Study Guide for "As You Like It"

TEACHER TOOL KIT Tour 65, 2014–15

Table of

CONTENTS

Chapter 1: Introduction........................................................................4 How to use this guide Who are National Players?

Life on the Road

Chapter 2: Shakespeare’s World Early Modern Theater..................................................................................9 Shakespeare’s Life The Globe Theatre Performance Practices

Activities..............................................................................................11 Performing with Distractions Discovering Shakespeare’s Stage Anachronistic Costumes

Shakespeare’s Language............................................................................14 Prose and Verse Scansion

Shakespeare in Action..........................................................................16 Prose vs. Verse Idenfying Your Own Speech Patterns

Chapter 3: The World of the Play The Pastoral Genre.....................................................................................18 A Literary Tradition Shakespeare’s Influences

Further Reading...................................................................................20 Pastoral Examples: The Shephearde’s Calender

Rosalynde Companion Scenes: The Downfall of Robert Earl of Huntington

As You Like It: Act II scene viii

As You Like It: Act I scene iii

Shakespeare in Action..........................................................................28 Discussing Shepherds Writing Your Own Adaptation Finding Opportunity in the Woods

Gender and Marriage................................................................................31 “Chaste, Silent, and Obedient” Courtship and Love The Virgin Queen

Further Reading...................................................................................33 Primary Sources: Duties of Children

A Godly Form of Householdry Companion Texts: Sonnet forms

As You Like It, Act IV scene i

Shakespeare in Action..........................................................................38 Learning to Love Poetry Subverting Oppression

Chapter 4: Before the Show Getting to Know Rosalind............................................................................40 Further Reading...................................................................................42 Q&A with Dallas Milholland from National Players Tour 66 Critical Responses to Rosalind Companion Scene: As You Like It, Epilogue

Shakespeare in Action..........................................................................46 Creating a Disguise Discussion Questions

About the Play...........................................................................................48 Meet the Characters A Brief Synopsis

Chapter 5: During the Show............................................................50 Activity: What to Look For Theater Etiquette Show Encounter Guide

Chapter 6: After the Show...............................................................53 Activities and Prompts Appendix Worksheets

Prose vs. Verse

Identifying Your Own Speech Patterns

Learning to Love Poetry Costume Design Template Further Resources

HOWto use this guide SUMMARY OF CURRICULUM STANDARDS Facebook (Facebook.com/ NationalPlayers) to view archival photos and share your own work.

Twitter @NationalPlayers: Follow the Players across the country and use #Tour66 to engage with other audiences.

Tumblr (NationalPlayers. tumblr.com): Check out behind-the-scenes photos and videos of life on the road.

YouTube (YouTube.com/ NationalPlayers): Find trailers and video clips from all three shows, as well as videos taken during the rehearsal process.

Email: You can contact the Players using their individual email addresses, found at www.NationalPlayers.org. Send general educational questions and share classroom work with us at NationalPlayers@ olneytheatre.org.

ENGAGE WITH THE PLAYERS

1. Introduction

Our materials have been written and designed with the new Common Core Standards for English Language Arts in mind. Built to accommodate a variety of classroom goals and subjects, our Tool Kit includes text excerpts for close reading and thematic analysis, companion texts to compare and contrast with the play, and activities geared toward the speaking and listening skills inherent in theatrical work. We believe that studying the arts, performance in particular, is a necessary part of a balanced education; we also understand, however, that curriculum requirements and time limitations make arts integration a challenge for many classrooms. To that end, many of our materials are presented through a historical and/or ELA-based lens in an effort to make this Tool Kit as flexible and connective as possible.

This Tool Kit includes: • Essential background information on Shakespeare in performance as an introduction to how and why Shakespeare is performed. This includes a biography on the playwright, a language guide, and information on Early Modern theater practices.

• Historical context, with insight into the political, social, and cultural atmosphere of the world of the play. This section prepares students to thematically engage with the play and make connections between Shakespeare’s world and their own.

• Primary resources and critical readings that provide thematic, historical, literary, and social lenses through which the students can engage with the play.

• Selected excerpts from the play that relate to primary sources and historical context and guide students through the theatrical process.

• A guided, in-depth character study, integrating theater-making, text analysis, and historical context to help students actively engage with the play.

