AYLI act 3: RUN ORLANDO RUN! and lots of love for scene partners & John Harrell...

Act 3 we have several scenes again but this time most of them are full length scenes and we get to meet more characters/get to the crux of the play. SO MUCH to talk about. hard to pick which parts to feature in the blog...

3.1

This scene holds a special place in my heart because I worked on it during my Acting on the Blackfriars Stage class. John Harrell assigned it to Melissa and myself and since I was in the middle of learning lines for Tailgate Shakespeare I begged her to take the role of the Duke and let me have the 2 lines of Oliver. Mercifully she said yes. and we had a GREAT time working on the physicality in the scene. Basically the duke is angry that he can't find Orlando and therefore Celia & Rosalind. So then this happens:

OLIVER

O that your highness knew my heart in this!
I never loved my brother in my life.

DUKE FREDERICK

More villain thou. Well, push him out of doors;

First- I love that we get a built in surprise with this scene- I can't imagine Oliver sees this coming- and second, I wonder about Duke Frederick in this moment. Is this where his conversion begins? Seeing one brother so cruel to another reminds him of his own cruelty? Or does he not see his hypocrisy? This little scene is just endlessly fascinating and had I not worked on it I don't think i would have paid any attention to it!

3.2

This must just be the ode to John Harrell blog post because this scene also reminds me of him due to one of my favorite performances of his in Wild Oats (hmmm.. maybe once i work my way through the cannon I"m going to need to keep blogging other favorite plays/performances?!). The scene begins with a ridiculous and yet adorably charming Orlando:

Hang there, my verse, in witness of my love:
...
O Rosalind! these trees shall be my books
And in their barks my thoughts I'll character;
...
Run, run, Orlando; carve on every tree
The fair, the chaste and unexpressive she.

How can you hear those lines explode out of an actor and not be filled with inexplicable giddyness?!

Anyway, after this start to the scene we get the clown/straight man bit talking about court vs. the country:

TOUCHSTONE

Truly, thou art damned like an ill-roasted egg, all on one side.

CORIN

For not being at court? Your reason.

TOUCHSTONE

Why, if thou never wast at court, thou never sawest good manners; if thou never sawest good manners, then thy manners must be wicked; and wickedness is sin, and sin is damnation. Thou art in a parlous state, shepherd.

CORIN

Not a whit, Touchstone: those that are good manners at the court are as ridiculous in the country as the behavior of the country is most mockable at the court. 

Touchstone does not believe Corin's assertions (side note, damned like an ill-roasted egg is a genius phrase. I really need to make a list of all the phrases I want to incorporate into daily conversation.)

CORIN

Sir, I am a true labourer: I earn that I eat, get that I wear, owe no man hate, envy no man's happiness, glad of other men's good, content with my harm, and the greatest of my pride is to see my ewes graze and my lambs suck.

TOUCHSTONE

That is another simple sin in you, to bring the ewes and the rams together and to offer to get your living by the copulation of cattle; 

How much FUN can an actor have with the phrase "Copulation of cattle". comedic gold. Also, thi scene just make me ADORE corin. the lovely simplicity and sweetness he expresses makes ME want to run into the country and I am DEFINITELY a city/suburban girl. Then Rosalind enters with one of Orlando's MANY poems. Of course, Orlando is not the greatest poet (very few of Shakespeare's men seem to be when it comes to actual love poems) and he even changes rhyme schemes/is bad enough that everyone comments on his shitty writing:

ROSALIND

From the east to western Ind,
No jewel is like Rosalind.
Her worth, being mounted on the wind,
Through all the world bears Rosalind.
All the pictures fairest lined
Are but black to Rosalind.
Let no fair be kept in mind
But the fair of Rosalind.

Again, just like with R&J, I think it is IMPORTANT to teach people that SOMETIMES Shakespeare has BAD WRITING intentionally for his characters and that that is FUNNY. and should be played. Touchstone certainly finds it amusing:

TOUCHSTONE

If a hart do lack a hind,
Let him seek out Rosalind.
If the cat will after kind,
So be sure will Rosalind.
Winter garments must be lined,
So must slender Rosalind.
Sweetest nut hath sourest rind,
Such a nut is Rosalind.
He that sweetest rose will find
Must find love's prick and Rosalind.
This is the very false gallop of verses: why do you
infect yourself with them?

I love lines that reference their own poetry/dramatic state/etc. so that last bit particularly tickles me.

ROSALIND

O, yes, I heard them all, and more too; for some of them had in them more feet than the verses would bear.

