AS YOU LIKE IT - Cincinnati Shakespeare Company

Discussion Guide
As You Like It
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Jeremy Dubin
Theater Etiquette
It is important to remember that the audience a vital
part of a theatrical performance. Without the audience,
there is no show. We respect our audiences and hope
that they respect the theatre, our staff, actors and crew. Your contribution of laughter, applause and attention is part of the
play.
Your students are representatives for your school when you are at the theatre. The pointers below will help you prepare
your students for their visit to The Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. Going to the theatre is a special occasion. If students
are prepared properly, it will be an experience
they will remember for years.
1. Arrive on time. The time posted is the
time the show actually starts... unlike
at the movies, there are no
commercials or previews! If you have
arrived after the performance has
begun you may be asked to wait to
take your seats until it is appropriate to
do so. We encourage schools to arrive
by 9:30, at least half an hour before
the show starts.
2. Keep the theatre clean We allow no
food or drinks in the theatre. However,
after the show you may picnic in
Washington Park or grab some Pizza
at Papa John's.
3. Be considerate of other audience
members Talking, whispering, shuffling about in your seats or rattling candy wrappers during a live performance
is disruptive to other audience members who are trying to enjoy the show.
4. Do not distract the actors. The actors can see and hear what goes on in the audience. While our actors appreciate
your enthusiasm for their performance, please do not attempt to interact with, talk to or touch them while they are
on stage or entering/exiting via the aisle. If you need to take notes for your class, please make sure you are not
seated in the first three rows as it can be extremely distracting to the actors. Your comments to one another (both
good and bad) can be heard by the actors. Please do not talk about their performances while the show is going on.
5. Turn off electronic devices Pagers, cell phones and electronic watches are disruptive and may interfere with the
theatre sound system. The lights from text messaging are distracting to the actors. Turn electronic devices off
completely during the show.
6. Remain seated during the performance (except for emergencies) Actors frequently enter and exit via the aisles and
so for safety reasons the aisles need to remain clear during the show. Be sure to use the washroom before the
show or during intermission.
7. No photographs or recording devices. For the safety of cast members, stage crew and the enjoyment of other
patrons, no photography (flash or no flash) or recording devices are permitted during the performance. It is also
illegal, since we are bound to the copyright rules of several labor and artists’ unions.
Avoid a situation in which the house manager might be forced to confiscate photographic equipment. With your
cooperation in preparing your students to follow theatre etiquette, rules and guidelines, we are sure you and your students
will have an enjoyable and entertaining theatre experience!
“All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players”
About the Playwright:
William Shakespeare was born in April 1564 in the English town of Stratfordupon-Avon. The son of John Shakespeare, a successful glove maker and public
official, and Mary Arden, the daughter of a gentleman, William was the oldest
surviving sibling of eight children. Throughout Shakespeare’s childhood,
companies of touring actors visited Stratford. Although there is no evidence to
prove that Shakespeare ever saw these actors perform, most scholars agree that
he probably did. In 1582, at the age of 18, Shakespeare married Anne
Hathaway, the daughter of a farmer.
The couple had become parents of two daughters and a son by 1585. Sometime
in the next eight years, Shakespeare left his family in Stratford and moved to
London to pursue a career in the theater. Records show that by 1592, he had
become a successful actor and playwright in that city. Shakespeare joined a
famous acting group called the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, so named for their
patron, or supporter, a high official in the court of Queen Elizabeth I. One of
the first plays Shakespeare wrote for this company was Romeo and Juliet. In 1598 Shakespeare became part owner of a
major new theater, the Globe.
For more than a decade, Shakespeare produced a steady stream of works, both tragedies and comedies, which were
performed at the Globe, the royal court, and other London theaters. However, shortly after the Globe was destroyed by
fire in 1613, he retired and returned to Stratford. He died in Stratford in 1616.
Characters
Roalind (played by Sara Clark*) - Literary critic
Anne Barton says that "Rosalind is extraordinarily
important in As You Like It, as central and
dominating a figure in her fashion as Hamlet in his
own, very different play." That's quite a
compliment.
So who is this "Rosalind" girl and what makes her
so great?
Well, she's the daughter of the banished Duke Senior and cousin/BFF to Celia. She's also the saucy, crossdressing girlfriend of Orlando. In the play, Rosalind gets 86'ed from her uncle's court but, instead of boo-hooing
about her lousy circumstances, she puts on a brave face and runs away to the Forest of Arden in search of
freedom. Our girl is not only adventurous, but she's also gutsy.