• Post-show questions and activities that can be used in conjunction with or separate from National Player workshops.

• Additional resources, many of which were referenced in the creation of this guide and production of the show.

• Photos, illustrations, and other images that provide nuanced, visual insight into different interpretations of the play. High resolution versions of these images are also available on the National Players website.

National Players has a 66-year legacy of making classic works relevant and exciting for young audiences. In an effort to foster this educational mission, we are always looking for the latest ways to engage with students and audiences. We aim to make our educational and artistic work as accessible and relevant as possible, from the thematic underpinnings of the texts we present to the process of creating and maintaining a national theatrical tour. With this mission as our starting point, we invite you to engage with us in any way you feel best serves your students.

You are welcome to interact with National Players using the forums listed above.

Your students are welcome to contact the Players before or after their visits; they can track the Players’ travels, share relevant classroom materials, or post questions and comments. We also offer the opportunity to chat with the Players about their performances and life on the road. If you are interested in setting up a time to engage with the Players either before or after their visit via Facebook, Twitter, video or some other method, please contact our Education Coordinator Adam Turck at Adam.T@ NationalPlayers.org, and he will be happy to discuss some options with you. Please send any general education or workshop questions to NationalPlayers@OlneyTheatre. org.

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WHOare National Players?

1. Introduction

HISTORY “The sup​​​​​​​​​reme reward is in the powerful storytelling. Attention to clarity of word and action, as well as passionate characterizations, reaps the benefit of capturing the audience’s imagination and uniting them in story.​" —Carole Lehan, Glenelg Country School, Ellicott City, MD

TOUR 66 Image 1: Players from Tour 63’s production of As You Like It.

Now celebrating its 66th season, National Players is America’s longest-running touring company and has earned a distinct place in American theater by bringing innovative and accessible productions to audiences across the country.

Founded in 1949 by Father Gilbert Hartke, a prominent arts educator and Catholic priest, National Players has performed in theaters, gymnasiums, opera houses, and outdoor playing spaces all around the country. Hartke’s mission—to stimulate young people’s higher thinking skills and imaginations by presenting classic plays in engaging and accessible ways—is as urgent and vital today as it was more than 60 years ago.

Since 1952, Olney Theatre Center has been the artistic home of National Players and has broadened its outreach to engage all learners, regardless of age, background, or location. Through the years, Players has been privileged to perform on 10 USO tours, at five White House visits, in the Arctic Circle, and throughout 42 states and territories.

Having performed for over 2.8 million audience members, National Players is proud to continue collaborating with audiences around the world today.

Committed to excellence on and off the stage, more than 700 artists have been proud Players, and continue to promote good work in New York, Hollywood, and other communities across the country.

National Players offers an exemplary lesson in collaboration and teamwork-inaction: the actors not only play multiple roles onstage, but they also serve as stage managers, teaching artists, and technicians. This year, the Players consist of 10 actors, traveling across the country and visiting schools and art centers. A selfcontained company, National Players carries its own sets, lights, costumes, and sound, meaning that the actors rebuild the set and hang lights for more than 90 performances a year. They also memorize lines for three different plays—this year, The Tempest, As You Like It, and To Kill a Mockingbird—often performing more than one each day. It is a lot of work, but the Players are dedicated to celebrating and teaching literature and performance to as many audiences as possible.

5

A year on the

ROAD

1. Introduction

Jacob Mundell and Adam Turck are returning to National Players for Tour 66 after completing a year on the road with Tour 65. In this interview, they reflect on the entire experience of life as a Player—from rehearsals and meeting their fellow company members to taking each show on the road. Along with a general timeline of the production process, this section includes jobs descriptions of each offstage role that the Players fill while on the road.

STAGE MANAGER Runs read-throughs and rehearsals, maintains the script and blocking notes, and calls many of the lighting and sound cues during performance.

Tour 66 for As You Like It: Hannah McKechnie

COMPANY MANAGER Communicates with the company’s General Manager, schedules regular company meetings, handles any emergencies on the road, and serves as the point of contact for venues.

Tour 66: Jacob Mundell

PROPERTIES COORDINATOR Sets up properties tables at each venue, oversees handling and storage for properties, reports damages to the stage manager.

