As You LIke It: act1

Since I'm doing all the histories in order... As you like it comes next as the 2nd play i studied in a high school Shakespeare course. I find this play deilghtful and I'm glad we get to explore 2 comedies in a row. I think one of the interesting things about this play is the way it feels so slow/almost dull/ rather clunky until everyone gets into the forest of arden. the difference between the courtly and pastoral feel and pacing is stunning. So today's blog post may skip a lot until we get to the forest (full disclosure: phoebe and silvius are my FAVORITE part of this play...)

1.1

the play begins with an old man and a young man. I love this. I'm keen on time and change these days.

This is it, Adam, that grieves me; and the spirit of my father, which I think is within me, begins to mutiny against this servitude: I will no longer endure it, though yet I know no wise remedy how to avoid it.

Oh Orlando, who wouldn't feel that way? I think this is universal the Catholic in me likes to think that the spirit of OUR FATHER makes us feel restless with all kinds of servitude in this same way...

After this Oliver, Orlando's mean brother comes and asks what he is making/marring. Orlando's clever response is

Marry, sir, I am helping you to mar that which God made, a poor unworthy brother of yours, with idleness.

GO EDUCATION! and work that feels fulfilling!

The brothers fight and the text seems to imply that Orlando could kick Oliver's ass if he watned to (prep for the wrestling scene?)

and in case we had any sense of pity for Oliver after how he treats orlando, his parting shot is calling the servant Adam an "old dog"

Is 'old dog' my reward? Most true, I have lost my teeth in your service. God be with my old master! he would not have spoke such a word.

oh adam, its ok, the audience loves you!! 

After Orlando and Adam leave, Charles the wrestler comes in and we get some kind of clunky exposition between he and Oliver about Rosalind and how she was not banished but her father was. She was not banished for the sake of Celia.

Does anyone else never believe that orlando could possibly get seriously hurt by wrestling? maybe i've just never seen a truly terrifying charles the wrestler but i feel like this original conflict is very obvious machinery. so let's move on to the stuff that interests me...

1.2

Rosalind and Celia- So we have one of Shakespeare's most loquacious females and one of his smartest and their friendship rivals that of hermia and helena. For instance, there's this:

CELIA

Herein I see thou lovest me not with the full weight that I love thee. If my uncle, thy banished father, had banished thy uncle, the duke my father, so thou hadst been still with me, I could have taught my love to take thy father for mine: so wouldst thou, if the truth of thy love to me were so righteously tempered as mine is to thee.

ROSALIND

Well, I will forget the condition of my estate, to rejoice in yours.

and Celia's claims get even sweeter:

for what he hath taken away from thy father perforce, I will render thee again in affection; by mine honour, I will;

and then the talk turns to falling in love which Rosalind seems to take in immediate interest with but Celia dismisses. I see a lot of the pre-Dan me in Celia, this is how i often felt. they play with words a bit and then in comes "the fool" touchstone who continues the banter. we also start the gender/cross dressing theme when touchstone asks the girls to swear by their beards.

Another reason to love Celia:

CELIA

By my troth, thou sayest true; for since the little
wit that fools have was silenced, the little foolery
that wise men have makes a great show.

SO WONDERFUL

Le Beau then enters with more exposition and then we get the wrestling scene which is dull to read but FANTASTIC to watch if you have actors skilled in either clown or combat. throughout the scene we see how frustrated celia is with her father and she encourages rosalind to talk with orlando Let us go thank him and encourage him:

I like that the girls seem to say less gushy things than Orlando in this play and by the end of the scene we already know he is head over heels for Rosalind.

1.3

Here we get the main plot of the play- Celia and rosalind decide to run away. We begin with this exchange:

CELIA

But is all this for your father?

ROSALIND

No, some of it is for my child's father. 

Oh snap. Shakespeare just highlighted the concept of a baby daddy. So now we know Rosalind has it just as bad for Orlando as Orlando does for her. They talk a while longer until we get an amazing character description:

ROSALIND

 Look, here comes the duke.

CELIA

With his eyes full of anger.

How do you play that?! eyes full of anger. or do you even need to and the audience will just transpose it. i know i'm reading way too far into this but that phrase just absolutely tickled me!!

Celia has some AMAZING lines/descriptions shortly after this, such as this decription of her love for Rosalind:

I was too young that time to value her;
But now I know her: if she be a traitor,
Why so am I; we still have slept together,
Rose at an instant, learn'd, play'd, eat together,
And wheresoever we went, like Juno's swans,
Still we went coupled and inseparable.

Some people want to argue that there's a homosexual love here, I lean toward the homosocial. Mostly because i went to an all girls school and know what it is to love best friends as sisters and never want to part. Its a really lovely presexualized adoration that it would be a shame to discount. Celia then continues to encourage Rosalind to look on the bright side and focus on what's important:

Rosalind lacks then the love
Which teacheth thee that thou and I am one:
Shall we be sunder'd? shall we part, sweet girl?
No: let my father seek another heir.
Therefore devise with me how we may fly,
And do not seek to take your change upon you,
To bear your griefs yourself and leave me out;
For, by this heaven, now at our sorrows pale,
Say what thou canst, I'll go along with thee.

alright, let's escape!!

ROSALIND

Why, whither shall we go?

CELIA

To seek my uncle in the forest of Arden.

I've really idealized the forest of Arden. its one of my imaginary visualization happy places... re-read the play. maybe it will become your too. but before we get to the happy place let's talk about a very real concern:

Beauty provoketh thieves sooner than gold.

SCARY rape culture reference when I read that... anyone else feel that way?

anyway, instead of uglying up, Rosalind comes up with this idea:

Were it not better,
Because that I am more than common tall,
That I did suit me all points like a man?

OK, let's go with that game plan, we're set to run away now right? wrong. we need some really random addition first:

ROSALIND

But, cousin, what if we assay'd to steal
The clownish fool out of your father's court?
Would he not be a comfort to our travel?

CELIA

He'll go along o'er the wide world with me;
Leave me alone to woo him. Let's away,

The care to explain why Touchstone shows up with them and that they want them there/its part of their plan is so interesting to me. especially since if touchstone is there they already HAVE a man to protect them/etc. 

But they dont seem to think of this/mind their state:

 Now go we in content
To liberty and not to banishment.

A theme i keep running into as I blog is any place can be paradise or can be hell based on who is with you and how they are making you feel.

Next time we'll get to pastoral times. woohoo!!!

PS: here's a picture from Roving Shakespeare's production of AYLI. I'd love to hear from them about their favorite moments of this play/ what they discovered! Props to my fellow MLitt/MFAers! and stunning work http://www.miscellaneousmediaphotography.com/