Out with the Old, In with the New

My first impression when reading this extract was the immense thought, analysis and interpretation that goes into putting on a performance of Shakespeare's plays. The characterization is so in-depth that the actress playing Rosalind lived in jeans, to feel like a boy. The though process for the set was also elaborate and well thought out. The globe theatre and how the actors dealt with performing in this unique environment bought authenticity to the play as this is how actors performed in Shakespearean times. As pointed out it certainly was ironic that in Elizabethan England all female roles were essayed by boys and therefore Rosalind represented a double whammy of sorts, a boy being a girl pretending to be a boy! Modern day interpretations allow female actors in the role! The reading was certainly an eye-opener of insights for me

As far as interpretation, it was interesting to note the various nuances and how they were justified. Glaringly, was the speculation that Orlando always knew that Ganymede is Rosalind, which lifts his intellectual status as equal to Rosalind making him worthy of her. Shakespeare never actually outright alludes to this and so this interpretation is based on hints and needing to believe that Rosalind could never fall for a weak, duped character. I wonder though how much of this is wishful thinking. Is it not possible that Rosalind can fall in love with a man not worthy of her. Did not Shakespeare use the notion that love is blind and fickle and Cupid strikes his bow to any two unsuspecting characters. Was not Rosalind taken by simply a handsome man who won at wrestling signifying his physical and not mental strength, and further was she not fickle in forgetting the love for her father and the pain of his banishment? I honestly feel that the modern day interpretation wanted to glamorize the aspect of the love story and needed to beef up Orlando, when considering his love spends most of her time as a man. This is similar to Hollywood films interpretation when the hero can beat up a dozen men to win the heart of the damsel in distress.

It was interesting to note the school of thought that Rosalind playing a man was able to assess the true intentions and feelings of Orlando and test his authenticity. But again how can this notion hold true, if indeed Orlando is simply playing a game and knows Rosalind is in disguise.

On a general note of interpretation, adaptation and authenticity: well as the theory of knowledge state, we see things not as they are but as we are. No interpretation can ever be wrong as it is the visual from the viewpoint of the director; it is in effect his vision and not the vision of Shakespeare that the audience sees. The director will interpret in this case As you like it, on his feelings, past experiences and emotional response rather than on pure knowledge, rightly or wrongly in others eyes. In the same way a painting or novel may appeal to one person as a masterpiece but may be not so kindly noted to another. Taste also evolves as we evolve. What is relevant then may hold no value today. Often artists or novelists were not appreciated in their lifetime as their work was misunderstood or ahead of their times. With the passage of time understanding and significance increases since beauty needs a value to define it and it's value may not be discovered till much later. It is up to the director how true to the original he wants to stay, it is about his perception. Writers too have a poetic license not to be authentic to add dimension to their canvas. Their creativity enhances the image created and the story being told. For example, we can question where exactly does a forest have a lion and palm trees in this English of plays which house Dukes? The" aesthetics of beauty", explores what defines beauty to a connoisseur or to a layman. This essay discusses in depth how art is perceived but much of it's analysis can broadly be applied to how we interpret a piece of fiction or a play.

Bitter Sweet Love

An antagonist is a character who opposes the views of the protagonist and does all he can to counter their opinions or plans. Jacques is the antagonist to the love of Orlando and Rosalind and wishes to make light of or sabotage their budding romance.

Jacques is a melancholy traveler in As you Like it. The reasons for his deep rooted and psychological sadness is unclear but references show that he is opposed to the idea and institution of love. In fact he is so accustomed to his melancholy that he wears proudly like a cloak that he actually enjoys being in this condition, revealing a mental disorder of the mind.

We can suppose that Jacques may in fact have been the Orlando in his past, may have fallen head over heels in love, only to face rejection and heart break which left him bitter and cynical. This is epitomized in his conversation with the lovesick Orlando where he, upon hearing the name of Orlando’s object of desire, coldly and emphatically states without rhyme or reason or clear motif.

3.2.246 “I do not like her name”
3.2.251 “The worst fault you have is to be in love”
3.2.264 “By my troth, I was seeking for a fool when I found you”

Though throughout the play Jacques is an insensitive party pooper of sorts full of sarcasm and dry wit that derides others he in fact shows great sympathy and heart by weeping and lamenting over the dying deer in the garden of Arden. He moralizes about the human condition and shows himself to be ahead of his time with great sensitivity and insight in a time when killing animals was socially accepted as a sport of kings. We might infer that the deer, a female may represent the death of his previous relationship. He may cry for the fact his lady love is dead even figuratively speaking and is mourning his heart break for something that once was a fragile beauty that roamed free. In fact love is extremely fragile and can easily be lost in the blink of an eye.