Tour 66: Ian Geers

TREASURER Distributes housing stipends, maintains possession of Players bank card, logs incidental costs, submits weekly petty cash reports.

Tour 66: Dallas Millholand

AUDITIONS

Auditions for National Players were held January through March. More than 1,000 young actors vyed for a place in the company, auditioning in Maryland, Washington DC, Tennessee, Boston, Georgia, Alabama, and New York City.

“Working as an actor for a year and the travel opportunities are great, but what really sold me on National Players was the feel of the audition room. Auditions can be really scary, they can be this terrifying thing where everybody has to prove something to everybody else—but the General Manager and Artistic Director were so friendly, so inviting, so playful and so positive, that all the anxiety just went away the minute they opened their mouths.”—Adam

MEETING THE GROUP

All ten players live in residency at the Olney Theatre Center in Maryland for the first part of their contract, where they rehearse, get to know each other, and prepare for life on the road.

“It’s really strange, because on day one when you meet everybody, you look at these people and you think, ‘We are going to spend the next year of our lives together.’ And there’s a great weight in that, and there’s a great expectation of having to get along, so everyone is typically very friendly.”—Adam “Olney is preparation for the road, because you’re living more intimately on the road than families do in their houses. So the residency is somewhere in between working to live and living to work.”—Jacob

REHEARSALS

The Players spend approximately three to four weeks with each director, analyzing the text, staging scenes, and incorporating design elements on the Olney stage.

“I like to have a working, functional knowledge of all three plays before we start. I walk in with just a functional artistic knowledge of the world of the play, and I read everything I can about it—I read essays, I read different versions the play, I watch adaptations, I just fill my head with this play—and then just kind of see what happens.”— Adam

6

1. Introduction

Image 2: The Players’ truck needs to be reloaded after each production; it contains all of their sets, wardrobe pieces, and lighting and sound equipment.

VEHICLES COORDINATOR Organizes a driving schedule throughout the tour and maintains general vehicle upkeep.

Tour 66: Ian Geers

WORKSHOP ADMINISTRATOR Prepares curricula, coordinates workshop schedules, communicates with teachers and educators prior to arrival.

Tour 66: Adam Turck

WARDROBE MANAGER Builds and maintains a costume inventory, creates a laundry and maintenance schedule, oversees repairs as needed.

Tour 66: Adam Donovan & Rosie O’Leary

STRIKE COORDINATOR Conducts the proper order of striking the set and loading the truck, maintains an equipment inventory.

Tour 66: Adam Turck

OFFSTAGE ROLES

Along with acting roles, each Player takes on at least one offstage job in support of the company, based on his or her skill sets and interests.

“Work hard. And if you think you’re working hard enough, you’re not; there’s always more work to do.”—Jacob

TRAVELING

The Players take turns driving the company’s three vehicles: a truck for their stage equipment, a van, and a car. Last year, they visited 19 states and 44 cities. In one case, they performed five shows in four days in three different states.

“I do audiobooks while driving, specifically radio plays.”—Adam “Sometimes the only thing you can do to pass time is make yourself unconscious for as long as possible.”—Jacob

LIVING ON THE ROAD

Each Player is allowed to bring one large bag and one small bag for their personal belongings. Without regular access to a refrigerator or gym, taking care of themselves on the road is especially challenging.

“I love practicing frugality because A) it helps you save money when you’re not buying stuff everywhere, and B) it makes you a more efficient Player when can pack up out of the hotel and get into the van with all your stuff in like ten minutes, compared to someone who needs a half hour to get their life together.”—Jacob “Working out isn’t always easy, but if you have 20 minutes you can spend them doing calisthenics or jumping rope or doing push-ups. It’s the diet, not being able to cook for yourself, that’s really hard. The only way to really be healthy is to buy pretty expensive stuff, so you can’t always be both frugal and healthy.”—Adam

7

1. Introduction

Image 3: The Players work together to load in the sets and equipment before performances. Here, Dallas Millholland and James Hesse set up the columns for a production of The Tempest.

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR Supervises load-in of scenery at each venue and performs upkeep on the road.

Tour 66: James Hesse

SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR Maintains the Players’ public presence, through online outlets (Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr) as well as promotional materials.