Orlando (played by Geoffrey Barnes*)- Orlando is the youngest son of the late Sir Rowland de Boys. He's also
the younger brother of the nasty tyrant Oliver and lover of Rosalind.
If we think about Orlando's trajectory in the play, he sounds a lot like a troubled teenager. He stands up to his
bully of a big brother, picks a fight with a bigger guy, runs away to the Forest of Arden, and then tags up all the
trees with poems about his girlfriend. Still, as is always the case, things are a bit more complicated than that.
Celia (played by Miranda McGee*)- Celia is the daughter
of Duke Frederick, cousin to Rosalind, and a general
balance to Rosalind's foolish love
Jacques (played by Paul Riopelle*)- Jaques is one of Duke
Senior's attendants and he's got a well-deserved reputation
for being "melancholy." We might even say that Jaques
enjoys being sad and mopey because he purposefully seeks
out experiences that are depressing.
Touchstone (played by Billy Chase*)- Touchstone starts off as Duke Frederick's court fool and ends up being
Rosalind and Celia's partner-in-crime for their runaway adventure. As a "licensed fool," he literally has a license to say
whatever he wants.
Oliver (played by Brent Vimtrup*)- Oliver de Boys is the oldest son of Sir Rowland de Boys, which makes him the
older brother of Orlando and Jaques de Boys (not to be confused with
Jaques the melancholy clown). Because he's the oldest, Oliver has
inherited just about all of his dead father's fortune and he's also been put
in charge of looking after his little brothers.
Duke Senior (played by Barry Mullholland*)- If the melancholy
Jaques is a glass-half-empty kind of guy, then Duke Senior is the
play's glass-half-full character. The first time we meet him in the
Forest of Arden, he's living in exile because his little brother
(Frederick) has stolen his dukedom.
Duke Frederick (played by Barry Mullholland*)- The first thing
we find about Duke Frederick is that he's banished his older brother from
court and has also stolen his title. As Charles the wrestler/local gossip
tells us, "the Old Duke [Senior] is banished by his younger brother, the
new/ Duke [Frederick]" (1.1.98-99). Not only that, but Duke Frederick
also boots Rosalind out of his court, too. Why? Because he's afraid
Rosalind is more popular than Celia.
Adam (played by Jim Hopkins)- There are two things to know
about the guy who's spent his entire life serving the de Boys family: He's crazy old and he's crazy loyal. When
Adam learns that Oliver wants to kill Orlando, he gives Orlando his entire life savings and flees with him to the
Forest of Arden for safety.
Sylvius and Phoebe (played by Justin McCombs* and Maggie Lou Rader)Silvius is a young shepherd who is madly love with Phoebe, a snobby
shepherdess who thinks she's way too good for Silvius. Like Romeo at the
beginning of Romeo and Juliet, Silvius is a cliché and also a parody of the
classic "Petrarchan lover," which is basically a guy who falls in love with a
woman he has no chance of getting together with her.
Even though love-struck Silvius thinks Phoebe's the most beautiful woman
on the planet, Rosalind informs her that she isn't all that: "You have no
beauty," says Rosalind. "Tis not your inky brows, your black silk hair,/ Your
bugle eyeballs, nor your cheek of cream,/ That can entame my spirits to your
worship" (3.5.41-42, 51-53). Basically, Rosalind tells Phoebe that she should
stop her wannabe "Petrarchan mistress" routine because nobody's going to
be writing poems about her beauty any time soon.
Corin (played by Jim Hopkins*)- Corin is an old shepherd and a native of Arden. He's also a really nice guy who
spends his time trying to help his young friend Silvius come to terms with his dramatic love life (2.4). In many ways,
Corin is a stock figure—the "kindly and generous old shepherd" who shows up a lot in "pastoral" literature. Despite the
fact that Corin is poor and can hardly afford to be hospitable (he doesn't even have food in his cottage), he offers to shelter
Rosalind/Ganymede and Celia/Aliena when they ask him for help (2.4).
Charles (played by Douglas Fries)- He's the neck-snapping, rib-cracking, limb-shattering court wrestler who's ordered
to kill Orlando during an upcoming match in Act 1, Scene 1. Even though Charles is bigger, stronger, and more
experienced than all of his opponents, he gets served up by young Orlando when the two guys rumble on the grounds of
Duke Frederick's court (1.2). The surprising outcome of the wrestling match says more about the underdog Orlando than it
does Charles, who basically plays the Goliath to Orlando's
David.
