plays celebrated country life
as an ideal existence. Shepherds, shepherdesses, and other rustic
types were portrayed as naturally eloquent, graceful, and generally
"close to God." This play will examine that convention. The rumor
that Charles reports holds that the old duke and his companions live
in the forest as if it were a "golden world," a Garden of Eden. When
the action of the play moves to Arden, you can form your own opinion
about the reality.

NOTE: This conversation provides more exposition. If you stop to
think about it, Oliver would probably know all the news that Charles
reports. The audience needs the information, however. Remember that
Shakespeare's plays were written to be performed, not read. In a
performance, the audience would have no time to stop and wonder why
Charles is telling Oliver what he should already know.

Oliver launches into his plot. He asks if Charles will be wrestling
the next day. Charles answers yes. In fact, that's why he's come to
see Oliver. Charles has heard that Orlando intends to challenge him,
and he's afraid of hurting Orlando. Could Oliver talk his brother
out of wrestling?

Since Oliver secretly wants to get rid of Orlando, he convinces
Charles that Orlando is evil and treacherous. He warns the wrestler
that if Orlando loses the match but survives, Orlando will find some
way to kill Charles. Oliver lies skillfully. In his false
description of Orlando, he presents an accurate picture of himself:
He says that Orlando is "a secret and villainous contriver against...
his natural brother." Charles thanks Oliver for the warning and
promises at least to cripple Orlando in the next day's match.

Shakespeare accomplishes two things in Oliver's long speech to
Charles. Oliver seems even more evil when you realize that he fully
understands how wrong it is to plot against one's own brother. He
knows that Charles will be shocked to learn how unnatural Orlando is.
At the same time, the speech is humorous. One level of humor lies in
the dramatic situation. You can imagine that Charles is powerful but
rather slow-witted. It's amusing to watch Oliver deceive him with
fancy talk. There is also humor in the language. After Oliver
describes in juicy detail how horrible Orlando is, he adds, "I speak
but brotherly of him"!


AS YOU LIKE IT: LINES 156-65

In a soliloquy, Oliver talks about his feelings toward Orlando.
Characters often voice their private thoughts in a soliloquy.
Because they are alone and talking only to themselves, you can trust
they are telling the truth.

Oliver hopes he will be rid of Orlando, because "my soul, yet I know
not why, hates nothing more than he." The statement that "his soul"
hates Orlando suggests that the feeling is very deep. Although
Oliver says he doesn't know the cause, you can guess at his motives
from looking at the rest of his speech. He acknowledges that Orlando
is gentle, naturally wise, noble, and well loved. In fact, people
like Orlando so much they scorn Oliver. It seems that jealousy
drives Oliver to hate his brother.

NOTE: This scene uses a pattern of telling and showing that will be
repeated often in the play. First, you are told that Oliver
mistreats his brother. Then, Oliver enters and you see him abuse
Orlando. Later, Oliver says he wants to get rid of Orlando. When
Charles comes in, you see Oliver plotting to do just that. You were
also told that Rosalind and the new duke's daughter are loving
cousins. In the very next scene, this relationship will be
demonstrated.


AS YOU LIKE IT: LINES 1-41

The scene shifts to the palace of Duke Frederick. His daughter,
Celia, is trying to cheer up her cousin Rosalind. Because of her
love for Celia, Rosalind remained at court when her father, the old
duke, was banished to the forest. Still, she misses her father.

Celia concludes that Rosalind must not love her as much as she loves
Rosalind. She insists that, if the situation were reversed, she
would teach herself to think of Rosalind's father as her own.
Rosalind agrees to be happy for Celia's sake.

From this conversation you learn about the nature of Rosalind's love
for her father and for her cousin. Notice that she does not agree to
think of Celia's father as her own. It might be politically wise to
do so, since the new duke's control of the land seems absolute.
Rosalind's love for her father, however, cannot be affected by such
considerations.

At the same time, her loving friendship with Celia isn't affected by
the wickedness of Celia's father. For Celia's sake, Rosalind
promises to be happy. This kind of nonsexual love between members of
the same sex was portrayed frequently in Renaissance literature.
Usually, however, the friendship was between two men.

Rosalind proposes to "devise sports" to keep them amused. As a joke,
she asks Celia what she thinks of falling in love. Celia replies
that love is all right, as long as it's treated only as a sport.
Never get too involved, she warns. As the play progresses, remember
Rosalind and Celia's joking attitude on this subject. When each one
really falls in love, it will be in earnest, not in sport.

Celia would rather make sport of the goddess Fortune (luck): "Let us
sit and mock the good housewife Fortune from her wheel, that her
gifts may henceforth be bestowed equally." The girls agree that
undeserving people often seem to have good luck.

NOTE: FORTUNE AND NATURE  In their joking, Rosalind and Celia touch
upon a major theme of As You Like It: the difference between Fortune
and Nature. For example, Orlando's spirit is noble. He's honest,
faithful, and sincere. Those are gifts endowed by Nature. Fortune,
however, has denied him the worldly privileges to which he is
entitled. Oliver's own nature is anything but noble. He is mean and
petty. Yet, Fortune has rewarded him with worldly power and goods.
Most of the good characters in the play will be made to suffer
because Fortune gives their ignoble enemies power over them.
Eventually, the injustice will be corrected as the wheel of Fortune
makes its inevitable turn.


AS YOU LIKE IT: LINES 42-143

Rosalind and Celia find a better object for their sport when a clown
or professional fool named Touchstone approaches them. They
immediately turn to making fun of him by wondering whether Fortune
or Nature is responsible for his coming. They make a pun of the fact
that when Elizabethans called a person a "natural," they meant he
was an idiot.

Touchstone tells Celia that her father wants to see her. He says
that "by mine honor, I was bid to come for you." The girls tease him,
asking where he learned the oath "by mine honor."

Touchstone's answer demonstrates clearly that he's not an idiot but
is, in fact, quite clever. He learned the oath from a knight, who
swore to something that was not true, yet did not swear falsely. The
girls want to know how that is possible. Touchstone stages a
demonstration. He instructs the girls to swear by their "beards"
that he is a knave (villain). They do so. Now, he says, although he
is not a knave, they have not sworn falsely. The reason? They have
sworn by something that does not exist. And that's just what the
knight was doing when he swore "by his honor"!

NOTE: Touchstone is an "allowed fool." As such, he has the right to
say just about anything to anybody without being punished. From that
privileged position, the fool can make fun of the behavior of those
around him. Just as some modern comedians, the Elizabethan fool
would mimic the pretenses, hypocrisies, and follies of his patrons.
In doing so, he would not only cause them to laugh but would also
help those willing to learn about themselves.

The discussion of foolery (the allowed fool's art) is interrupted by
the entrance of Le Beau, who is truly foolish. Le Beau dresses like
a dandy and affects an elaborate manner of speech. By doing these
things he considers himself "in fashion" and believes that others
will be impressed. He has come to tell the ladies that they are
missing what he calls "good sport."

Rosalind, Celia, and Touchstone team up to make fun of Le Beau. He
can barely get out a few words before they pounce and begin
confusing him with puns.

Finally, amid continual interruptions by the clown and the ladies,
Le Beau delivers his news--there is to be a wrestling match the
ladies might enjoy. He describes how Charles the wrestler has just
disabled three challengers. Touchstone questions whether such sport
is good entertainment for ladies. The decision is made for them,
however, because the next match is to take place right where they
are.

NOTE: In Le Beau, Shakespeare creates a character who demonstrates
one of the dangers of city life. Le Beau spends all his time and
energy trying to appear "fashionable" in order to win the approval
of others. He'll wear any ridiculous piece of clothing if he
believes that others will like him in it. In trying to assume
whatever identity he thinks will be popular, he loses touch with his
natural self.


AS YOU LIKE IT: LINES 144-258

A flourish of trumpets announces the entrance of Duke Frederick
(Celia's father) and his attendants. Charles the wrestler and
Orlando follow them in. Having tried unsuccessfully to convince
Orlando that, for his own safety, he should forget about wrestling,
the duke asks Rosalind and Celia to try their luck at dissuading him.
It's interesting that a wicked character like Duke Frederick would
be worried about Orlando's safety. Does Shakespeare want to convey
to the audience that the duke has human feelings or is he simply
indicating that Orlando is in danger? The duke is subject to swift
changes of temper, as you will soon see. His sympathy in this scene
could be meant to contrast with the anger he will soon display.

Duke Frederick stands aside as Le Beau summons Orlando, who
respectfully presents himself to the ladies. Celia points out that
Charles has already demonstrated his fearsome strength. Rosalind
offers to make it appear that the match was canceled at her and
Celia's request. That way, no harm would be done to Orlando's
reputation.

Orlando answers graciously but firmly that, although he hates to
deny any request from such lovely ladies, he will wrestle. He
explains that he cannot lose any reputation, because he has none.
Orlando displays neither fear nor boastfulness, but only calm
resolution. Does his claim that he has nothing to lose sound like
self-pity to you? Why? The ladies seem to interpret it as genuine
humility.

The match is about to begin. Charles makes fun of Orlando. Clearly,
the wrestler believes he has nothing to fear from this young man. As
Charles and Orlando tangle, Rosalind and Celia root for Orlando.
Suddenly, to the complete surprise of the crowd, Orlando throws
Charles. The duke declares the match over, although Orlando
complains that he's hardly winded. Charles, however, must be carried
off.

The duke congratulates Orlando and asks his name. When Orlando says
that he's the son of Sir Rowland de Boys--a friend of the banished
duke--Duke Frederick abruptly turns cold. Although the world loved
your father, says the duke, I considered him my enemy. What does
that tell you about the duke? Remember that Oliver made a similar
statement about Orlando. You are a brave young man, the duke tells
Orlando, but I wish you had a different father. So saying, the duke
leaves.

Orlando cries out that he is proud to be Sir Rowland's son and
"would not change that calling / To be adopted heir to Frederick."
Appalled by the duke's rude dismissal of Orlando, Celia suggests to
Rosalind that they congratulate the young man. Celia assures him he
has done well. If he keeps his promises in love as well as in
fighting, he will make his mistress happy, she adds. Rosalind
presents him with a chain that she's been wearing around her neck.
She calls it a gift from "one out of suits with Fortune." She's
telling him that she understands his feelings because she is in the
same predicament herself.

In this brief scene, Orlando and Rosalind have fallen in love. Love
at first sight will, in fact, be the pattern for this play. Orlando
finds himself tongue-tied, unable even to say "thank you," as the
ladies depart.


AS YOU LIKE IT: LINES 259-93

Orlando wonders what's come over him. He admits he's been
"overthrown" by "something weaker" than Charles (Rosalind). The use
of wrestling imagery underscores the irony. Orlando, who has easily
handled a powerful wrestler, is overpowered by a beautiful young
woman.