Tour 66: MK Smith, Ian Geers, & Jacob Mundell

MASTER ELECTRICIAN

Installs and maintains all lighting equipment, determines position for lighting equipment and cables, executes focusing.

Tour 66: Hannah McKechnie

ACCOMODATIONS MANAGER Books hotel rooms for the company based on preferred accomodations, optimal pricing, and checkin dates.

Tour 66: James Hesse

SOUND ENGINEER Ensures proper placement, upkeep, and maintenance of sound equipment, sets and checks sound levels and microphone cues.

Tour 66: Anthony Golden Jr.

BEING A TEAM

Working together for an entire year means that, despite long hours and challenging load-ins, all ten Players need to work as a cohesive team.

“A Player from Tour 65 once said, ‘Expectations are a really bad thing to have with this job because everything is a curve ball, we’re thrown them every day, so you have to approach everything with a spirit of adventure at all times.’”—Adam

WORKSHOPS

Along with performing, the Players host educational workshops for many of their audiences. Workshops include improvisation, text analysis, stage combat, and more.

“Sometimes, if we taught a workshop before a performance, it served as a great warm up, because every workshop had some kind of an exercise to help the students get out of their minds and into their bodies, that would shake us up too.”—Jacob

KEEPING IT “FRESH”

After presenting three plays dozens of times for dozens of audiences, the Players work hard to keep their performances exciting and authentic.

“I find it hard not to keep each show fresh, because every space is different and every audience is different. As a company, we have rehearsals on the road, and sometimes when we do read-throughs of the script we’ll put a little bit of a spin on it.” —Adam “I struggle with keeping my performances fresh because after I figure out how I want to tell the story, my choices get old. It’s a mind game of awareness. Breathing is a big part of that. When I breathe, I am able to react honestly, even in a way that I didn’t plan for.”—Jacob

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Early Modern

2. Shakespeare’s World

THEATER

SHAKESPEARE’S LIFE Image 4: A copper engraving

of Shakespeare by Martin Droeshout, published on the title page of the First Folio in 1623.

THE GLOBE THEATRE

Despite being history’s most produced and studied English playwright, little is known of William Shakespeare’s life. One of six siblings, Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon on or about April 23, 1564. He married Anne Hathaway in 1582 and had three children. For the seven years after, Shakespeare fell off all record. Eventually, he arose in London and joined The Lord Chamberlain’s Men acting troupe. When James I took over the throne following Queen Elizabeth’s death in 1604, the troupe officially became The King’s Men. Shakespeare’s professional days are a mixture of fact and legend. In 1601, he and his business partners purchased property on the south bank of London’s Thames River, where they established The Globe Theatre. There, the acting company performed many of Shakespeare’s 37 plays. Famed for using the iambic pentameter writing style, Shakespeare’s works are deep in metaphor, illusion, and character; sometimes even taking precedence over plot. He began his career writing historical plays, bawdy comedies, and the occasional tragedy. Later in life, his plays became more structurally complex, featuring his iconic Hamlet and Macbeth and the curious tragicomedies Cymbeline and The Tempest.

William Shakespeare died on or about April 23, 1616, and is interred at a chapel in Stratford-upon-Avon. Most early modern playwrights did not publish their work, but 18 of Shakespeare’s plays were printed before he died. Luckily, his plays survived because friends and colleagues commemorated his life in a publication known as the First Folio.

A century after his death, questions began to arise; his birthdate, deathdate, and even the spelling of his name are in question. No definitive portrait exists of the man, and no government record lists his theatric profession.

Many scholars have questioned the ability of a minimally educated man to create such challenging writing. Some theorists have long held that “Shakespeare” was a nom de plume for another playwright, nobleman, or even collection of writers. However, the vast majority of scholars believe that unofficial documentation provides proof of Shakespeare’s existence and prolific abilities. Regardless, Shakespeare’s plays have been translated to 118 languages and are in constant production around the world.

Live theater was an integral part of popular culture in 16th and 17th century England, drawing citizens from every social and economic level together in an otherwise strictly hierarchal world. The Globe Theatre, where Shakespeare’s company produced many of their famous plays, was constructed around 1599 alongside the Thames River on the Bankside of London. Separated by this river, the Bankside provided an escape from the strict, regulated life by which so many Londoners abided; along with patronizing any of several theaters, Londoners could participate in bear-baiting, cock fighting, bowling, and many other forms of entertainment.