Audrey (played by Tess Talbot)- When she's not busy
herding goats, she's getting cozy with Touchstone. Audrey's not
particularly bright, so it's a bit of a surprise when witty
Touchstone declares that he's going to marry her. Whereas
Touchstone spends most of his time running linguistic circles
around everyone, Audrey has a very hard time with basic
vocabulary.
William (played by Kyle Brumley)- William is the country
bumpkin who is in love with Touchstone's girl, Audrey. When
William comes to visit Audrey in Act 5, Scene 1, Touchstone makes fun of him for being simple and tells him to get lost,
or else: " I/ will kill thee a hundred and fifty ways. Therefore/ tremble and depart" (5.1.56-58). (Touchstone excels at the
art of trash talk.) William's not a bad guy and he certainly doesn't want any trouble, which is why he replies "God rest you
merry sir" and exits the stage.
Plot synopsis:
“Do you not know I am a woman? when I think, I must speak.”
Sir Rowland de Boys has recently died, leaving behind
sons Oliver and Orlando. Since Oliver's the eldest son,
he's inherited just about everything. This includes the
responsibility of making sure his little bro finishes
school and continues to live the kind of lifestyle he's
become accustomed to as the son of a nobleman.
Oliver, however, treats his little bro like a servant—he
refuses to pay for Orlando's education and never gives
the kid any spending money. Also, he tells the local
court wrestler it would be a good idea to snap Orlando's
neck, but Orlando doesn't know about this. Naturally,
Orlando is ticked off that Oliver treats him so badly and
he's ready to "mutiny"
against his older bro.
Instead, he channels all
of his pent-up anger into
a wrestling match,
where he beats the court
wrestler to a bloody
pulp.
Orlando's mad wrestling
skills catch the eye of a
local girl named
Rosalind, who has her
own family drama to
worry about. Rosalind is
the daughter of Duke
Senior, who used to rule
over the French court but was overthrown by his snaky,
backstabbing brother, Duke Frederick. Because
Rosalind's dad is living in exile in the Forest of Arden,
Rosalind has been crashing at the palace with her
BFF/cousin, Celia. Did we mention that Celia is the
daughter of snaky, backstabbing Duke Frederick? And
you thought your family had issues…
Rosalind thinks Orlando is the dreamiest boy she's ever
laid eyes on and Orlando feels the same way about her.
The two fall in love faster than you can say, “I do.”
Rosalind gives Orlando her necklace, which means the
two are officially an item.
Things go downhill from there. Orlando finds out that
his big brother Oliver is planning to burn his house down
(with Orlando in it), so he runs away to the Forest of
Arden. Since he's broke he takes his old family servant
Adam along for the adventure. This is a good thing
because Adam ponies up his entire life savings to help
cover the cost of the trip.
Meanwhile, Duke Frederick decides that he doesn't like
the fact that Rosalind is more popular than his daughter,
Celia. So, Duke Frederick banishes his niece from the
court.
Rosalind decides to run away to the Forest of Arden,
which, apparently, is the destination of choice for exiles.
To avoid being the target of rapists and thieves, Rosalind
decides that she'll dress as a boy and call herself
"Ganymede." Cousin Celia is so devoted that she decides
to run away too and she
disguises herself as
"Ganymede's" sister
"Aliena," as in Celia is
now alienated from her
father. Just for kicks, the
girls decide to invite the
court fool, Touchstone,
along with them.
Cut to the Forest of
Arden, where we meet
Rosalind's dad, Duke
Senior. He's a pretty
happy-go-lucky guy for
being a banished duke,
and he tells us that
Arden is a lot like the garden of Eden, except for the fact
that Arden is lot colder and windier.
Meanwhile, Orlando and his servant Adam are starving
because they forgot to watch Man vs. Wild and have no
idea how to find food in the forest. Adam passes out and
Orlando promises to find him some dinner. Luckily,
Orlando stumbles upon Duke Senior and his band of
"merry men" sitting down to a mouth-watering banquet.
Orlando crashes the party and threatens to kill everyone
if they don't give him something to eat, like, right now.
The Duke is all "chill out, and bring Adam, too."
Orlando and Adam make a ton of new friends at the
banquet, including "melancholy" Jaques.