Le Beau enters to give Orlando a warning. The duke, he cautions, is
"humorous"--that is, given to sudden mood changes. He implies that
the duke now considers Orlando his enemy. Le Beau suggests that it
might be wise for Orlando to imagine how cruel the duke can be, but
it would be distinctly unwise for Le Beau to speak of it. Frederick,
knowing he has no right to the throne, lives in fear of being
overthrown and will banish or kill anybody he doesn't trust.

After thanking Le Beau, Orlando asks which of the two young ladies
who were at the wrestling is Duke Frederick's daughter. Neither, if
you judge by their behavior, replies Le Beau. But the smaller girl
is his daughter. Note that Shakespeare is making it very clear that
Celia shares none of her father's wickedness.

NOTE: In the first printed editions of As You Like It, Le Beau says
that the "taller" girl is the duke's daughter, but it's clear from
the rest of the text that Rosalind is taller. Therefore, many later
editors have changed the line to read "smaller." Such carelessness
in the original versions reflects the fact that Shakespeare's plays
were not published until after his death. In his day, plays were not
generally considered literature. The position of the playwright was
similar to that of a modern television writer. Successful ones were
well paid, but nobody expected the scripts to be read and produced
by future generations.

Le Beau explains that Rosalind is the daughter of the banished duke,
and that although she and Celia are like sisters, Le Beau fears that
Frederick may attempt to harm her. The duke has come to fear her
because the people love her. Again, the duke's reasoning sounds like
Oliver's. These two villains are envious of anybody who is well
liked.

After Le Beau leaves, Orlando reflects on his unhappy situation-
caught between two tyrants. But now at least he has something to be
glad about. As he leaves, he cries, "But heavenly Rosalind!"


AS YOU LIKE IT: LINES 1-35

Celia cannot figure out why Rosalind now seems even more sad than
before. She begs Rosalind to speak just one word to her. Rosalind
puts her off, saying she hasn't one word "to throw at a dog." Celia
knows her friend well, so she starts making puns about "throwing
words." As Celia hoped, Rosalind cannot resist joining in the
wordplay. She admits that this melancholy is not all for her father.
"Some of it," she says, "is for my child's father"--in other words,
for the man she hopes will be her husband, Orlando.

Rosalind is lovesick. Let's examine how Shakespeare expresses her
state through the use of imagery (what the words make you see). "O,
how full of briers is this working-day world!" she cries. Briers are
prickly twigs that catch on your clothes. Rosalind compares the way
love has suddenly captured her with the way a brier attaches itself
unexpectedly. When Celia points out that briers can be shaken off
skirts, Rosalind replies that these briers are in her heart. Now,
the image has full impact and meaning--briers in the heart would be
painful and nearly impossible to remove. Love is the same way.

NOTE: A statement such as "love is a brier" uses a poetic technique
called "metaphor." A metaphor is a comparison of two elements made
without the use of the words "like" or "as." A similar technique,
called "simile," uses "like" or "as." Thus, you might say, "The
wrestler Charles is as big as a bear." That would be a simile. Or
you might just say, "Charles is a bear." That is a metaphor. Both
techniques use imagery to describe something. Draw up a list of the
next five similes and five metaphors you come across in As you Like
It. What, if anything, do they add to your enjoyment of the play?

Celia tries to reason Rosalind out of her feeling. She argues that
Rosalind has fallen for Orlando too quickly. Rosalind counters that
her father loved his father so it makes sense that she should love
Orlando. By that logic, I should hate him, says Celia, because my
father hated his father.


AS YOU LIKE IT: LINES 36-95

Duke Frederick enters angrily. He announces that Rosalind must leave
the court within ten days or be executed. She cannot understand why
he should turn on her so suddenly. What has she done? Has she said
anything to offend him? He replies that traitors are always careful
not to say anything that could get them into trouble. When Rosalind
presses him for a more specific reason for his distrust, he says,
"Thou art thy father's daughter, there's enough." Rosalind boldly
speaks the truth: "My father was no traitor."

Celia tries to intervene. She describes how close she and Rosalind
have become. The duke accuses Rosalind of stealing the affection of
the people away from Celia. His daughter is about to argue with him
when he tells her to be silent. His decision is made. Rosalind is
banished. If she must go, then I will, too, vows Celia. Assuming she
is bluffing, the duke calls her a fool and leaves. The duke's
behavior demonstrates how insecure a usurper must be. Frederick
knows he has no right to the position he holds. He lives in fear
that somebody will do to him what he did to his brother. He
misinterprets Rosalind's virtuous behavior as a plot to undermine
his position.


AS YOU LIKE IT: LINES 96-148

When the ladies are left alone, Celia proves her love for Rosalind.
She was not bluffing when she said that she would share her friend's
banishment. Her father can find another heir. In other words, she
will give up a kingdom to stay with Rosalind.

Celia proposes that they join her uncle, Rosalind's father, in the
Forest of Arden. Getting there will be dangerous for a pair of young
women, so they decide to travel in disguise. Celia suggests that
they dress as poor peasants. Rosalind decides that, since she is
unusually tall for a woman, she will disguise herself as a man. For
a name she chooses Ganymede. (In Greek mythology, Ganymede was the
page of Zeus, king of the gods.) Celia gives herself a name that
reflects her outcast state--Aliena (from the Latin, which meant the
same as our "alien.")

NOTE: Shakespeare's theater had no actresses. Acting was not
considered a respectable profession for women. Therefore, all the
women's parts were originally played by young boys. It's difficult
for us to contemplate that tender love scenes, such as those between
a Romeo and a Juliet could be portrayed effectively by two young men,
but apparently it worked. When Rosalind disguised herself as a boy,
then a boy was playing a girl who was playing a boy. Elizabethan
audiences loved such complications. Also, since a boy was playing
the part, the disguise would have been convincing!

The young women add one more element to their plot. They decide to
take Touchstone along to amuse them. Celia offers to coax him to
come, saying he is devoted to her. Neither girl seems sad about
leaving home. They look forward to their journey: "Now go in we
content / To liberty, and not to banishment." Their sentiment is in
keeping with the popular idea that life in the country is carefree.

Having had a glimpse of city life, you are now about to see what
life is like in the country. The events so far serve to get some of
the major characters from the city to the country. Duke Senior is
there already, and now Rosalind, Celia, and Touchstone are on their
way. It will be important to have Touchstone along, because,
whenever he is present, he pierces pretenses and clarifies what is
really going on.


AS YOU LIKE IT: ACT II, SCENE I

What have the old duke (Duke Senior) and his followers been doing in
the Forest of Arden? In this scene, you get your first view of their
country life. Because the play is set in France, the place must be
the Forest of Ardennes. In none of Shakespeare's plays, however, do
you find much concern with realistic details of a foreign place.
Since As You Like It borrows the conventions of pastoral fiction,
you can think of the country setting as "any forest, anywhere." In
his mind's eye, Shakespeare may very well have seen the Forest of
Arden near his birthplace of Stratford-on-Avon.

The duke delivers a discourse to his lords about their life in the
forest. He praises the honesty of the rustic life. When he feels the
cold wind blow against him, he knows that it's real, and not the
invention of some flattering courtier who wants to get on his good
side. Though they all suffer from exposure to the elements and other
hardships, the very difficulty of life there teaches them so many
valuable lessons that they should be grateful.

This speech neatly sums up the idealization of the "natural" life
contained in pastoral literature. Does the duke mean what he's
saying or is he trying to make the best of a bad situation? You know
what he means when he talks about "the envious court," because
you've seen the terrible acts Duke Frederick and Oliver are driven
to by envy. Still, does the duke prefer life in the forest? That
question can't be answered yet, but keep it in mind as you read.

Amiens compliments the duke on being able to find good in what
others would consider bad fortune. Once again the theme of Fortune
is introduced. By Nature (and the will of God), the duke should be
ruling the land. Fortune has made him an outcast but as every
Elizabethan knew, Fortune's frowns could be reversed in time.

One of the realities of country life faces the duke and the others
right now. They need to kill venison so they can eat. The duke
mentions how he regrets having to kill animals, who are native to
the forest (as he is not). Another lord picks up on that theme by
telling the duke that another member of their band, Jaques feels the
same way. Jaques, in fact, says that what the duke is doing to the
animals in the forest is worse than what the duke's brother did to
him in the city. The lord describes how he and Amiens secretly
followed Jaques earlier that day. Jaques found a wounded deer lying
by the river. As he watched it suffer, he delivered a sermon on the
injustice of killing a deer in its natural dwelling place.
Apparently, Jaques went on at great length about the insensitivity
of mankind.

The duke seems pleased to hear this news. He wants the lords to take
him to Jaques, so that he can debate with him. With the lords
leading the way, they all leave.

NOTE: "JAQUES"  Though Jaques does not affect the plot, he is a
major character in As You Like It. Two thirds of this scene are
devoted to introducing him. Let's look at what you learn. First, he
is melancholy (sad). The fact that Amiens twice refers to him as
"the melancholy Jaques" suggests that his depression is not a
passing mood, but a permanent state. You also learn that he likes to
moralize. When he encounters the suffering animal, he uses it to
illustrate as many moral lessons as he can think of. Notice that he
does nothing to help the animal. He doesn't put it out of its misery.
He simply uses its fate as a pretext to criticize the world.

Jaques sounds like an unpleasant person to be around, and in a way
he is. But people seem to find his oversentimentality amusing. The
two lords thought it worth their time to spy on him, just in case he
had something to say. And when the duke hears their report, he
immediately wants to be taken to see Jaques.


AS YOU LIKE IT: ACT II, SCENE II

Back in the palace, Duke Frederick has discovered Celia's
disappearance. Nobody saw her go, but an investigation has turned up
two facts. First, the clown Touchstone disappeared at the same time.
Second, Celia and Rosalind were overheard praising Orlando after the
wrestling. It is thought that, wherever the cousins have gone,
Orlando must be with them. The duke orders that Orlando be brought
to him at once. If Orlando cannot be found, his brother Oliver
should be brought in his place. The duke will force Oliver to find
his brother.

This short scene confirms that Rosalind and Celia have carried out
their plan. They have taken Touchstone and are heading for the
Forest of Arden. The scene also serves as a reminder of the nasty
goings-on at the "envious court."


AS YOU LIKE IT: ACT II, SCENE III

Orlando, of course, knows nothing about what Rosalind and Celia have
done. Walking into Oliver's house, he finds the old servant Adam in
an agitated state. The old man warns Orlando that his noble virtues
are his enemies, because they make others plot to kill him. His own
brother is so envious of the praise Orlando has won in the wrestling
match that he plans to murder Orlando by setting fire to the place
where he sleeps that night. Adam urges Orlando to get away from the
house and never come to it again.