The Globe Theatre was a circular wooden structure constructed of three stories of galleries (seats) surrounding an open courtyard. It was an open-air building, and a rectangular platform projecting into the middle of the courtyard served as a stage. The performance space had no front curtain, but was backed by a large wall with one to

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 10)

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2. Shakespeare’s World

CONTINUED— THE GLOBE THEATRE Image 5: Although there are no surviving illustrations of the original Globe Theatre, historians think it looked something like the Swan Theatre. The Swan was right down the road from the Globe, and some of Shakespeare’s early plays were performed there.

PERFORMANCE PRACTICES

three doors out of which actors entered and exited. In front of the wall stood a roofed house-like structure supported by two large pillars, designed to provide a place for actors to “hide” when not in a scene. The roof of this structure was referred to as the “Heavens” and could be used for actor entrances.

The theater itself housed up to 3,000 spectators, mainly because a great number had to stand. The seats in the galleries were reserved for people from the upper social classes who primarily attended the theatre to be prominently seen. Sometimes, wealthy patrons were even allowed to sit on or above the stage itself. These seats, known as the “Lord’s Rooms,” were considered the best in the house despite the poor view of the back of the actors. The lower-class spectators stood in the open courtyard and watched the play on their feet. These audience members became known as groundlings and gained admission to the playhouse for prices as low as one penny. The groundlings were often very loud and rambunctious during the performances and would eat, drink, shout at the actors, and socialize during the performance. Playwrights were therefore forced to incorporate lots of action and bawdy humor in their plays in order to keep the audience’s attention.

In Early Modern England, new plays were written and performed continuously. Each week, a company of actors might receive, prepare, and perform a new play. Because of this, each actor in the company had a specific type of role that he normally played and could perform with little rehearsal. This role was known as a stock character. Such characters might include romantic lovers, tragic soldiers, fools and clowns, and women characters. Because women were not allowed to perform, young boys whose voices had yet to change played the female characters in the shows.

Other than a few pieces of stock scenery, like forest and palace backdrops, set pieces were very minimal. There was no artificial lighting to convey time and place, so it was the audience’s responsibility to imagine the full scene. Because of this, the playwright described the setting in greater detail than would normally be heard today. For example, in order to establish weather after the opening storm scene in The Tempest, Miranda says, “The sky it seems would pour down stinking pitch,/ But that the Sea, mounting to th’ welkin’s cheek,/ Dashes the fire out.”

The costumes of this period, by contrast, were far from minimal. Rich and luxurious, Elizabethan costumes were a source of great pride for the performers who personally provided them. However, they were rarely historically accurate, which again forced the audience to use its imagination to envision the play’s time and place.

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Shakespeare in ACTION

2. Shakespeare’s World

PERFORMING WITH DISTRACTIONS OBJECTIVE: Students will understand audience etiquette for live performance. Students will be able to examine the influences inspiring Shakespeare’s choices. Students will be able to make adjustments to scene work to better connect with an audience.

SUGGESTED GRADE LEVEL: 5 - 8 SUPPLIES NEEDED: Performance space 1. Talk with students about different audiences (groundlings and members of the upper class) and the performance style of Shakespeare’s day (see “Performances Practices” and “The Globe Theatre” on pages 9 and 10). Ask students what they think has changed about seeing performances since that time.

2. Select a few student performers, and as a class come up with a short dialogue of three exchanges. A basic “Hello,” “How are you?” or “I am well” is perfectly acceptable, as the content of the scenes is not important for the rest of the activity. The scene should, however, incorporate some movement and should not involve the students standing in place.

3. After students have rehearsed their scenes, tell them that they will be performing them as if at an Early Modern theater, and the rest of the class will be groundlings.

4. Have the group perform their short exchanges and encourage the rest of the class to talk to each other, interact with the performers, and be generally obnoxious audience members (to a point).

5. After the group performs for the first time, ask them how it felt and encourage them to think of better ways to hold the audience’s attention. Should they alter the scene to include things that would hold everyone’s attention better? How might they alter their performance style? What do they think the audience wants to see?

6. After soliciting the suggestions, workshop a new version of the scene that the audience would respond to in a less distracting manner. Ask both performers and audience how the performances differed.