On the cross-dressing front, things are good for
Rosalind/Ganymede as she settles into the Forest of
Arden. She meets a shepherd, Corin, who gives Rosalind
a hot real estate tip about a cottage that comes with its
own flock of sheep and plenty of land for grazing.
Rosalind/Ganymede and Celia/Aliena don't waste any
time going country—they buy the cottage and make
friends with the locals. Among their new rustic pals are a
lovesick shepherd named Silvius and the woman he
loves, Phoebe. By the way, Phoebe hates Silvius.
Yet love is definitely in the air. Rosalind discovers
poems (stuck to trees) that a mysterious lover has
penned—about her! The poems are pretty awful and
they're full of silly clichés about love, but Rosalind
doesn't care when she finds out the poems have been
written by none other than dreamy Orlando.
Before we know it, Rosalind
bumps into Orlando in the
forest. Instead of coming clean
about her true identity, she
stays in her "Ganymede"
disguise and becomes pals with
Orlando. That way, she can
pump Orlando for information
about how he really feels about
her.
Orlando confesses to
"Ganymede" that he's head
over heels for Rosalind.
"Ganymede" then generously
offers to pretend to be
Rosalind, so that Orlando can
practice all of his best moves in
the romance department.
Orlando, who has no idea
"Ganymede" is actually the girl
he loves, takes the bait and
even participates in a pretend
wedding. Aww.
As it turns out, though, Orlando
is under the impression that
romance should look something
like a sappy, 14th-century Italian Hallmark card, so
Rosalind/Ganymede has got her work cut out for her.
She rolls up her sleeves and teaches Orlando how to be a
good boyfriend/future husband without ever revealing
her true identity.
bro, but, when Orlando saved his life from a ferocious
lion, Oliver repented and decided not to kill his kid
brother. This is good news because Oliver and Celia fall
in love about two minutes after meeting. Dang, things
happen fast in Arden.
Seeing Oliver and Celia so happy makes Orlando sad.
Even though it's been fun pretend-romancing
"Ganymede," Orlando says he can't live another day
without the real Rosalind. "Ganymede" takes pity and
promises Orlando that he'll get to marry his girl the very
next day. Then "Ganymede" promises that all the
lovesick characters will be getting hitched tomorrow.
The next day, everyone gathers
around in the forest.
"Ganymede" enters and makes
Silvius, Phoebe, and Orlando
promise to do whatever he
says: Orlando must swear to
marry Rosalind if Ganymede
can produce her; Phoebe must
promise to marry Silvius if she
decides she doesn't want to
marry Ganymede; Silvius must
swear that he will marry
Phoebe if Phoebe will have
him. When Rosalind whips off
her "Ganymede" costume and
reveals her true identity
(surprise!), her plan falls neatly
into place.
Before all of the couples get a
chance to smash wedding cakes
into each others' faces,
Orlando's brother, Jaques de
Boys (not to be confused with
melancholy Jaques), shows up
with news that Duke Frederick
has decided to give back Duke
Senior's dukedom. Apparently,
Frederick entered the forest ready to kill his brother, but
met a "religious man" along the way and experienced a
sudden conversion. Like we said, things happen fast in
Arden.
Meanwhile, the local shepherdess, Phoebe, has fallen in
love with "Ganymede" and wants to marry "him." Also,
Touchstone has managed to find a not-so-bright country
girl, Audrey, who is willing to get hitched.
Duke Senior can't wait to return to court and promises to
restore all the exiles to their proper social stations—
including his new son-in-law Orlando, who will inherit
his dukedom. For now, though, he says that everyone
should party like it's 1599.
The action comes to a head when Rosalind/Ganymede
bumps into Orlando's mean brother, Oliver, in the forest.
We learn that Oliver came to the forest to kill his little
And they all live happily ever after. (Except for
melancholy Jaques, who decides to hang out by himself
in a cave.)
About the
Play:
“The fool doth think he is
wise, but the wise man knows
himself to be a fool.”
By the time Shakespeare wrote this play
in 1599, he already had seven other
comedies under his belt, including A
Love's Labour's Lost (1594) and A
Midsummer Night's Dream (1595).
1599, though, was a particularly
awesome year for our favorite dramatist.
Aside from penning As You Like It, he
also whipped up a few other plays—
Julius Caesar, Much Ado About Nothing, and Henry V. You might have heard of them.