Shakespeare though being revered as the writer of personifying love through his prose and sonnets in fact enjoyed mocking love, even in his greatest love story, Romeo and Juliet. Here he cleverly uses Jacques to jest and ridicule the most passionate of human emotion. This acts a contrast to the intoxicated feelings of Orlando and Rosalind and indirectly is able to highlight their intensity with his opposition that keeps their lofty praises and optimism real and grounded. The reader is then able to grasp their love story in greater depth and appreciation due to the contrast of love and bitterness. After all love is ‘bitter sweet’ and full of pain and sorrow. So the reactions of the lovelorn Orlando strangely are not very different from the bitter Jacques who opposes love.

I agree with the sentiments of Gautam, on the further proof of the insight of Jacques, in “All the worlds a stage” commentary. And yes, that Jacques though harmless in the end despite being a foil and demonstrating open hostility to Rosalind and Orlando, is indeed to be viewed as the antagonist and not just the pessimist. It is possible as Gautam states that Jacques secretly craves to be Touchstone the court jester, but I do not agree that this shows his lighter side. Clowns are often depicted even today with sad faces and tears drawn on them which belies their antics that give rise to laughter and joys to others. In fact Jacques I feel wants to be a clown so that he can mask his own deep rooted sadness to the cruel unsympathetic world in a mask or make up. In this disguise he can make light of the ‘fools’ around him all the while hiding his true feelings. Clowns are essentially lonely people who are never part of the crowd but are removed from it, an outsider that entertains from the sidelines but is never invited into the party as a guest. He does not take part in the wedding celebration, as this celebration represents an event that he was powerless to prevent, and despises the happy ending that his life never had. He decides to be a hermit and stay in the forest which reinforces his isolation.

http://gautamkapur.wordpress.com/2011/09/07/jacques-the-antagonist/

Just Humor Me!

Sarcasm may be defined as a keen, reproachful expression, a satirical remark uttered with some degree of scorn to taunt perhaps in the form of praise to signify an insult. Shakespeare was a pioneer in its usage and its usage is a common part of the cutting edge dialogue for many of his plays whether in comedy or tragedy. Sarcasm is used to great effect in As You Like It in a comical parody.

Sarcasm adds to the verbal duels between the characters whether it be, the love between two characters Rosalind and Orlando or hate such as Orlando and Oliver or simply for no real reason in jest as often shown by the clown. This exchange adds spark to the dialogues and aides in keeping the audience on their toes as they have to be sharp and in tune to keep up with the real meaning behind the false words and amused by the sheer audacity of the character using this form of speech. Sarcasm often invites an equally scathing rebuttal unless the remark is so casual and flippant that while the audience appreciates it the victim either does not notice or ignores it. There are many examples but below I highlight a chosen few to illustrate my point:

The first scene in Act 1 begins with a verbal scuffle between the two brothers Orlando and Oliver where Orlando begrudgingly acknowledges that Oliver is his superior as he is the eldest and by law should be left his fathers fortune while he should have a life of penury.

“Nothing: I am not taught to make anything,” Scene 1, 26

Here, Oliver takes a pot shot at his brother that he is simply idling as what more can he do as his brother does not pay for his education. Further, in polite tones laced with bitter sarcasm he states, he knows that the orchard he is in is owned by birthright to his elder brother and how he should gainfully spend his time.

Act 1 scene 1,32. “Shall I keep your hogs and eat husks with them”
Act 1 scene 1.36 “O, Sir, very well: here in your orchard”
Act 1 scene 1. “The courtesy of nations allows you my better”

While the scene starts gently with a tug of sarcasm this is simply to set the scene as quickly Orlando employs direct insults which leads to violence, but the scene ends after the tussle with Oliver leaving with a sarcastic note of fake concern as he scorns his elder brother of his capabilities without his protection.

Act 1 scene 1,67. “And what wilt thou do? Beg when that is spent?”

In another example in scene 3 Duke Frederick praises himself to be forgiving and kind in self mockery and in the same breath threatens Orlando of his fortune and willingly instigates the murder of Orlando.
Act 3 scene 1,2. “But were I not the better part made mercy”

Shakespeare also highlights the love at first sight concept but often mocks the very idea as fickle and frivolous. Love is often compared to a form of madness and here with the budding romance of Rosalind and Orlando he uses the court jester to make a mockery of the constitution as he rewrites the clumsy love poem written by Orlando to Rosalind. (curiously Romeos first love was Rosalind which turned out to be short lived)

Act 3 scene 2,93. “Winter garments must be lined so must slender Rosalind”

When Jacques remarks flippantly he does not like Orlando’s lady love name, he retorts that they did not name her to please him and Jacques responds with a truth it seems but with a tinge of sarcasm which is met with an equally strong sarcasm.