NOTE: Observe how the theme of natural vs. unnatural shapes Adam's
warning. He calls Orlando "you memory / Of old Sir Rowland," while
he cannot even bring himself to say that Oliver is Orlando's brother
or Sir Rowland's son. And what a perverted world they must live in
if it's dangerous to be "gentle, strong, and valiant!"

Orlando protests that he has no place to go and no money to feed
himself. He would have to beg or steal his food, and he would rather
die than do either. Adam offers his life savings to Orlando,
trusting that God, who takes good care of the raven and the sparrow,
will see to an old man's needs. All he asks is to go along with
Orlando as his servant.

Overcome with emotion, Orlando says that Adam is a reminder of the
old world where men worked out of a sense of duty. Now, people work
only for gain. He thanks Adam for his genuine faithfulness and
wishes that he could do more to repay his goodness. They will go off
together to find some humble means of living.

Adam and Orlando both represent the past, a time idealized as free
from greed and envy. Aged Adam is a holdover from that time.
Although Orlando is young, his nature is more suited to the virtues
of the "antique world" than the vices of the modern one. Orlando and
Adam are able to admire the good qualities in each other without
being envious. Each wants only what he is naturally entitled to.
Orlando does not look down on living a humble life. Adam
demonstrates how little he cares for worldly things by giving away
his savings. His final lines in the scene show that living an
honorable life is his main concern:

Yet fortune cannot recompense me better
Than to die well and not my master's debtor.

NOTE: You have probably noticed that each scene ends with a pair of
lines that rhyme, as these do. These "rhyming couplets" give a sense
of finality to the conclusion of the scene and end it with a
flourish. In Shakespeare's time they also served as guideposts to
the groundlings, who could sometimes be inattentive. (Today, we
often indicate the end of a scene by drawing the stage curtain.)


AS YOU LIKE IT: ACT II, SCENE IV

Rosalind, Celia, and Touchstone finally reach the Forest of Arden.
They are too tired from walking to celebrate their arrival. All they
want is to sit down. Touchstone quickly makes it clear that he will
puncture any pretension around him. When Rosalind complains that her
spirits are weary, Touchstone drily comments: "I care not for my
spirits if my legs were not weary."

Rosalind announces that they are in the Forest of Arden.

NOTE: While it's not uncommon for a traveler to say "We're here,"
Shakespeare had a special reason for giving Rosalind that
announcement. His theater did not use scenery, as the modern theater
generally does. No green tree boughs would be lowered to indicate
that they are in the forest, for instance. Therefore, all important
information about location, time of day, or weather had to be made
plain in the dialogue. How could such a drawback as the lack of
scenery be made into an asset for a playwright?

Touchstone's opinion of the forest differs from what the banished
duke said two scenes ago. "Ay, now am I in Arden, the more fool I.
When I was at home, I was in a better place." This speech is one of
the first clues that this play will not simply expound the pastoral
viewpoint. Touchstone expertly mocks everything he comes in contact
with. He will certainly make fun of the idea that the Forest of
Arden is like the Garden of Eden.

They are interrupted by a pair of shepherds, who are engaged in a
serious discussion of love. Rosalind, Celia, and Touchstone stand
back and listen.

Corin, an old shepherd, is offering advice to his young friend,
Silvius about how to handle the woman he loves. Silvius doesn't
believe that the old man knows about love. He's convinced that
nobody has ever loved as he does. How many acts of madness was Corin
driven to by love in his youth, asks Silvius? A thousand, answers
Corin, but he has forgotten them. Silvius insists that, if Corin has
forgotten even the slightest detail of what love made him do, then
he was never really in love. If Corin never made his friends tired
of listening to his mistress's praise, he never loved. Finally, he
claims that Corin never loved if he never abruptly broke off a
conversation. As if to prove his point, Silvius suddenly runs off,
crying the name of his beloved: "O Phebe, Phebe, Phebe!"

NOTE: Just as the old duke's speech in the first scene of Act II
sums up the pastoral attitude toward nature, this scene shows how a
lover behaves in pastoral fiction. Silvius is typical of this type
of stock character. He is a shepherd who has no time for tending
sheep. Love is his only concern. Though uneducated, he speaks about
love in elaborate verse. The names Silvius and Phebe were commonly
used for these characters in pastoral romances. It's obvious that
Shakespeare  is having a good time poking fun at those old stories.

In case anybody failed to notice how ridiculous Silvius's behavior
was, Touchstone mimics him. Silvius has just listed some of the
ridiculously romantic actions lovers are driven to, so Touchstone
makes his own, even sillier, list. He even claims to have kissed the
udders of a cow because his lady's hands had milked them. He
mockingly concludes by saying that, if you are in love, you cannot
avoid acting foolish.

Rosalind tells Touchstone that he's wiser than he knows. Though she
does not give herself over to foolish behavior as Silvius does, she
understands exactly how he feels. She may even view his behavior as
a warning against giving in too completely to the urges of romantic
love. That might explain why she treats Orlando as she does when she
next meets him. You cannot be sure, but keep this encounter in mind,
so you can form your own opinion.

Celia's concerns at this moment are practical. Since she's famished,
she suggests they ask Corin for food. Though he'd like to help,
Corin has nothing to give. He works for another, a miserly and
inhospitable man whose cottage stands nearby. The cottage and its
lands are for sale, Corin explains. But his master is away, so there
isn't much food. He'll share what little he has with them, though.

Rosalind asks who intends to buy the cottage. The young man who just
ran off is supposed to, Corin tells her, but he obviously isn't
thinking about buying anything right now. Rosalind immediately
offers to buy the cottage, its land, and its flock of sheep. Celia
adds that they will hire Corin to work for them and pay him better
than his current master does. Corin agrees to arrange the purchase
and to stay on as their servant.

NOTE: TWO SHEPHERDS  Pay attention to the difference between the two
shepherds who have just come into the story. As you've seen, Silvius
resembles the shepherds of pastoral romances. Shakespeare has
introduced this character in order to parody the genre. He makes
this point clear by having Touchstone mock Silvius's love talk and
by providing a more realistic shepherd, Corin, to whom you can
compare Silvius. All Silvius thinks or talks about is love. He
spends his time making up verses and pursuing his beloved. Corin has
a hard life, working for a miserly landowner. His speech is simple
and direct. He does not try be witty, but there is humor in his
response to Touchstone's assertion that the fool and his companions
are Corin's betters: "Else are they very wretched." Notice how Corin
discusses the sale of the cottage with Rosalind and Celia. Only a
real shepherd would know all the particulars he wants them to be
aware of before buying the place.


AS YOU LIKE IT: ACT II, SCENE V

In another part of the forest, Jaques and several of the lords from
the banished duke's train are strolling. Amiens sings a song about
the sweetness of life in the forest. When the song ends, Jaques asks
to hear more. Amiens would rather stop. More singing would make
Jaques melancholy, he says. Jaques responds that it pleases him to
be melancholy. No excuse Amiens makes satisfies Jaques. Amiens says
he doesn't have a good voice, so his singing will not please Jaques.
Jaques counters that he did not ask to be pleased, he asked to hear
a song.

In this scene, Jaques confirms what you heard about his melancholy
nature. You also see that he is surly and argumentative. Pressing
Amiens to sing, he asks whether the verses of a song are called
"stanzos." Amiens replies that he may call them that if he likes.
Jaques, who asked the question to begin with, states rudely that he
doesn't care what they are named. Cynically, he adds that he only
needs to know the names of people who owe him money.

Amiens tells his friends to set the table, because the duke is
coming. He informs Jaques that the duke has been looking for him,
but Jaques says the duke is too argumentative for his taste!

Amiens and the other lords join together to sing another verse in
praise of the simple life in the forest. Anybody who will give up
ambition and enjoy life's "basics"--living in the sun, eating the
food you catch yourself--should come to the forest, says the verse.
Jaques make up his own verse to finish the song. His stanza says
that if anybody is stupid enough to give up the comforts of
civilization, he should come to the forest, where he will find
others as foolish as he is. Then, Jaques abruptly announces that
he's going to take a nap.

NOTE: MELANCHOLY JAQUES  Have you ever known a person for whom
nothing is ever right, a person ready to criticize everything you do
or say? That's Jaques, whose criticisms do not seem to come out of a
desire to improve anything. He just likes to criticize or take the
opposing point of view. For example, while the others praise forest
life, he criticizes it. Yet at the end of the play, the others will
go back to the city, and Jaques will choose to stay in the forest.


AS YOU LIKE IT: ACT II, SCENE VI

Two more travelers arrive in the Forest of Arden--Orlando and Adam.
Like Rosalind, Celia, and Touchstone, they have had a rough journey.
The old servant is weak from exertion and lack of food. Orlando
makes Adam comfortable, then leaves to find food for him.

In your opinion, what are the purposes of this short scene? You
should be able to suggest at least two.


AS YOU LIKE IT: LINES 1-90

The duke has joined the lords, but Jaques has gone away. Exasperated,
the duke concludes that Jaques must have been turned into an animal,
because he cannot find him anywhere. When one of the lords replies
that Jaques was with them recently, the duke asks the lord to fetch
Jaques.

NOTE: This passing mention of the transformation of man into beast
underscores the fact that forests were thought to be inhabited by
fairies who could perform all sorts of magical mischief. That theme,
of course, is found in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Before the lord can go to seek him, Jaques appears, laughing merrily.
Surprised, the duke asks what has happened to put him in such a good
humor. In answer, Jaques describes how he met a fool in the forest.
When Jaques saw this man wearing motley (the many-colored outfit
worn by professional jesters), he greeted him: "Good morrow, fool."
The fool's response was cynical: "Call me not fool till heaven hath
sent me fortune." In other words, he said that foolish people have
the best luck. Next, the fool took a sundial from his pocket and
used it to explain his philosophy of life: At ten o'clock, he said,
it is an hour after nine and an hour before eleven. "And so,"
continued the fool, "from hour to hour we ripe and ripe, / And then,
from hour to hour we rot and rot; / And thereby hangs a tale."
Jaques so enjoyed what the fool said that he burst out laughing and
continued laughing for an entire hour, according to the fool's
sundial.

Obviously, Jaques is delighted to encounter somebody as cynical as
he is. Actually, he has just been ridiculed by Touchstone, who is an
excellent mimic. Jaques takes himself and his criticism of the world
so seriously that he failed to realize that Touchstone was making
fun of him. It is obvious that Touchstone's "wisdom" is mere
foolishness. The use of a sundial is equally ridiculous. Who laughs
according to a clock? Besides, it would be hard to use a sundial in
the forest among the shadows cast by the trees.