Oh yeah, did we mention that Shakespeare's theater company, the Lord Chamberlain's men, also built the Globe Theater that
year? For those who aren't familiar, the Globe is pretty much the most famous theater of all time.
In other words, by the time As You Like It hit the Elizabethan stage, Shakespeare was at the height of his productivity and was
a true master of his craft. It was also around that time that he wrote
what many consider to be his greatest achievement, Hamlet.
Impressive, don't you think?
As You Like It features one of the most famous passages in all of
Western literature: "All the world's a stage,/ and all the men and
women merely players." Although the idea was already a cliché by
the time Shakespeare wrote these lines, the passage pretty much
sums up As You Like It, a drama in which playacting and fantasy
are the names of the game.
In the play, a girl runs away from her wicked uncle and winds up in
the Forest of Arden, where she traipses around disguised as a saucy
young boy. When she bumps into her crush in the middle of the
forest, she convinces him to participate in an imaginary courtship
that ends in marriage. Because it features a cross-dressing heroine
whose gutsy disguise challenges traditional ideas about gender, it's
safe to say that As You Like It was way ahead of its time..
“Love is merely a madness; and, I tell you, deserves as well
a dark house and a whip as madmen do; and the reason
why they are not so punish'd and cured is that the lunacy is
so ordinary that the whippers are in love too.”
Actor’s Thoughts
Sara Clark* (Rosalind): " As You Like It is an exquisitely verbal comedy, and at its
center lies one of the great roles in English drama. One that I am now lucky enough
to undertake. It’s a role that requires physical, vocal, and mental stamina, full
dramatic and comedic range, and facility with both verse and prose…the latter
counterintuitively more difficult than the former. All of these things make the play
attractive to any actor. But for me it’s more than that. For me, As You Like It is a
play that marks time.
When it was chosen by my seventh-grade drama teacher as the inaugural production
of her fledgling theatre department, it was my first experience with Shakespeare and
the beginning of a life-long love affair with his plays. Then it was the season opener for my first year with
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, initiating a decade of treading the boards at 719 Race. And now, this play
appears again in my life as my first time back onstage following the birth of my son. But this time, I find that I
am compelled by the role of Rosalind not just because it is challenging, but (seeing the world through the eyes
of my five-month-old baby boy) because it is JOYOUS.
Rosalind is a joy to play because she has the intelligence of Beatrice without her cynicism, the heart of Viola
without her melancholy, the cleverness of Cleopatra without her volatility, and the lovesick giddiness of Juliet
without her tragic end. She’s a character I’d want call a friend and one I delight in playing night after night.
And maybe when I mark the end of this particular era with the next production I’ll feel differently, but for now, I
hope you came to have a good time tonight, because I’m sure as hell going to.”
Paul Riopelle* (Jacques): " I find Jaques to be one of the most fascinating—and
elusive—characters in all of Shakespeare. We know so little about the guy—we
never learn where he is from, what his function is in Duke Senior’s court, or what
life events made him into the melancholy cynic he is. He takes no emotional
journey in the play, experiences no epiphanies, does not change in any way from
start to finish. Maybe most fascinating of all, his presence in the play does
absolutely nothing to further the plot along—one could literally cut Jaques
entirely out of the play, and not affect the outcome one bit. And yet, he is
considered by many to be the most interesting character in the show, and certainly, a coveted role among
actors. Why?
I think, perhaps, it’s because he’s a mouthpiece for Shakespeare, who has him stand apart from the action of
the play, and sarcastically comment on the experience of being human. Through Jaques’ observations,
Shakespeare muses on the facets and follies of Mankind—from love and romance, to power and position, to the
very journey of life itself in the famous ‘Seven Ages of Man’ speech. They are ‘omniscient’ opinions that could
only be made by someone not taking part in the action—by an ‘outsider’. So, while Jaques is not technically
essential to the play’s plot, Shakespeare’s delightful running commentary on humanity would be sorely missed
without him.”
Themes:
Love:
As You Like It is obsessed with the nature of love and
desire. In the play, Shakespeare demonstrates over and
over again how love can make people do some pretty
risky and foolish things. In particular, the play spends a
lot of time critiquing the artificiality of "courtly"
romance and reminds us of the silliness of assuming the
clichéd pose of a "Petrarchan lover"—something that
involves a lot of dramatic sighing, sadness, and
frustration over an unattainable.