Act 3 scene 2, 251 “you are full of pretty answers. Have you not been acquainted with goldsmiths’ wives and conned them out of rings?”
“Not so. But I answer you right painted cloth from whence you have studied your questions”
The duel continues with insults galore;
Act 3 scene 2, 264 “By my troth I was seeking a fool when I found you”
Act 3 scene 2, 270 “Farewell, good Signior Love”
Adieu good Monsieur Melancholy “

The dialogues allow the narrative to flow, give way to the true feelings of the characters and almost make the verses flow with the lightening speed of the firing of bullets. In comedy timing is paramount or else the joke will be lost. Sarcasm is a very clever tool which allows the wit to be enhanced and the volleys lightening fast.

Shakespeare understood that sarcasm is wit only to the intelligent ear in the same way slapstick is for the fool and so he used this literary device to great effect. The language for sarcasm by its very essence has to be highly sophisticated but almost sets itself up with an open invitation for rebuttal.

I am looking forward to yours!!

As I See It...

It is always a strange experience almost surreal experience to read a play or novel then see it played out for ' real , on the big screen or in a theatre. Upon reading, ' As You Like It ', I had set visuals in my head. I see the characters faces and imagine the settings and background and colors. I become the director and create my own canvas. Upon watching the play, my first thought is disbelief as the characters are so different in physical appearance than in my imagination.further, in my head the settings are real and elaborate like a technicolor motion picture in high definition. However, in the play on stage there is no such luxury and the setting is plain and there is an obvious audience that reminds you that this is a staged rehearsed production with actors.

On the positive side, it is wonderful to hear the dialogues with their melodious ring and the play simply comes alive despite the barren backdrop. All the characters however in their dialogue delivery and actions appear loud and outlandish and exaggerated in their movements, which is how I expect Shakespeare wanted to protest his characters. This is similar to the portrayal of cartoon like characters by Dickens as the reader is more compelled to take notice if things are out of the ordinary, larger than life caricatures. There is on stage shown tremendous variance in the stresses of court life to the serenity and simplicity of life in the forest of Arden with lightening speed prop and scene changes. The costumes too add to the drama and bring to life the era of that time. 

With Rosalind and Celia I expected more fragile, demure and younger characters who I imagined to be soft spoken. Instead they appear feisty and vivacious, with childish giggles intertwined within their determination. However Rosalind came across as the more unsure nervous character while Celia was the calmer voice of reason. As expected Orlando was young and passionate with reckless abandon that comes with youth. He reminded me of Romeo from ' Romeo and Juliet'. Touchstone was extremely manic in his madness and an exaggerated caricature on stage. Oliver, as expected came across as arrogant and full of pride but the Senior Duke was not as regal as I expected on stage, while Adam was mature and paternal. The other characters showed no glaring differences in the reading or watching.

The main stark difference was that on stage you could see the play was written as a parody and comedy while this was not apparent in the reading as the play appeared to be a serious drama full of conflict and strife.  This may have been in the difficulty of reading Shakespearean text as opposed to modern day language and added to the fact I had not imagined expressions, reactions coupled with over the top actions while taking in the text. 

Richard Cory - A Lasting Impression

The poem starts with the title, as Richard Cory, which from the offset gives ultimate importance to the man the poem is devoted to. The overall theme of the poem is that appearances can be deceptive and that ultimately you can never judge a book by it's cover. Richard Cory at face value appears to have it all, looks, money, fame, charisma etc, and yet underneath it all he must have been burdened with troubles and desperately unhappy and lonely as he sat alone in his ivory tower as he committed suicide, "Went home and put a bullet through his head." (16). On the other hand the town folk envy him this perceived perfect man in the same way a child envies the perfect sibling that parents take glee in comparing you too, which incites jealousy, anger and resentment, through no fault perhaps of the sibling who may be unaware.

The words "gentleman from sole to crown " (3) signify is impeccable dress sense but reinforces the social divide as gentleman in olden days were the gentry as opposed to the under privileged paupers. He is described as perfect from head to toe without a hair out of place. The words "crown," (3) and "imperially slim" (4) show that he has regality and is thought of no less in stature than a "king " (9). The social status divide is further shown by the fact that he must live in the affluent uptown and whenever he graces his presence to go "downtown" (1) the people stare and admire him with awe and adulation. The imagery is the normal people are on the streets on the "pavement" while he must be in his carriage as if on a royal or presidential parade on the road. The streets are cleared as the commoners wave at him.