Jaques says he wants to be a fool himself. If he wore motley, then
people would have to let him say anything he wanted to. Jaques is
already a self-styled critic of the human race. As an allowed fool,
he would have even more freedom to rail against anything and
everything. Fools were treated as if they were mad. Therefore,
nobody could take offense at any insult by a fool. Jaques boldly
declares that, if he himself had the license to speak his mind, he
could "cleanse the foul body of th' infected world."

The duke, ever ready to dispute with Jaques, points out that Jaques
himself has committed every sin he rails against. Jaques defends his
criticism by saying that it is not directed against any particular
person, but against the sin itself. If an individual takes offense,
he condemns himself. Jaques claims that as long as he doesn't
slander anybody, he should be free to say what he likes. If the shoe
fits...


AS YOU LIKE IT: LINES 91-145

Orlando interrupts this argument between the duke and Jaques by
bursting into the camp with his sword drawn. He orders them to stop
eating. The duke shows a capacity for human understanding by asking
this armed intruder whether his attack is motivated by desperate
need or a common disregard for manners. Orlando answers that the
duke's first guess was correct. Though he seems rude, he is "inland
bred"--that is, raised in the city--and has some breeding.

NOTE: Some readers, remembering Orlando's complaint in the first act
that Oliver has denied him his education, find his claim to being
well-bred contradictory. They may be right. Such contradictions do
exist in Shakespeare's plays. In Act I, scene ii, Le Beau says that
Celia is taller than Rosalind, whereas it's clear in the rest of the
play that Rosalind is taller. In this case, however, Orlando may
simply mean that he was wellborn. In other words, he may be saying,
"I'm no ordinary thief."

The duke suggests that a gentle appeal will produce better results
than threats. When Orlando confesses that he's nearly dead of hunger,
the duke invites him to share their meal. Touched by the duke's
kindness, Orlando softens. He explains that he had expected to find
savages in such a desolate place. The duke assures him that they all
have lived in the city and tells him to take whatever food he needs.

Orlando will not eat until he fetches old Adam. The duke promises
that they will eat nothing until Orlando returns. Orlando's noble
nature is demonstrated clearly by the fact that he puts his
servant's well-being before his own.


AS YOU LIKE IT: LINES 145-213

The duke finds a lesson in Orlando's misfortune:
Thou see'st we are not all alone unhappy:
This wide and universal theater
Presents more woeful pageants than the scene
Wherein we play in.

His comment is interesting, because in the first scene of this act,
he spoke at great length about how happy he and his followers are in
the forest.

NOTE: This contradiction bears examination. Does his statement prove
that all the talk about the joyful life in the forest is false? It
is true that at the end of the play they will happily return to
civilization. Perhaps he means that they are unhappy because Fortune
has deprived them of their natural positions in the civilized world.
In that case, they might truly enjoy their forest life but feel that
the place they rightfully belong is in the city. How do you
interpret the duke's lines?

Not to be outdone in sermonizing, Jaques borrows the duke's theater
imagery to deliver his own oration. He declares that "All the
world's a stage, / And all the men and women merely players." Each
player enacts seven different parts during his lifetime: first, the
infant, who cries and throws up; second, the schoolboy, who whines
because he has to go to school; third, the lover, who sighs and
carries on foolishly; fourth, the soldier, who risks his life to
gain fleeting fame; fifth, the justice, who dispenses common sense
as if it were great wisdom; sixth, the old man, whose body is
falling apart and whose once manly voice is becoming shrill as a
child's; and seventh, the senile old man who becomes helpless as a
child and then dies.

This famous speech, often called the "Seven Ages of Man," presents a
bleak and cynical view of life. But the grim sentiment is so
beautifully expressed that the speech has become one of the most
famous passages in Shakespeare. Some readers believe that it
reflects Shakespeare's own philosophy. They point out that, because
Jaques stands apart from the action of the play, he could be
Shakespeare's spokesperson, present only to voice the author's views.
Others hold that it is a mistake to view the speech separate from
its dramatic function. Certainly it demonstrates Jaques's penchant
for "moralizing." Shakespeare could be pointing out that, if you
adopt a cynical attitude, as Jaques has, you can find something sad
in every part of life. You must decide whether you think that the
play as a whole supports Jaques's cynical attitude or not.

As if in answer to Jaques's bleak portrait of life, Orlando enters
with Adam. Orlando's love for the old man contradicts the idea that
life is a sad and pointless pageant. Do you think that Shakespeare
timed this entrance to prove that he disagreed with Jaques's
statement?

As Adam and Orlando sit down to eat, Amiens sings a song. As usual,
his theme is the sweetness of life in the forest. This song says
that the ingratitude of man hurts much more than the chilly winter
wind.
NOTE: Amiens's songs could be helpful in trying to figure out how
the duke and the lords really feel about life in the forest. Does he
sing about the happy life in the country because that's how he feels?
Or is he trying to convince himself and the others that they are
happy?

During the song, Orlando and the duke talk. When the music ends, the
duke says that he is glad to learn that Orlando is Sir Rowland's son.
The duke identifies himself and says that Orlando and Adam are
welcome. He invites Orlando to his cave, where he will hear about
the rest of the young man's fortunes. Note that the theme of Fortune
and Nature comes in here again. The Duke now knows that Nature made
Orlando the son of a wise and noble man. What he wants to find out
is how Orlando has been treated by Fortune.


AS YOU LIKE IT: ACT III, SCENE I

Back at the palace, Duke Frederick threatens Orlando's brother
Oliver. The duke finds it hard to believe that Oliver has not seen
his brother since Orlando sneaked off. He says that if he weren't so
merciful, he would simply take his revenge on Oliver in Orlando's
place. He orders Oliver to find his brother and bring him back,
alive or dead, within twelve months. If Oliver fails, the duke will
seize all his lands and possessions. Oliver protests that he has
never loved his brother. The duke comments, "More villain thou" and
sends him off.

There is ironic humor in the fact that the duke calls himself
merciful and condemns Oliver for hating his brother. The duke is a
tyrant who has no love for his own brother.

The main purpose of this scene is to send Oliver to the Forest of
Arden. All the rest of the action of the play will take place there.
What happens to Oliver in the forest will help make the ending
possible.


AS YOU LIKE IT: LINES 1-86

Orlando has settled into his forest life and has begun composing
verses to his beloved Rosalind (though he doesn't realize that she
is in the forest, also). When you first see him, he is posting his
love poems on the trees. As he does so, he talks to himself in
extravagant verse, sounding remarkably like Silvius, the other
lovesick swain in the play. Promising to carve his beloved's name on
every tree, Orlando runs off.

Orlando acts out the conventions of romantic love. Separated (he
thinks) from his beloved, he spends his time pining away for her and
making up rhymes praising her virtues. The intensity of his feelings
are common to anybody who has recently "fallen in love."

Touchstone and Corin enter as Orlando leaves. Corin wants to know
how the clown likes the shepherd's life. Touchstone answers with a
string of contradictions. He likes the fact it's solitary, but hates
the fact it's private. It's wonderful because it's in the country,
but terrible because it's not in the court. And so on.

As he did with Jaques, Touchstone passes off nonsense as wisdom.
Part of his skill lies in knowing how to fool different people. With
Jaques, he appealed to the man's cynicism. With Corin, he relies on
the fact that the shepherd has had no formal education and, for
example, doesn't know that "private" and "solitary" mean the same
thing. What is the difference, however, between fooling a Jaques and
fooling a Corin?

Touchstone asks Corin if he has any philosophical thoughts to
contribute. Corin's philosophy boils down to the knowledge that
what's so is so. If you get sick, you feel bad. Rain is wet, fire
burns. And so on. Touchstone calls him a "natural philosopher," a
comment with a double meaning. Since "natural" could mean "idiot,"
he could be calling Corin a fool. On the other hand, "natural" can
mean "instinctive." Corin's simple philosophy is naturally wise.

Next, Touchstone has some fun exploiting his verbal advantage over
Corin. He tells the shepherd that, if he has never been in court, he
must be damned, because he never would have learned good manners.
The word "good," of course, can mean either "polite" or "morally
correct." Corin argues that manners that are good in court would be
wrong in the country. Every argument of Corin's is refuted by
Touchstone, who continues to insist that Corin must be wicked if he
doesn't know good manners.

Finally, Corin asserts that he is "a true laborer" who earns his
living honestly, owes nothing, and envies nobody, and whose greatest
joy is taking care of his animals. The simple virtues he claims are
genuine. You are reminded that, unlike Silvius, Corin is a true
shepherd, a simple man of the earth.


AS YOU LIKE IT: LINES 87-292

Reading aloud one of the poems that Orlando has stuck on the trees,
Rosalind enters. Every other line in the poem ends with the name
"Rosalind." The verse is sincere, if not very skillful. For instance,
he calls India "Ind," so it will rhyme with "Rosalind." Touchstone
comments that he could make up rhymes like that for "eight years
together." As proof, he hastily offers a series of inane rhymes,
such as:

If a hart do lack a hind,
Let him seek out Rosalind.
If the cat will after kind
So be sure will Rosalind.

Touchstone wants to know why Rosalind wastes her time reading such
bad verses. She explains that she found them on a tree. Celia enters,
also reading a poem. Hers is longer and more complex but it serves
the same purpose--to praise Rosalind. The lady so praised complains
that the verse is long and tedious. Before saying anything more,
Celia sends Touchstone and Corin away.

When Rosalind realizes that Celia knows who wrote the verses, she
becomes excited and impatient. Celia hints it's Orlando but
teasingly refuses to say his name. When Celia finally confesses,
"Orlando," ten questions pour out of Rosalind's mouth in quick
succession: How did he look? What did he say? etc.

Celia starts to tell the story of how she saw Orlando, but before
she can say much, the cousins are interrupted by the entrance of
Orlando and Jaques. The ladies stand back to listen.

The two men obviously cannot stand each other. Each politely
expresses his desire to see as little of the other as possible:

Jaques: God b' wi' you; let's meet as little as we can.
Orlando: I do desire we may be better strangers.

To get rid of Jaques, Orlando gulls him with an old joke. He tells
Jaques that he will see a fool if he looks into the brook. Jaques
does so and says that he sees only himself. That's what I meant,
says Orlando. Not amused, Jaques leaves.


AS YOU LIKE IT: LINES 293-430

Taking advantage of her disguise, Rosalind decides to talk to
Orlando as if she were a man. She starts by asking if he knows the
time but quickly turns their discussion to the subject of love. When
Orlando says he has no clock, she replies that a true lover's sighs
(one per minute) and groans (one per hour) would do just as well. Of
course, she is satirizing the idealized notion of romantic love.

Orlando doesn't know to whom he's talking. He is impressed when the
youth explains how the speed with which time passes changes
according to one's situation. Are you a native of the forest,
Orlando asks? Rosalind tells him that she is, and that she lives
with her shepherdess sister (Celia). Her refined accent is the
product of the education she received from her uncle, an old
religious man who had lived in the city.