Next up celia comes in with another poem times and then we get into the girl time gossip. Throughout this scene it is worth noting all the Os Celia uses. It's such a tease- like the Orsino/Olivia moment we'll talk about when we get to 12th night. but with orlando

CELIA

O wonderful,
wonderful,
and most wonderful
wonderful!
and yet again wonderful,
and after that, out of all hooping!

The line breaks above are mine to emphasize the rhetorical use of the wonderful repetition and how much fun Celia can have with this line/how many different ways she can play with/tease rosalind with the word wonderful. GREAT acting game time...

ROSALIND

Good my complexion! dost thou think, though I am caparisoned like a man, I have a doublet and hose in my disposition? One inch of delay more is a South-sea of discovery; I prithee, tell me who is it quickly, and speak apace. I would thou couldst stammer, that thou mightst pour this concealed man out of thy mouth, as wine comes out of a narrow- mouthed bottle, either too much at once, or none at all. I prithee, take the cork out of thy mouth that may drink thy tidings.

CELIA

So you may put a man in your belly.

Yes. Celia goes to the pregnancy joke. A trope much more common in men. again... I just love Celia. Anyway, after all the teasing Celia comes out and tells Rosalind who she's been referencing, but that doesn't seem to really sink in for Rosalind:

CELIA

It is young Orlando, that tripped up the wrestler's heels and your heart both in an instant.

ROSALIND

Nay, but the devil take mocking: speak, sad brow and true maid.

CELIA

I' faith, coz, 'tis he.

ROSALIND

Orlando?

CELIA

Orlando.

Dear God Rosalind yo uare SO SMART in everything else. PULL IT TOGETHER!!!! Rosalind then continually interrupts until Celia has to say:

CELIA

I would sing my song without a burden: thou bringest me out of tune.

ROSALIND

Do you not know I am a woman? when I think, I must speak. Sweet, say on.

CELIA

You bring me out. Soft! comes he not here?

And in comes lover boy himself along with Jaques who is quite mad at the young man for ruining trees with his horrible poetry. the two have some beautiful insult language:

JAQUES

God be wi' you: let's meet as little as we can.

ORLANDO

I do desire we may be better strangers.

Put those sentences in your pocket and save them for passive aggressive Wednesday... next we have one of Orlando's charming moments talking about Rosalind

JAQUES

What stature is she of?

ORLANDO

Just as high as my heart.

one of my personal favorites seeing as I have always been rather short and liked to think that at least coming to the level of someone's heart was feasible. Upon seeing him and because she is still dressed like a man, Rosalind comes up with this brilliant plan:

ROSALIND

[Aside to CELIA] I will speak to him, like a saucy lackey and under that habit play the knave with him.

If I were playing Celia I can't tell you what a WTF?!?!? look I would have on my face. WHAT KIND OF PLAN IS THIS?! It's not quite as dumb as some other plans we've covered in previous plays, but SERIOUSLY!? You are being ridiculous rosalind.

OK, i'm getting frustrated enough with Rosalind I'm going to need to go back and re-read Lem's thesis of how awesome she is. and i KNOW SHE IS. I think she's great in all things save her reactions to her romantic desires. Thats probably true of most people so let's push onward... There's this brilliant speech:

Time travels in divers paces with divers persons. I'll tell you who Time ambles withal, who Time trots withal, who Time gallops withal and who he stands still withal.

I'm not going to go into it and break it down like i would in the classroom, but if you haven't read this speech or its been a while, take a look. worth it. 

and then Rosalind plays her disguise so she can test Orlando's faithfulness.

ROSALIND

But are you so much in love as your rhymes speak?

ORLANDO

Neither rhyme nor reason can express how much.

ROSALIND

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 punished and cured is, that the lunacy is so ordinary that the whippers are in love too. 

That last line used to be one of my first lines of defense against any romantic relationship. that and Beatrice's line about a dog barking at a crow were constantly on my lips the end of high school and throughout much of undergrad. Again, funny how much things have changed... So rosalind's plan begins and we move to major  Clown town times.

3.3

I love when the substory of the clown figures mirrors the bigger picture story in such an obvious and absurd way. Remember how many times we said Orlando in the last scene? Here's a new name for you. (line breaks mine for emphasis)

TOUCHSTONE

Come apace, good Audrey:
I will fetch up your
goats, Audrey.
And how, Audrey?
am I the man yet?
doth my simple feature content you?

Then there's this gem:

AUDREY

Well, I am not fair; and therefore I pray the gods make me honest.

TOUCHSTONE

Truly, and to cast away honesty upon a foul slut
were to put good meat into an unclean dish.