As a Shakespearean comedy, As You Like It steadily works its way toward marriage (four of 'em!). Yet, the play is more than a
little anxious about what happens after a couple gets hitched. Shakespeare raises the possibility that heterosexual unions aren't
everything they're cracked up to be—hence, the numerous cuckold jokes that suggest all men (regardless of age and social
status) are destined to be cheated on by unfaithful wives. To complicate matters further, the play also explores the possibilities
of same-sex desire between Phoebe and Rosalind, Rosalind and Celia, and "Ganymede" and Orlando.
Foolishness and Folly:
As You Like It makes it clear that human beings can be pretty
ridiculous, so, naturally, much of the play is spent poking fun of
foolish behavior—from Orlando's silly notion that love should
look like a 14th-century Italian Hallmark card to Jaques's
melancholy and highly clichéd outlook on life. Touchstone, the
character who does most of the mocking in the play, just
happens to be a "licensed fool." Like Shakespeare's other fools,
Touchstone's quick wit and insight into human nature allow him
to point out the folly of those around him, even as he participates
in clowning and foolery.
Despite its critique of human folly, As You Like It also acknowledges that foolishness and folly are the very things that make us
human. And if we can recognize this, we're way ahead of the game. As Touchstone (channeling Socrates) points out "The fool
doth think he is wise, but the wise man/ knows himself to be a fool" (5.1.8).
Contrasting Regions:
By contrasting the treacherous French court with the idealized Forest of Arden, As You Like It participates in an age-old debate
of pastoral literature—is city life better than country life? On the one hand, the court is a cutthroat place where corruption and
family treachery are all too common, while the Forest of Arden is a place of simplicity, freedom, and self-discovery for the
exiles seeking its refuge. On the other hand, despite its appeal, the forest is only a temporary sanctuary for Shakespeare's cityslickers. In the end, most of the cast high-tails it back to court, where, presumably, they will make it a better place. So much for
roughing it.
GENDER:
Like Twelfth Night and The Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare's As
You Like It features a cross-dressing heroine whose disguise allows
Shakespeare to explore the fluidity of gender. When Rosalind flees
into the woods for safety, she disguises herself as an attractive
young boy, "Ganymede," challenging traditional ideas about what it
means to be a man or a woman. Rosalind's gender-bending game of
make-believe is complicated even further by the fact that the actor
playing the role of "Rosalind" would have been a boy, since women
weren't allowed to perform on Shakespeare's public stage. In As
You Like It, Shakespeare makes it clear that gender roles can be
imitated and performed—in theater and in real life.
FAMILY:
Domestic drama is par for the course in Shakespeare's comedies. In As You Like It, family treachery and betrayal drive the
play's action and also remind us that relatives cannot always be counted on to be loyal or loving. (After all, we're talking about a
play that features a duke who has stolen his older brother's title and another man who hires a wrestler to snap his little brother's
neck. In fact, cousins Celia and Rosalind seem to enjoy the only loving familial relationship until the final act.)
Like King Lear and Henry IV Part 1 and Part 2, As You Like It is largely preoccupied with the unfairness of primogeniture and
all the privileges one receives simply for being the first born in a family. It explores the social problems that can arise when
oldest sons inherit all of their fathers' titles, land, and wealth, leaving younger brothers with virtually nothing. Because As You
Like It is a comedy, though, all of the family drama is resolved by the play's end and domestic order is restored... for the most
part.
ART AND CULTURE:
TRANSFORMATION:
"All the world's a stage/ And all the
men and women merely players"
(2.7.9). So says Jaques, just one of
many characters played by actors
performing on a literal stage in As
You Like It. Shakespeare is famous
for his self-referential drama and As
You Like It takes every opportunity
to remind us of the theatrical nature
of human life.
Transformation is a big deal in As You Like
It. In the Forest of Arden, some characters
transform through the ancient art of crossdressing, while others shrug off their cityslicker identities and live as rustic countrytypes. Physical transformations aren't the only
big changes at work in the play's pastoral
setting. Except for the endlessly melancholy
Jaques, most characters undergo some sort of
psychological or spiritual transformation in
Arden. Often, these "conversions" are sudden
and seemingly miraculous, as is the case with
Duke Frederick and Oliver, who change their
evil ways upon entering the woods.
The play also explores other related
art forms—love poetry, licensed
"fooling," dancing, and singing.