NOTE: Much of the humor in this scene depends on the principle of
dramatic irony. That means the readers or audience members know more
than some of the characters. Here, you know that Orlando is talking
to his beloved, but he doesn't. You can therefore appreciate the way
she fools him. You can enjoy her quick thinking, as demonstrated
when Orlando asks about her accent and she makes up the excuse about
her uncle.

Rosalind goes on to say that her uncle gave her valuable instruction
in love, telling her about the faults and weaknesses of women.
Orlando would like to know what they are, but she refuses to tell
him: "I will not cast away my physic [medicine] but on those that
are sick." In other words, she implies her uncle taught her a cure
for love. If she could meet whoever has been papering the trees with
poems dedicated to "Rosalind," however, she would love to set him
straight.

"I am he that is so love-shaked," asserts Orlando. Impossible,
replies Rosalind; he has none of the telltale signs of a lover: "A
lean cheek... an unquestionable spirit [reluctance to talk]... a
beard neglected" and a general disregard for the way he looks. She
is parodying the common literary conception of what a lover should
be.

Once, Rosalind says, she cured a young man of his passion by acting
the part of his mistress. Every day when he came to woo her, she
would act like a woman by being overemotional, fickle, proud, and,
in general, as difficult as possible--as "women are for the most
part." Eventually, she drove the suitor to "madness,... to forswear
the... world and to live in a nook merely monastic." Thus was the
young man "cured."

Orlando has no desire to be cured, but Rosalind insists she would
like to try. Orlando accepts the challenge. He agrees to call on the
"good youth" (Rosalind) daily and woo him as if he were Rosalind.

NOTE: Rosalind's offer to cure Orlando performs a vital function in
the plot. It lays the foundation for some of the amusing scenes that
will follow. But it also raises an interesting philosophical
question. Does satire cure? A satirist offers the audience an
exaggerated reflection of its own follies. Some satirists claim that
in doing so they help the audiences see their own foolishness and
become better people. Do you think it works that way? Can you give
an example of how satire caused people to change their minds about a
subject? When have you yourself used satire successfully?


AS YOU LIKE IT: ACT III, SCENE III

Idealized poetic notions of love and marriage come under further
attack when Touchstone decides to marry a country wench. Audrey, the
woman he's wooing as this scene begins, differs as much from Phebe
as Corin differs from Silvius. Audrey can barely understand plain
English, let alone poetry.

Touchstone treats Audrey much as he did Corin. He confuses her by
using language he knows she will not understand. After comparing
himself to the poet Ovid, Touchstone complains that Audrey is not
"poetical." Never having heard the word, she assumes that "poetical"
is a thing. Is it an honest and true thing? she asks. He answers
that poetry isn't true, because it's "feigning." That's a pun,
though of course Audrey misses the point. "Feigning" could mean
either "lying" or "imaginative" (poetry is a product of the
imagination). When Touchstone goes on to say that lovers are prone
to use poetry, he implies that lovers tell lies.

In fact, the reason Touchstone wishes Audrey were poetical is that
then she might be lying when she says that she's "honest" (chaste).
He wants to marry her only so that he can satisfy his sexual desires.
If she weren't chaste, he could do that without getting married. But
he will marry her, if he has to. Touchstone quips that being in the
forest among so many horned animals would discourage most men from
marrying. The Elizabethans said that a woman who cheated on her
husband gave him horns (made him a cuckold). Touchstone cynically
mutters that, if you take a wife, you can't avoid getting horns.

NOTE: Can you imagine two men with more opposite views of love than
Silvius and Touchstone? They represent two extreme views of love and
marriage. To Silvius, love is pure and spiritual. Touchstone never
talks of love, only marriage, which to him is like the mating of
animals. Do you think that Shakespeare is saying that one view is
more valid than the other? Or is there some middle course? In the
upcoming scenes between Orlando and Rosalind, try to determine
whether they are more similar to one couple or the other.

Sir Oliver Martext, the priest Touchstone has been waiting for,
arrives. When Sir Oliver objects to the fact that nobody is present
to give away the bride, Jaques steps in and offers to do it. He has
been hiding behind a tree watching the goings-on. And as you might
expect, he has been enjoying Touchstone's "philosophizing."

Jaques urges the clown to be married by a better priest than Sir
Oliver, who will join them as two boards are joined. Touchstone
would really prefer not to be "well married," because that would
make it easier for him to leave his wife. But he agrees to follow
Jaques's advice. Singing his good-bye to the priest by parodying a
popular ballad called "Sweet Oliver," Touchstone exits. Sir Oliver
simply shakes his head and swears never to let any crazy person
discourage him from his calling.


AS YOU LIKE IT: ACT III, SCENE IV

In another part of the forest, Rosalind sits weeping because Orlando
is late for his appointment. Celia uses her sharp wits to try to
cheer up her friend, but without success.

Because she is not in love herself, Celia still has a cool and
rather skeptical view of love. Orlando isn't a bad person, she says,
but he should not be trusted in matters of love. She points out that
lovers are notoriously untrustworthy.

When Celia mentions the old duke, Rosalind says that she met him in
the forest the day before. Her disguise must be effective, because
her own father failed to recognize her. Though the recollection
amuses her, Rosalind can't keep her mind off Orlando.

NOTE: One of the things that makes Rosalind such a fascinating
character is her ability to balance the dictates of her heart and of
her head. Remember how, in her last scene with Orlando, Rosalind
refused to let him know who she was? She spoke disdainfully of love
and promised to cure him of its foolishness. Yet in this scene you
see again how smitten she is. Rosalind's passion is deep and
powerful. Her self-control and common sense save her from the kind
of foolish behavior to which lovers are prone.

Corin hurries on stage to invite his "master" and mistress to watch
an entertaining show: "a pageant truly played / Between the pale
complexion of true love / And the red glow of scorn and proud
disdain." In other words, Silvius and Phebe are nearby. Rosalind
wants to see this "play" very much. In fact, she says that she'll
join in the show herself.

NOTE: The theatrical imagery Corin and Rosalind use in referring to
Silvius and Phebe points up the essentially literary nature of these
last-named characters. They represent "types" that were popular in
pastoral fiction of the period. At the same time, the theatrical
imagery relates to the theme of role playing that runs throughout
the play. As Jaques says in his "Seven Ages of Man" speech, each
person has roles to play. Jaques certainly plays a role--that of the
malcontent. In Rosalind's scenes with Orlando, she plays the role of
a cynical boy who hates love, while in her scenes with Celia she
plays her true role of a lovesick woman. Look for examples of role
playing as you read each scene.


AS YOU LIKE IT: LINES 1-37

Silvius and Phebe behave exactly as Corin promised they would--he
fawns, she scorns. Silvius has gotten to the point where he no
longer begs her to love him. He only asks her not to hate him. He
accuses her of having less compassion than an executioner, who at
least apologizes to his victims before killing them.

As Rosalind, Celia, and Corin sneak in to listen, Phebe denies that
she has murdered or even injured Silvius. Her eyes may indeed
express her hatred, but they cannot do him any harm. She challenges
him to show any scars she has left on him. Silvius counters that
"love's keen arrows" make invisible wounds. He warns Phebe that when
she falls in love she will realize that what he says is true. Fine,
she replies, then leave me alone until then.

These two are playing out their roles perfectly. Romantic love
thrives on obstacles. Considering Phebe's attitude toward Silvius,
there seems little danger that the obstacle will be removed. The
notion of the man's unworthiness is another convention of romantic
love. Lovers were supposed to perform heroic tasks to prove their
worthiness.

NOTE: All the lovers in the play seem to misunderstand the power of
love until they are truly in love. Thus Rosalind's flippant attitude
in Act One changes after she meets Orlando. Celia judges lovers'
behavior quite coolly, because she has not yet been smitten. Phebe
doesn't understand Silvius's suffering because she has never felt as
he does. Shakespeare has Silvius make that statement about "love's
keen arrows" in order to heighten the irony of what is about to
happen.


AS YOU LIKE IT: LINES 38-85

Rosalind has heard enough. Still disguised as a man, she approaches
the couple. She demands to know who Phebe thinks she is to talk so
cruelly to Silvius. She says that Phebe is singularly unattractive,
but that's no excuse for such meanness.

Noticing a strange look on Phebe's face, Rosalind recognizes it as
the expression of a woman in love! Rosalind's scorn, it seems, has
made Phebe fall for her. Trying to discourage Phebe, Rosalind makes
the situation worse by scorning her further. She claims that she
cannot understand why Silvius wastes his time pursuing a woman who
is so ugly and worthless. Phebe should get down on her knees and
thank God that a man wants her. Giving Phebe a little friendly
advice, Rosalind counsels her to take Silvius's offer--she won't get
any others. Then Rosalind starts off.

Phebe begs her to stay. She says that she prefers Rosalind's chiding
(scolding) to Silvius's wooing. Rosalind tries one more time to make
it clear that she does not love or even like Phebe. Taking Celia and
Corin with her, she leaves.


AS YOU LIKE IT: LINES 86-148

Now Phebe understands love. Quoting Christopher Marlowe (a
contemporary of Shakespeare's), she says, "Who ever loved that loved
not at first sight?" Love in As You Like It certainly does seem to
happen at first sight. Sometimes that quickness causes problems, as
here. In other cases, as with Orlando and Rosalind, the lovers are
well-suited to each other.

Phebe admits that she feels pity for Silvius. She still cannot give
herself to him, but she'll endure his company and even give him
employment. What she wants him to do is take a letter to "that
peevish boy" (Rosalind). Phebe claims to be angry with the youth for
speaking so rudely to her. She speaks of him at great length in a
peculiar fashion, constantly alternating between criticism and
praise. Perhaps this conflict is for Silvius's sake, because she
doesn't want him to realize she's in love and refuse to be her
messenger. It's also possible that Phebe is struggling with her own
feelings. She is both angry at and in love with this rude boy and
cannot reconcile the two feelings.

Phebe says that she will write a "very taunting letter" for Silvius
to deliver. He promises to do so.

How much truth do you think there is in the suggestion that
rejection can stimulate love? Most people have experienced the
feeling of being infatuated with someone who doesn't seem to care
for them. From the evidence of this play, that kind of thing has
been going on for a long time.


AS YOU LIKE IT: LINES 1-36

While still waiting for Orlando, Rosalind has been accosted by
Jaques. She's heard all about him and therefore wants to spend no
time with such a "melancholy fellow." Jaques argues that his type of
melancholy is unique, because it is the product of observations made
on his travels. When she hears that Jaques has traveled abroad,
Rosalind sums him up as one who affects melancholy only to impress
others with his "worldliness." She says that she would rather have a
fool to make her happy than a critic to make her sad.