In stanza 2, repeating "he was always" almost gives the tone of jealously taunting him in a very gossipy female manner. The reader expects him to be above the ordinary, even celestial in stature and is stating that Richard would be noble enough to speak in a normal way to the people as if coming down to their level from his lofty tower. His power and hold over people extended to making ladies fall for his charms, "he fluttered pulses" (7). The "glittered" and "morning" (8) gives the appearance of a golden halo surrounding him in the sunshine of the new day. His wealth is also signified by the golden glitter, his fine clothes and "yes, richer than a king" (9). It appears the poet is responding to a question here. He is described as highly educated and in stanza 2 the poet directly admits to wishing to be him or like him "make us wish that we were in his place. "we thought that he was everything" shows past tense and foreshadows that they no longer admire him or that he no longer exists except in their memories which have left an everlasting impression. The qualities described come in quick excited succession leaving no time for thought or analysis, the first impression has been created.

The last stanza shifts to the self loathing of the people who are resentful that have toil and strife and are still waiting to achieve what Richard Cory had. There are heavenly religious connotations with "waiting for the light" (13) this had biblical symbolism as if they are waiting for deliverance to the promised land. The class divide is again shown as rich people can only eat "meat"(14) and traditionally from historical times the poor had to do with basic servings of "bread" which they despise as a symbol of their poverty,"cursed the bread" (14) .light though appears both in Cory 's description and theirs underlying that light defines us all and is universal and omnipresent like god. In the last two lines the story moves forward with the ultimately death of Cory that shatters their illusion with the same loud noise as the "bullet through his head" (16). It as if the entire town has been shot in the head and with that have finally woken up and come to their senses. This loud violent sound and action contrasts sharply with the preceding "one calm Summer night" which makes it even more shocking. The iambic rhythm of the poem and short choppy rhymed verses give the poem a almost unemotional tone which ends abruptly with his death. No further evidence is given of shock or remorse making the people of the town seem selfish, unapologetic and cold hearted.

First impressions it seems do not always last.

Sent from my iPad

Bros For Life

The opening scene sets the tone of the play and therefore is important in revealing the mood of the characters and how the story unfolds. Orlando, the youngest of the three sons of Sir Roland de Bois is lamenting to his servant, Adam, that he has been hard done by. His dead father has bequeathed the eldest son, his brother, Oliver all his wealth and power. While the middle brother is being educated, he was left a paltry sum and is treated without respect or in a way accustomed to a gentleman of his status.

“I his brother, gain nothing under his growth, for the which his animals on his dunghills are as much bound to him as I .Besides this nothing that he so plentifully gives me, the something that nature gave me his countenance seems to take from me; he lets me feed with his hinds, bars me the place of a brother, and as much as in him lies, mines my gentility with my education,” (Act 1 Scene 1 11-18) - Orlando

The scene first of all shows the traditions of the time where the first born is given higher position status and reverence purely due to accident of birth and based upon love, talent or any other deserving quality.

“The courtesy of nations allows you my better, in that you are the first-born, but the same tradition takes not away my blood, were there twenty brothers betwixt us ; I have as much of my father in me as you,” (Act 1 scene 1 40 – 44) - Orlando

Further, since much of the play deals with the complexity and fragility of human relationships, the opening scene reveals the strife between two men bound by a common mother and sharing the same blood. Despite, this instead of love we have jealousy, and bitterness and hatred tying these two men together. And yet despite their estrangement, there still lies respect albeit wrapped in threats and insults.

“I am no villain; I am the youngest son of Sir Roland de Bois, he was my father, and he is thrice a villain that says such a father begot villains. Wert thou not my brother, I would not take this hand from my throat till this other had pulled out thy tongue for saying so,” (Act 1 scene 1 50- 54) - Orlando.

The play discovers that any event can affect the relations we keep and friends can turn to foes and back again. The play ends with the reconciliation of the brothers ultimately showing that blood is thicker than water. Brother to brother bonds have been explored from the Bible when stories first emerged of the Prodigal son and then we have seen stories such as Kane and Able. Rivalries are often stronger between siblings than between two people not sharing the same DNA. In direct contrast within the same Act I we see the love and bond between Celia and Rosalind who are mere cousins, but treat each other like sisters. Shakespeare, often shows turmoil entwined in the complex maze of human emotions as the theme of many of his plays, drawing from real life but in a more larger than life dramatic narrative. The words of the players are often more stronger in conveying human strife than simply violence showing the pen is mightier than the sword.

As You Like It! Act I Character Web

Here characters from Act I, As You Like It have been examined as well as their relationships with one other.