These performances are clearly
meant to entertain the audience, but
Shakespeare also considers the
nuances of the kinds of art that
come naturally to us, such as writing poetry for a lover,
singing a song to cheer up a friend, or even donning a
disguise while "play-acting." Art isn't always just a mirror
of life; in the best cases, it's the stuff of life itself.
At times, this theme allows Shakespeare to
explore the nature of the theater, which
requires actors to transform themselves on an
ever-changing stage. At other times, the characters'
physical and spiritual conversions allow Shakespeare to
comment on humanity—we may be deeply flawed, but we
are also capable of changing for the better.
Shakespeare’s Globe Premiere
The Globe was built for in 1599 when the Chamberlain's Men could not renew their lease for their old theater in
the north of London. Like many of London's more puritan minded citizens, their landlord Giles Allen
considered playacting to the same as
prostitution and other vile crimes and didn't
want to have the company to continue to
operate on his property. Simply known as "The
Theatre", their company's old structure, was
slyly taken down lock, stock and thatch when
Giles Allen was out of town and moved across
the Thames to a new sight in the section of
Southwark. The new site also had the benefit
of being in a territory that was beyond the
control of London's city government. The areas
known as "liberties" were sections that
originally housed religious structures that were
independent of mayor's office. The Globe
opened in late 1599 to such plays as Julius
Caesar and Hamlet. As You Like It may also
have been on the first season's roster as some scholars think the famous line from Jaques "All the World's a
Stage" is a jab at their old landlord. As he tried to stop their theatrical endeavors, the more the company
showed that they could perform anywhere.
Elizabethan
Country
Dancing
The Elizabethan Lower Classes were
not in the position to hear the new
court music or learn the intricate steps
of the Court dances. Their only contact
with these innovations, and as with the
latest fashions, would have been
through the theatres. These English
country dances were danced by couples in round, square, or rectangular sets in much simpler and repetitive
forms and less intricate steps. The dances of the Elizabethan Lower Class would therefore be very different to
those of the Elizabethan Upper Class. The dances would have been passed down through the generations and
the different types of country dances were popular with everyone. The dances of the Lower Classes would have
been performed at fairs and festivals, many of which were dictated by the changing seasons and the calendar of
Church events. Many of the dances of the Elizabethan Lower classes were steeped in old customs and rituals,
such as dancing around the Maypole. The Christmas festival included the carole which was the most popular
dance-song which could be danced in a circle, or in a chain, or as a processional. Our modern Christmas Carols
are derived from this practice.
Give some of them a try yourself!
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Brand, Brawle, Branle - the first dance often performed during celebratory gatherings and was also
immensely popular as a concluding dance for masque revels. This circle dance featured sideways steps
The Jig or Gigge aka Port - the jig traditionally involved 'leaps'
The Hornpipe - a lively dance resembling a jig which eventually became associated with sailors. Often
accompanied by a pipe with a reed mouthpiece
Roundel - Any dances which were performed in circle also called a ring-dance
Dump, Dumpe or Dompe - Dance accompanied by the lute
Buffoons - Comic characters who originally featured in ritual dancing such as Morris dances. The
theme survived in the Buffoon country dance and also in court masques
Maypole Dance - Dated back to the English pagan era where the maypole represented a symbol of
fertility. Dancers dance in a circle each holding a coloured ribbon attached to a central pole
Morris Dance - Often danced with handkerchiefs or sticks to embellish the hand movement.
““I pray you, do not fall in love with me, for I am falser than vows made in wine.”
Discussion
Questions:
1. Discuss the possible reasons why Rosalind stays in her
"Ganymede" disguise so Orlando can practice wooing her. (Why
doesn't she reveal her identity so the couple can get hitched right
away and live happily after?)
2. For a play that works really hard to marry off four couples, As
You Like It sure does contain a lot of jokes about cuckoldry
(wives cheating on their husbands). Do the cuckold jokes
undermine the play's seemingly pro-marriage attitude? Does this
play have a pro-marriage attitude?
3. Using specific examples from the play, discuss how Touchstone
reveals the foolishness and folly of other characters.
4. What's the difference, if any, between Touchstone and Jaques?
5. If Arden is so great, why the heck does everybody decide to return to court when Duke Frederick steps
down?
6. Compare and contrast Duke Senior's court and Arden.
7. How would you characterize Orlando's poetry? How do the other characters respond to it? What is it that
makes Orlando's verses so bad?