NOTE: TRAVEL ABROAD  You may wonder why such a point is made of the
fact that Jaques has traveled. It was popular in Shakespeare's time
to satirize the traveler who returned home and complained that his
native land suffered in comparison to foreign countries. Even today,
you may know somebody who's constantly saying, "In France they do it
this way" or "In Greece they really know how to live." You might
also find this person rather annoying and suspect that his frequent
mentions of his travels are calculated to impress. Rosalind accuses
Jaques of being just such a person.


AS YOU LIKE IT: LINES 36-192

Orlando has finally arrived, so Rosalind swiftly gets rid of Jaques.
She begins giving Orlando his "love cure" by pretending to be his
Rosalind. What follows makes use of the technique of dramatic irony.
You can enjoy Orlando's ignorance of the fact that he really is in
the presence of his beloved Rosalind, while he believes he's with a
boy pretending to be her. Remember, she has promised to give him a
taste of what a woman is really like.

First, she scolds him for being late. He protests that he's come
within an hour of the appointed time. That, she says, proves he's
not in love. No lover would be late by even a thousandth of a minute.
She'd as soon be wooed by a snail, who at least has a house, which
is more than Orlando has to offer. Also, a snail "brings his destiny
with him"--"horns." In other words, she says that all husbands are
destined to be betrayed by their wives.

NOTE: It may seem strange that a cultured and virtuous young woman
like Rosalind would joke about women being unfaithful to their
husbands. One reason is simply that jokes about cuckolding were
extremely popular in Shakespeare's time. From a more psychological
point of view, it could be because she's wondering whether Orlando,
to whom she's given her heart, will be faithful to her.

Orlando objects to that statement: Rosalind would never betray him,
because she's virtuous. His compliment delights her so much that she
almost gives away her secret by saying, "And I am your Rosalind."
Celia, who has been quietly listening all this time, steps in and
saves the day by interpreting: "It pleases him to call you so; but
he hath a Rosalind of a better leer [face] than you." Recovering her
self-control, Rosalind urges Orlando to play their game. She
encourages him to woo her, because she says she is in a good humor
and is likely to consent.

NOTE: This mention of being in a humor suggests a point of view
about love and romance. They are entirely appropriate and enjoyable
in their season--and when kept in the proper perspective. It is
foolish, however, to let them take over your life, as Silvius does.

The first thing Orlando would do if he were wooing Rosalind, he says,
is kiss her. A bad idea, counsels Rosalind. Instead, he should start
by talking. Then, when he runs out of things to say, he can resort
to kissing. If she refuses the kiss, that will give him something
more to talk about.

Next, suddenly changing moods, Rosalind says that she will not have
Orlando. He claims that, if the real Rosalind denied him like that,
he would die. That's just what Silvius said in the last scene.
Rosalind, who is demonstrating how difficult women are, responds
just as Phebe did. Nobody has ever died of love, she asserts. She
gives examples of two legendary men who supposedly died of love and
shows how they were actually killed by other means. Orlando isn't
convinced. He insists that a frown from the real Rosalind would kill
him. Rosalind moves on to the next question: what would he do if
Rosalind would grant what he asks? He would ask her to love him, he
answers. Rosalind flippantly tells him she will have him and twenty
like him. He can't understand why she would want others. Can you
have too much of a good thing? she asks. Then she enlists Celia to
play the role of priest in a mock wedding ceremony. After the vows,
she wants to know how long Orlando would keep the real Rosalind once
he had her.

Orlando swears that he would keep her "For ever and a day." Rosalind
claims that he would be more truthful if he just said "a day." As
his wife, she would drive him crazy, crying when he wants to be
happy and laughing when he wants to sleep. Orlando protests that the
real Rosalind is too wise to do that, but Rosalind insists that "the
wiser" a woman is, "the waywarder" she is. Her wit cannot be stopped,
she warns. In other words, a woman has an answer for everything. If
he catches his wife in bed with his neighbor, she will swear that
she went there looking for her husband!

Orlando says that he has to attend the duke at dinner for two hours.
Rosalind extracts a promise from him to return promptly when those
two hours are up. But she is skeptical of him and says that Time
will be his judge. He leaves.

Through the devices of disguise and role playing, Orlando and
Rosalind have gone quickly through several stages of courtship. At
the same time, Rosalind has been able to stand back and comment on
the process. Therefore, they have been spared the kind of
foolishness that entraps Silvius and Phebe.


AS YOU LIKE IT: LINES 193-210

Celia takes a dim view of Rosalind's characterization of women. She
half-heartedly threatens to remove Rosalind's pants and reveal her
as a traitor to her sex. Rosalind sighs that she is more deeply in
love than her friend can possibly realize. She intends to go lie in
a shadow and sigh until Orlando returns. Celia, on the other hand,
will spend the time sleeping.


AS YOU LIKE IT: ACT IV, SCENE II

In the forest, Jaques meets some of the lords, who have just killed
a deer. He asks who killed the deer and sarcastically suggests that
the man should be presented to the duke with all the honor given a
Roman conqueror. He also wants the hunter to wear the deer's horns
on his head "for a branch of victory." It is Jaques's intention, of
course, to make the man look foolish.

At Jaques's request, the lords sing a song as they carry off the
deer. Its theme is that there is no shame in wearing horns; in fact,
everyone's male ancestors wore them. Once again you are hearing the
cynical view (Shakespeare's?) that all women give their husbands
horns by cheating on them.


AS YOU LIKE IT: LINES 1-76

Once again, Orlando is late for his appointment. Rosalind and Celia
exchange sarcastic comments, with Celia suggesting that he's so much
in love he must have fallen asleep. Another lover arrives in
Orlando's place--Silvius--bringing Phebe's letter to Rosalind. He
explains that, though he hasn't read the letter, he suspects that
its contents are unpleasant. Phebe looked angry when she wrote it.

Rosalind reads the letter, which is really a love letter. She
behaves as if the letter were exactly what Silvius thinks it is.
Feigning outrage, she asks why Phebe should be so mean to her. She
accuses Silvius of writing the letter, claiming that it's too harsh
for a woman to have written. Silvius denies writing or even reading
the letter.

To prove her point about the letter's cruelty, Rosalind reads it
aloud. Actually, it's full of praise. Phebe begins by calling
Ganymede (Rosalind) a "god to shepherd turned" and goes on to swear
love for him. Though Rosalind keeps insisting that the letter is
insulting, Silvius understands the truth. By the time she finishes
reading, Silvius is crushed. Celia pities him, but Rosalind says
that his problems are of his own making. She will not pity a man who
insists on loving such a cruel, deceitful woman. Rosalind sends
Silvius back to Phebe with the following instruction: if Phebe loves
Ganymede, then she should do what Ganymede tells her to do--love
Silvius.

NOTE: Why does Rosalind lie about the contents of the letter? Some
readers think that she begins by trying to spare Silvius's feelings.
Perhaps she hopes that, in his lovesick haze, he won't notice what
the letter actually is saying. It's also possible that she wants
Silvius to know the truth but realizes he will have to recognize it
for himself. After all, when she tried to tell him the truth about
Phebe in Act III, Scene V, her comments had no effect on him. Which
reason makes more sense to you? Why?


AS YOU LIKE IT: LINES 77-190

As soon as Silvius leaves, a stranger approaches. It is Orlando's
brother Oliver, who has been absent from the play since Act III,
scene i. Although the women do not know him, he recognizes them by
description and says that he brings greetings from Orlando. To
Rosalind he gives a bloody handkerchief, also from his brother. To
explain the meaning of the handkerchief, he tells them a story.

While on his way to meet Rosalind, Orlando saw a "wretched, ragged"
man sleeping under a tree. A snake had coiled itself around the
man's neck and was about to bite him. Seeing Orlando, the snake
uncoiled itself and slid off into the bushes. What Orlando saw in
the bushes was even worse--a lioness waiting for the sleeping man to
stir so she could pounce. Orlando was surprised when he recognized
the man as his brother Oliver. Celia comments that she has heard
Orlando speak of his brother as the "most unnatural / That lived
among men." Oliver agrees. Orlando, however, could not leave his
brother to his fate. Instead, he fought and killed the lioness. At
just that moment, says Oliver, "I awaked."

The ladies are astonished. Are you the brother who plotted to kill
Orlando? they ask. Oliver admits he was but says he has changed. Now
he's ashamed of his past deeds. Oliver explains that, after he and
Orlando were reconciled, they proceeded to the duke's camp, where
Orlando revealed that he had been wounded by the lioness. He fainted,
and Oliver bandaged the wound. Orlando is now resting but has asked
Oliver to tell "Ganymede and Aliena" what happened.

Realizing that the handkerchief is reddened with Orlando's blood,
Rosalind faints. Her behavior is "unmanly," but Oliver excuses it by
saying that "many will swoon when they do look on blood." When
Rosalind comes to, she claims to have only pretended to faint. Celia
urges Rosalind, who now looks very pale, to go home. She invites
Oliver to join them. He agrees, saying that he has to get a message
from Rosalind for his brother.

NOTE: Oliver's conversion is nothing short of a miracle. Shakespeare
seems completely unconcerned with plausibility. Perhaps Orlando's
courage in saving his brother's life brought about the change, or
perhaps it was the cruel treatment Oliver received from Duke
Frederick. You have to accept without question that the conversion
is genuine, because part of the happy ending will depend on it.
Comedies have to end happily, so villains must be either converted
or disposed of. Oliver's conversion foreshadows that of another
villain, which will occur in Act V.


AS YOU LIKE IT: ACT V, SCENE I

Audrey is tired of waiting for Touchstone to marry her. She thinks
that Sir Oliver Martext would have performed the ceremony well
enough, despite Jaques's objections.

Changing the subject, Touchstone mentions that there is a young man
in the forest who "claims" Audrey. As if on cue, the young man
appears. Touchstone immediately sizes him up as a slow-witted rustic.
That fact delights him, because he'll enjoy making fun of William.

NOTE: Upon seeing William, Touchstone says "It is meat and drink to
me to see a clown." That statement underscores the fact that the
scene will be a confrontation between two types of "clowns," or
"fools." The wise fool (Touchstone) uses his foolery to amuse and
instruct. The natural fool (William) amuses because he is genuinely
dim-witted.

William approaches Touchstone and Audrey quite respectfully, taking
off his hat and bidding each a good evening. Touchstone seems to be
trying to put William at ease by telling him to put his hat back on.
Then, he begins to work his foolery by asking the youth a series of
questions. He starts simply enough: How old are you? What's your
name? Where were you born? After each of William's replies,
Touchstone compliments him on his answers.

Then he asks if William loves Audrey. When William says he does,
Touchstone gives him a lesson in nonsense-rhetoric that pretends to
prove that Touchstone is the one who must marry Audrey. Having
achieved his goal of thoroughly confusing William, Touchstone
finishes by making an elaborate show of explaining exactly what he
means: William should "abandon (which is in the vulgar, leave) the
society (which in the boorish is, company) of this female (which in
the common is, woman)." Otherwise, Touchstone will kill him, a fact
he explains in about a dozen ways.