AUDREY

I am not a slut, though I thank the gods I am foul.

Just... go ahead, read that exchange again. Am I the only one who laughs harder the more I read those lines? 

JAQUES

And will you, being a man of your breeding, be married under a bush like a beggar? Get you to church, and have a good priest that can tell you what marriage is: this fellow will but join you together as they join wainscot; then one of you will prove a shrunk panel and, like green timber, warp, warp.

TOUHSTONE

[Aside] I am not in the mind but I were better to be married of him than of another: for he is not like to marry me well; and not being well married, it will be a good excuse for me hereafter to leave my wife.

There's something I really love about Jaques and his keen interest in who is getting married and how and what he has to say about it. OK, who wants to cast me as Jaques? I'm adding it to THE LIST. and a fine way to end the scene...

3.4

We open with another girl talk scene. a very short scene. but Rosalind is upset Orlando did not show up when he said he would and Celia is trying to do what almost any good friend would- figure out how Rosaline wants her to react in this moment. first she tries encouraging her, and joking.

ROSALIND

Never talk to me; I will weep.

CELIA

Do, I prithee; but yet have the grace to consider that tears do not become a man.

Then, since Rosalind does not seem to want to cheer up, Celia gives up and says yeah sure do what you want. In my head its the Forest of Arden equivalent to busting out a pack of cookie dough and watching a comforting movie when a friend is going through a breakup...

ROSALIND

But have I not cause to weep?

CELIA

As good cause as one would desire; therefore weep.

In come Corin and funnily enough the country shepheard changes the language from prose to verse:

CORIN

If you will see a pageant truly play'd,
Between the pale complexion of true love
And the red glow of scorn and proud disdain,
Go hence a little and I shall conduct you,
If you will mark it.

YES!!!!!! it's time to get to my FAVORITE PART of this play!

Rosalind

O, come, let us remove:
The sight of lovers feedeth those in love.
Bring us to this sight, and you shall say
I'll prove a busy actor in their play.

Interesting that we are back to the play/actor/all the world's a stage trope...

3.5

Silvius & Phoebe- we've already met silvius but until now we have only heard of Phoebe. When I worked on AYLI in high school, this was the scene I did with my dear friend April. For some ABSURD reason I remember she wore this kind of crazy lookin conical asian style hat and that plus her character voice gave me one of the hardest acting challenges i've ever had not to completely break character at every moment. I am skipping over PHoebe's EYES monologue though I never really tire of it and its in my back pocket for audition even now and we'll skip to when Rosalind enters dressed as a man still and of course Phoebe falls in love with him/her right away. There's another classically great Shakespearean insult when Rosalind sees Phoebe and how she's scorned Silvius:

For I must tell you friendly in your ear,
Sell when you can: you are not for all markets:
Cry the man mercy; love him; take his offer:

And there's an incredibly perceptive and yet sad observation shortly thereafter:

He's fallen in love with your foulness and she'll
fall in love with my anger.

Once Rosalind leaves we are back to the Silvius/Phoebe dynamic (this is actually the part april and I did for the showcase I believe. It still makes me giggle)

SILVIUS

Sweet Phebe,--

PHEBE

Ha, what say'st thou, Silvius?

SILVIUS

Sweet Phebe, pity me.

PHEBE

Why, I am sorry for thee, gentle Silvius.

Now when I read this passage all I can think of after that last line is Olivia's response in 12th night of "That's a degree to love!" But instead Silvius says something much more beautiful:

So holy and so perfect is my love,
And I in such a poverty of grace,
That I shall think it a most plenteous crop
To glean the broken ears after the man
That the main harvest reaps: loose now and then
A scatter'd smile, and that I'll live upon.

We don't usually here that kind of "settling" from male characters. it reminds me of Helena's i am your spaniel bit. And Phoebe then goes on with another great monologue about the man (woman) she's just met:

Think not I love him, though I ask for him:
'Tis but a peevish boy; yet he talks well;
But what care I for words? yet words do well
When he that speaks them pleases those that hear.
...
I'll write to him a very taunting letter,
And thou shalt bear it: wilt thou, Silvius?

Ah yes... another genius plan, right? 

Yet Silvius gets to be adorable and help Phoebe in whatever way he can and that's Act 2.

Picture for the day- This is artwork done by the April I referenced in this post. The center picture is a representation of when she played Puck in a production of Midsummer Night's Dream together. So imagine her dressed up as Silvius now! (also, if you think this artwork is stunning you should contact me about contacting her. because she is ridiculously talented.)