8. Discuss how Shakespeare self-consciously reminds us that we are a theater audience throughout the
play.
9. As You Like It is structured in a way that allows Shakespeare to juxtapose characters, attitudes, and
even settings. Discuss one or two specific examples of juxtaposition in the play and describe the overall
impact of this structure.
10. As You Like It is one of Shakespeare's gender-bending comedies. Discuss how Rosalind's "Ganymede"
disguise challenges traditional attitudes about gender.
11. What's the purpose of Phoebe falling in love with "Ganymede"? What does this suggest about the nature
of same-sex desire?
12. Why does Oliver want his little brother dead?
13. Do we know why Duke Frederick has usurped Duke Senior's title?
14. Epilogues in Elizabethan plays were usually delivered by actors playing the parts of male characters.
Why does Shakespeare have Rosalind deliver the epilogue of As You Like It? (Psst. You might want
to read the epilogue before you answer this question.)
15. What's the overall significance of the play's title, As You Like It?
16. Why doesn't Jaques take part in the festivities at the play's end?
Classroom
Activities:
Activity 1- Transformations
While you are watching As You Like It, notice which characters transform
the most. What specific forces, situations or locales caused these changes?
What types of transformations do people go through today? Have
advancements in science and technology increased the likelihood of people
transforming throughout their life?
Have students choose one character from As You Like It and one person in
modern society and map out both transformations. Create a comic strip of
five panels to show the transformations. Include a caption about what is
going on in each panel.
Activity 2- Designing As You Like It:
You are the design team for a production of As You Like It by William Shakespeare. There will be a set, costume, lighting
and sound designer for the production. The play will be produced in a proscenium theatre, with an unlimited budget.
After seeing the play, divide students into design teams of five, with each student assuming the role of sets, costumes,
lights, props and sound designer. As a design team, they must decide on and research the following:
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Design team: Have the groups research what the roles of each designer is.
Themes: Decide on three main themes that are important to the play that your group will illuminate through the
design process. Find textual support for each theme.
Setting/Era: Discuss what specific time and place the group can set As You Like It to make it most relevant for
contemporary audiences. Based on the themes they decide on, what time period makes sense? Are these themes
universal? Can they only happen in certain cultures during certain eras? How can adding specific detail help to
illuminate the themes or issues in their chosen setting?
Design Concept: This can be a phrase, a sentence or an outline. After deciding on a design concept, each student
will design for their element. (How will you sell your concept to the show’s director, i.e. your teacher?)
How will you use set, costumes, lights, props and sound/music to help tell the story?
Each student should provide:
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A creative representation of their design (poster, CD, collage, fabric swatches).
A design statement in support of their concepts, including the historical research and textual references from the
play that support their decisions.
Have the design teams present their concept to their classmates. Reflect on the design and it how it supports their
understanding of the play. Compare and contrast the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s production design with the
students’ own vision for the play. What did they think of the designers’ choices? How did the designers approach to the
play create a world, establish character relationships and ultimately illuminate the story of As You Like It?
Activity 3- Orlando’s “Tongues” of Love:
In the play, Orlando writes copious amounts of love poems and hangs them all over the forest, praising the “fair,
chaste and unexpressive” Rosalind. Even though he is very proud of his work, Touchstone, Celia, and even the
(rather expressive) Rosalind find his work rather lacking in poetic masterpeice.
Have students write their own poems about Rosalind, or a love of their own choosing, and hang them all over
your classroom while studying As You Like It.
“Thou seest we are not all alone unhappy:
This wide and universal theatre
Presents more woeful pageants than the scene
Wherein we play in..”
Sources:
http://www.ehow.com/about_4571160_marriage-elizabethan-times.html
http://elizabethan.org/compendium/62.html
http://hudsonshakespeare.org/Shakespeare%20Library/globe_theater.htm
Shakespeare Theater Company Education Team. “Teacher Ciricculum Guide.”
http://www.shakespearetheatre.org/_pdf/first_folio/ayli.pdf, 17 Nov. 2016.
Shmoop Editorial Team. "As You Like It." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Dec. 2008. Web. 17 Nov. 2016.
Shmoop Editorial Team. " As You Like It Questions." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Dec. 2008. Web. 17
Nov. 2016.
https://sites.google.com/site/himusicguilde/elizabethan-dance
SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on As You Like It.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2002. Web. 17 Nov. 2016.
Photos by Mikki Schaffner