Despite Touchstone's "clarity," William must still be a bit confused.
He looks to Audrey, who advises him to leave. With a polite "God
rest you merry, Sir" to Touchstone, William runs off. At that moment,
Corin approaches and tells Touchstone that Rosalind and Celia want
to see him.

NOTE: Like Corin (and unlike Silvius and Phebe), William is a real
shepherd. He is not "poetical." Touchstone's ridiculous parody of a
learned gentleman fools William completely. Note how politely
William treats his rival. He addresses Touchstone respectfully,
using the pronoun "you," while Touchstone addresses William as "thou,
" a pronoun used for inferiors.


AS YOU LIKE IT: LINES 1-40

Oliver has just told Orlando some surprising news--he and Celia (who
is known to him as Aliena) have fallen in love. Oliver admits that
the situation is odd, considering how recently they met. But he says
they want to be married. Oliver intends to give all he owns to
Orlando and to live as a shepherd in the forest. He wants Orlando's
consent.

Agreeing, Orlando says that the marriage will take place the next
day. Just then, Rosalind enters. Oliver leaves to prepare Aliena for
the wedding.

Rosalind tells Orlando she's sorry he was wounded. She asks whether
Oliver told him about her "counterfeit" fainting. "Ay, and greater
wonders than that," he replies, referring to the astonishing
suddenness of Oliver and Aliena's betrothal.

NOTE: Shakespeare took the story of As You Like It from Thomas
Lodge's pastoral novel Rosalynde. Lodge gave the romantic pairing of
Oliver and Aliena greater justification. In the novel, the older
brother rescues Aliena from a band of thieves, thus winning her
affections. Shakespeare's change accomplishes two things: (1) It
simplifies the story for the stage. Introducing a band of thieves
this late in the play would be awkward; (2) This additional case of
love at first sight satirizes the conventions of romantic love found
in pastoral fiction.


AS YOU LIKE IT: LINES 41-73

Oliver's good fortune pleases Orlando, but it also increases his
despair at being separated from Rosalind. The dramatic irony of this
scene lies in the fact that Orlando doesn't realize he's talking to
the very person he wants so terribly. As Ganymede, Rosalind asks why
she cannot continue to pretend to be his Rosalind. Because "I can no
longer live by thinking," declares Orlando. Seeing that the time has
come to end her charade, Rosalind tells Orlando one more story. She
claims to have been raised by a magician, very skilled yet not
"damnable" (that is, not in league with the devil). Using the skills
he taught her, she can make Rosalind appear the next day. Are you
serious? asks Orlando. She is; if he wants to, he can marry his
Rosalind tomorrow.

NOTE: Why has Rosalind chosen to end her game? Let's look at several
possible reasons. The depth of Orlando's sadness may have moved her
to reveal herself. Or, she may see that he's become tired of the
game and will no longer play. A third possibility is that she
believes that she has cured him of excessive romanticism. His
statement that he can "no longer live by thinking" could mean he is
ready to love a person (Rosalind), with all her human imperfections,
rather than a false romantic ideal.


AS YOU LIKE IT: LINES 74-125

They are interrupted by Phebe and Silvius. Phebe complains that it
was unkind of Ganymede to show Silvius the love letter. So what?
says Rosalind. I don't love you. This shepherd does. You should love
him.

Phebe thinks that Ganymede simply doesn't understand love. Knowing
the one thing Silvius (the play's authority on romantic love) does
well, she asks him to tell Ganymede what love is like. What follows
humorously dramatizes the complicated situation at this point in the
play:

Silvius: It is to be all made of sighs and
tears; And so am I for Phebe.
Phebe: And I for Ganymede.
Orlando: And I for Rosalind.
Rosalind: And I for no woman.

Silvius goes on to list the traits of the romantic lover. Each time
he pauses, the others join in as above. Finally, Phebe asks Rosalind,
"If this be so, why blame you me to love you?" Silvius asks Phebe
the same question. Then Orlando asks the same question. Who are you
talking to? queries Rosalind. He sadly answers, "To her that is not
here, nor doth not hear."

Rosalind has heard enough. Knowing that she has the power to resolve
all the conflicts, she tells the other three to meet her the next
day. To entice them to come, she makes these promises: she will
marry Phebe if she ever marries any woman; Orlando will be
satisfied; Silvius will get what pleases him. What's more, they will
all be married tomorrow. They all swear to meet her, and she leaves.

NOTE: WHAT IS LOVE?  The love Silvius describes is pure romantic
love. The sighs, tears, obedience, duty, and so on that he mentions
are the evidence of dedication to an idealized, unobtainable beloved.
Such feelings of passion and longing are human and understandable.
Even the levelheaded Rosalind joins in the refrain. What Shakespeare
seems to be saying, however, is that they are only part of love. As
You Like It satirizes the way pastoral romances portray love as all
sighs, all obedience, all purity. Love also includes sex, friendship,
and marriage, Shakespeare reminds us.


AS YOU LIKE IT: ACT V, SCENE III

The buildup toward the wedding scene continues in this interlude
with Touchstone and Audrey. In their last scene, Audrey was
impatient to get married. Now, when Touchstone tells her that
"tomorrow is the joyful day," she is glad but hopes that her desire
to become "a woman of the world" is not improper.

Two of the duke's pages enter. They readily agree to Touchstone's
request for a song. The ditty they choose is about two lovers in the
spring. The lyric calls springtime "the only pretty ring-time" (i.e.,
the best time for marriage) and says that "lovers love the spring."
But it points out that life, like a season or a flower, lasts only a
limited time.

NOTE: While satirizing the artificial love portrayed in pastoral
romances, As You Like It celebrates the joys of real love. The play
makes the point that, as this song says, love has its season. During
that season, it should be enjoyed.

After hearing the song, Touchstone wittily insults the singers. He
claims that, although the song was only a trifle, it was certainly
sung badly. The pages defend their rendition, saying that they kept
time very well. That's right, says Touchstone, but time spent
listening to such a silly song is time wasted. Taking Audrey, he
leaves.


AS YOU LIKE IT: LINES 1-38

The wedding day has arrived. Orlando and Duke Senior talk while
waiting for Ganymede. The duke wants to know if Orlando really
believes the boy can do what he claims. Orlando replies that
sometimes he believes it, and sometimes he's afraid to believe,
because he's afraid of being disappointed.

NOTE: Nobody questions the power of magic, though doubt is raised
about Ganymede's ability to deliver the miracle he's promised.
Elizabethans were extremely interested in the supernatural. King
James I believed in the power of witches and even wrote a book on
the subject. Magic appears throughout Shakespeare's plays, from the
witches of Macbeth to the ghost of Hamlet's father. The forest in A
Midsummer Night's Dream is full of mischievous fairies.

Rosalind (disguised as Ganymede), arrives with Silvius and Phebe.
Asking the others to bear with her, Rosalind reviews all the
promises that have been made:

-To Duke Senior (her father): If I make Rosalind appear,
you will let her marry Orlando?
He would do so even if he had kingdoms to give
with her as a dowry.

-To Orlando: You will marry Rosalind, if she appears?
He would, even if he were king of all the world.

-To Phebe: You will marry me [Ganymede]?
She will, even if she were to die the next hour.

-But, if you refuse me, you'll marry Silvius?
Phebe admits that's what they agreed upon.

-To Silvius: You're willing to marry Phebe?
Needless to say, he is, even if he were to die for it.
Rosalind leaves, taking Celia with her.

NOTE: As You Like It has a complicated plot. Shakespeare takes great
pains to make the situation clear at this point. In order to enjoy
what's going to happen, you have to understand each of the
complications. As you can see, the shedding of Rosalind's disguise
will resolve all the romantic conflicts.

Orlando and the duke discuss the fact that Ganymede reminds both of
them of Rosalind. It never occurs to either of them that the boy
could actually be Rosalind. This passage could be a satirical
comment on the conventions of pastoral romances. Disguises were
commonplace in such stories, and they always worked perfectly.
Fathers, for example, never recognized their own daughters.


AS YOU LIKE IT: LINES 39-110

Touchstone and Audrey arrive to join in the nuptials. Jaques
laughingly swears that another flood like the one in Noah's time
must be coming, because all the animals are pairing off. These two,
he says, are called fools.

Jaques recommends Touchstone to the duke as the "motley-minded
gentleman" that he so enjoyed meeting in the forest (Act II, scene
vii). He reminds the duke that Touchstone swears to have been a
courtier. And I can prove it, announces Touchstone. He claims to
have danced courtly dances been crafty with his friend and clever
with his enemy. He has also put three tailors out of business by not
paying his bills. Finally, he swears that he has had four quarrels,
one of which almost led to a duel. How did you avoid fighting? asks
Jaques. "Faith, we met," explains Touchstone, "and found the quarrel
was upon the seventh cause." Jaques wants to know what the fool
means.

In offering proofs that he was a courtier, Touchstone satirizes the
way of life in the city. He picks up several themes mentioned in the
city scenes earlier. Like Le Beau, his courtier is concerned with
fashion, flattery, and fancy clothes. He characterizes the typical
courtier as a man who would be equally willing to lie to his friends
or his enemies in order to get ahead. The preoccupation with
quarreling was also typical of the courtier.

Explaining the "quarrel on the seventh cause," Touchstone says it
was "a lie seven times removed." He illustrates the seven steps of a
lie. If Touchstone sends word to a certain courtier that he dislikes
the cut of the man's beard, the courtier may (1) say he believes
that it's well cut--the "Retort Courteous." If Touchstone repeats
his assertion, the courtier may (2) say he cut it the way he likes
it--the "Quip Modest"; (3) state that Touchstone has no taste--the
"Reply Churlish" (rude); (4) claim that Touchstone isn't telling the
truth--the "Reproof Valiant"; (5) say that Touchstone is lying (a
subtle distinction from step 4)--the "Countercheck Quarrelsome." The
final steps are (6) the "Lie Circumstantial" (an indirect accusation
of lying) and (7) the "Lie Direct" (an open, direct accusation).
Touchstone and the courtier had to stop between the last two,
however. Had they gone on to step seven, they would have had to
fight. As it was, they avoided crossing swords.

NOTE: If you think these rules sound silly, then you've gotten
Shakespeare's point. Books were actually written giving instructions
in quarreling. These rules were as artificial as the conventions of
love portrayed in pastoral romances. Therefore, they are a target
for satire. Sometimes the rules served a practical function, however-
-they kept quarrels from getting out of hand. The textbooks of
quarreling provided ways of avoiding a duel.

Touchstone illustrates another method of avoiding a duel--the "if."
When two quarreling parties can meet and say, "If you said so, then
I said so," they can make up and be friends. Jaques and the duke
praise the fool's ability. The duke comments that Touchstone uses
the wise fool's technique: he presents the truth under the guise of
foolishness.

NOTE: You may wonder why Shakespeare gives the clown such a lot to
say just when the plot had built to a climax. Ever a practical man
of the theater, Shakespeare wrote this entertaining passage to fill
the time needed for Rosalind and Celia to change their costumes.


AS YOU LIKE IT: LINES 111-55

Soft music heralds the return of Rosalind and Celia, who have shed
their disguises. Hymen, the god of marriage, accompanies them.
Though Hymen is the first supernatural character to appear in the
play, the many references to magic have prepared the way for his
arrival. He presents Rosalind to her father. The duke, Orlando, and
Phebe are astonished. Hymen announces that he must clear up all
confusion. He names the four couples who will now be married:
Orlando and Rosalind, Oliver and Celia, Phebe and Silvius (he
reminds Phebe of her promise), Touchstone and Audrey.

The duke joyfully welcomes his daughter and his niece. Phebe
promises to keep her word and marry Silvius. What's more, she says
that she's now in love with him. Why do you think Shakespeare gave
her this abrupt change of heart? Her reversal could serve a satiric
purpose. Earlier, Phebe scorned Silvius only because the romantic
conventions demanded that she do so. Now, she suddenly loves him so
that the ending can be happy. Her behavior is constantly dictated by
literary conventions.


AS YOU LIKE IT: LINES 156-208

Before they can proceed with the wedding, a new character appears.
He identifies himself as Sir Rowland's second son--Orlando and
Oliver's brother, Jaques. He brings word about Duke Frederick. It
seems that the Duke headed into this forest with a large army
intending to murder his brother, Duke Senior. But on the edge of the
forest, he met an old religious man. After some conversation,
Frederick renounced both his evil ways and the world. Returning the
dukedom to his brother, he now intends to live in the forest as a
hermit.

This transformation is as sudden as Oliver's and even less
believable. It appears that, as the play nears its end, the magic
power of the forest strengthens. The evil duke has only to arrive at
its edge to be converted.

NOTE: Lodge's Rosalynde is actually more credible in this respect.
In the novel, the usurper is killed. Shakespeare probably didn't
want to sour the end of his play with a killing. Tragedy ends in
death. Comedy ends in forgiveness and rebirth. The marriages and
conversions all support this promise.

The duke rejoices at hearing that his dukedom and all the lands
taken from the exiled lords have been restored. He intends to return
immediately to the city. First, however, the wedding must take place.
He calls for music and dancing.

NOTE: Does the duke's decision to return to the city prove that all
his talk about the joys of country life was false? It would seem
that he was just making the best of a bad situation. But As You Like
It shows good and bad in both city and country life. In the final
analysis, might the duke and his followers simply feel more
comfortable in the city, where they were born and bred?

Before the dancing can begin, Jaques interrupts. He has no intention
of returning to the city. Instead, he will join Duke Frederick,
because "Out of these convertites / There is much matter to be heard
and learned." Jaques remains contrary to the last. All along he has
criticized life in the forest. Now he chooses to remain there. Here
again, Jaques seems to be motivated by his desire to be different
from everybody else. Or is he genuinely interested in debating the
newly converted duke? Such a person would be "full of matter." Why
do you think he remains?

The duke urges Jaques to stay. Not to watch merrymaking, replies
Jaques. But he will wait in the duke's cave to talk with him. Once
Jaques leaves, the music and dancing commence.

NOTE: Some historians believe that the wedding dance was added when
the play was presented at the wedding of a nobleman. Elizabethans
loved music and dance. Elaborate entertainments called masques
combined musical elements with ornate costumes and scenery. There
are masquelike sections in a number of Shakespeare's plays,
including Romeo and Juliet, Much Ado About Nothing, and The Tempest.


AS YOU LIKE IT: EPILOGUE

When the dance ends, Rosalind turns to the audience to deliver the
epilogue. These speeches traditionally consisted of apologies for
the shortcomings of the play and a request for applause. Rosalind
says that a good play doesn't need an epilogue any more than a good
wine needs a "bush" (an ivy bush hung outside an alehouse to let
people know that wine was available). However, a play can benefit
from a good epilogue, she continues. Therefore, she apologizes for
having neither a good epilogue nor the charm to make the audience
feel charitably disposed toward the play.

Since she cannot beg for applause, she will "conjure" it. This
statement picks up on the theme of magic that has played an
important part in Act V. The demands made in her conjuration are
amusingly simple: men and women, for the love they bear each other,
should like as much of the play as pleases them. She concludes by
saying that if she were a woman she would kiss as many of the men as
pleased her. (In Shakespeare's theater, the part was played by a boy.
) So Rosalind curtsies and asks the audience to bid her farewell by
applauding.

NOTE: Rosalind could be accused of false modesty, but this
charmingly humble epilogue ends the play on a sweet and sunny note.
It's interesting to compare it with the epilogue of Twelfth Night,
the play written just after this one. Also a romantic comedy,
Twelfth Night has an unusual epilogue in the form of a song. Sung by
Feste, the fool, its tone is decidedly melancholy.



AS YOU LIKE IT: ON THE PASTORAL SETTING

...Externally the setting is that of a conventional pastoral play.
The forest is full of shepherds, foresters, and other creatures who
could live together only in an Elysium of escape from the real world.
But the Forest of Arden is no mirage of wish-fulfilment. It is not
like the world of Italian pastoral romance, not a country in which
the longings of those bored with city life were realized. It is an
actual English woodland through which real winds blow, a region near
the haunts of Robin Hood and his merry men... And what creatures do
they find there? They meet characters who belong to the most
artificial of all worlds of fiction, the pastoral romance. Silvius,
the sighing love-sick swain, is there, and Phebe, the obstinately
chaste shepherdess. So are William and Audrey, neither of whom has
ever been washed by the romantic imagination or any other known
cleansing agent. They are the shepherd and his lass as they really
are, ignorant dirty louts-simple folk who know nothing but what
Nature has taught them. "Here," says Shakespeare, "are two authentic
children of Nature." This is the heterogeneous company to which
Rosalind and Orlando must belong if they prefer Arcadia to the
artifices of civilized life. The play thus ridicules the belief that
life close to Nature is best. The comedy is, as Joseph Wood Krutch
says, a "playfully satiric fantasy on the idea of the simple life."

-Oscar Campbell, Shakespeare's Satire, 1955


AS YOU LIKE IT: ON ROSALIND

...Rosalind loves Orlando without limit, and... she is the happiest
of many happy persons in Arden. Her criticism of love and cuckooland
is unremitting, yet she has not annihilated them. Rather she has
preserved them by removing the flaws of their softness. That is the
duty of criticism--a simple duty for a girl with sound imagination
and a healthy heart. As Arden emerges from the fires of "As You Like
It" a perfected symbol of the golden age, so Rosalind steps forth
not burned but brightened, a perfected symbol of the romantic
heroine. Romance has been tested in her until we know it cannot
shatter; laughter has made it sure of itself. There is only one
thing sillier than being in love, and that is thinking it is silly
to be in love. Rosalind skips through both errors to wisdom.

-Mark Van Doren, Shakespeare, 1939


AS YOU LIKE IT: ON TOUCHSTONE

Touchstone's role is that of the Court Jester, the "all-licensed
fool." It is as such that he first appears at Duke Frederick's court,
using the Fool's license to mock at the Knight who swore by his
honor that the pancakes were good, and indulging himself at the same
time with a side thrust at the Duke, who loves this honorless Knight.
He is threatened, to be sure, with a whipping, the customary penalty
for the Fool who overstepped his bounds--cf. Lear's warning to his
Jester--but he is clever enough to sidestep the danger at Court, and
once he is in Arden all danger blows away in the forest air. Here he
is free to practice, unchecked, his vocation, the exposure of folly.
That, presumably, is the significance of his name; he is the
touchstone that distinguishes pure from base metal.

-Thomas Parrot, Shakespearean Comedy, 1949


AS YOU LIKE IT: ON JAQUES

In this utopian pastoral world the fugitives also come upon the
melancholy Jaques. He has no counterpart in Lodge's novel; he is
entirely Shakespeare's invention. Because his only part in the
comedy is to stand aloof from the action and make satiric comment
upon all that happens, critics have been tempted to regard him as
Shakespeare's mouthpiece. Many readers have therefore mistaken the
famous soliloquy beginning "All the world's a stage" for a succinct
revelation of the pessimism which captured Shakespeare's mind about
1600. Life to him, they say, had then become just the pageant of
futility of the melancholy Jaques' vision.

This is a naive view of a highly effective dramatic figure--one that
had become a popular stage type. Jaques is Shakespeare's
representative of the traveller recently returned from a sojourn on
the continent, laden with boredom and histrionic pessimism. His
melancholy is artificial and his disgust with everything at home is
a pose.

-Oscar Campbell, Shakespeare's Satire, 1955

[Jaques] cannot be wholly dismissed. A certain sour distaste for
life is voided through him, something most of us feel at some time
or other. If he were not there to give expression to it, we might be
tempted to find the picture of life in the forest too sweet. His
only action is to interfere in the marriage of Touchstone and
Audrey; and this he merely postpones. His effect, whenever he
appears, is to deflate: the effect does not last and cheerfulness
soon breaks in again.

-Helen Gardner, "As You Like It," 1970


AS YOU LIKE IT: A FEMINIST VIEWPOINT

...In court, Celia and Rosalind have a completely equal, give-and-
take relationship. However, once they enter the forest in their
disguises, Celia's part diminishes. Partly this is because
Rosalind's involvement with Orlando is central to the design, but
partly it functions to allow Rosalind to live out a freer, more
assertive and independent role than she could otherwise. This
tendency is observable in II, iv, before the women are aware that
Orlando is in the forest too. In male garb, Rosalind automatically
becomes the dominant figure of the two. It is she who deals with the
outside world, who can meet and converse with men, speak and act
assertively, even authoritatively. And she is listened to seriously,
bantered with, without the deferential, complimentary, and
essentially trivializing address that gentlewomen receive from
gentlemen in Shakespeare's plays. She is thus able to develop and
demonstrate areas of her personality that could not, according to
the stage conventions Shakespeare adhered to, be gracefully revealed
if she were in female apparel. She restrains Touchstone's arrogance
and disparages Jaques' melancholy; she chides Silvius and Phebe; she
is flip with her father. Above all, she is able to speak to Orlando
about love without coyness or concealment, without having to defend
against romantic or erotic attitudes or demonstrations. In short,
she can be a person.

-Marilyn French, Shakespeare's
Division of Experience, 1981

                               THE END