7. Ask students what effect they think Shakespeare’s audience had on his play’s content. What might they expect while seeing a Shakespeare play that they had not before? How should they behave while actually seeing the show?

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Shakespeare in ACTION

2. Shakespeare’s World

DISCOVERING SHAKESPEARE’S STAGE OBJECTIVE: Students will understand Shakespearian theatrical practices. Students will explore acting techniques. Students will be able to describe different theater spaces. Students will relate theater-going to social class.

SUGGESTED GRADE LEVEL: 5 - 8 SUPPLIES NEEDED: One line from As You Like It, ample space to speak and perform 1. Ask students where and when they have seen live performances before. What did those spaces look and sound like? What strategies did the performers employ to make sure they were seen and heard?

2. Pick a line from As You Like It. Some recommendations: “Come, come, wrestle with thy affections,” (I.iii.18), “What fool is this?” (II.vii.36), or “I take thee, Rosalind, for wife” (IV.i.143). Have the students all say their line in unison with no emphasis or inflection, as if they were just saying it to a friend. Have them note natural emphasis on word and syllables and which moments are most clearly heard.

3. Ask students to imagine they are in a theater or performance space. Have them pretend they are standing on stage to deliver this line to a sold-out crowd. Have them close their eyes and picture the space. Which direction do they have to face, and how do they have to talk to make sure they are heard?

4. Talk about the theater structure in which Shakespeare’s plays were originally performed (see The Globe Theatre on page 10). What might Shakespeare’s company have considered while performing? How were the actors heard? How were they seen?

5. Have students picture The Globe Theatre and its various audience members in different locations. Picture the open air theater and the acoustics. Now have them say the line again, communicating its meaning (i.e. not just shouting it) to as many audience members as possible.

6. Ask students what has changed since their first time saying the line. Do they hold their head differently? Do they use their voice in a different way? Do they stand differently?

7. After this conversation, arrange students throughout the space similarly to The Globe, with some students (the upper class) at a higher level and others (the groundlings and lower class) down below and in the middle of the space. Ask one student at a time to deliver the line to everyone and note the different techniques seen amongst the students.

8. Ask students to think about the theater in which they will be seeing As You Like It (show pictures or visit the theater, if possible). How do they think the Players will have to adapt to this new space? What do they think their performance style will be like?

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Shakespeare in ACTION

2. Shakespeare’s World

ANACHRONISTIC COSTUMES OBJECTIVE: Students will be able to differentiate between period-specific and non-period-specific costumes. Students will be able to think critically about the costume designing process. Students will be able to make connections between different time periods.

SUGGESTED GRADE LEVEL: 6 - 12 SUPPLIES NEEDED: Photos of various Shakespeare productions or ability to research said photos, costume templates (see Appendix) 1. Talk with students about costuming practices of Shakespeare’s theater (See Performance Practices on page 10). The most important thing to call attention to is that costumes were not true to the period they were portraying.

2. Have students research various past Shakespearian productions (focusing on As You Like It, but also any other Shakespeare plays with which they are familiar. There are many As You Like It pictures throughout this Tool Kit), calling attention to the costumes. What place and time do these costumes seem to be evoking? What costume elements are similar? Different?

3. Have students identify a few costume pieces they see in their research, and have them answer the following questions. a. Does this costume match the time period in which the play is set? b. Does this costume match the time period in which the play was originally produced? c. What would the equivalent of this costume piece be if we were doing this show today?

4. Have students pick a character and figure out modern equivalents of the costumes they have seen and make a sketch.

Share these sketches with the rest of the class. You may use the template in the Appendix as a jumping,-off point.

5. Ask students what they expect out of the costumes for a production they know to be touring the country. Would they expect a lot of costume changes? Do they expect it to be traditional Shakespearian? What relationships and character traits could be established with costume pieces? Be sure to revisit these questions the day of the show, before and after.

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Shakespeare’s

2. Shakespeare’s World

LANGUAGE

PROSE AND VERESE Image 6: The title page

of As You Like It in the First Folio, published in 1623.

SCANSION

A poet as well as storyteller, Shakespeare had an astute grasp of language and sound, and along with writing 154 sonnets, he moved interchangeably between verse and prose in each of his plays. Prose, the unmetered and unrhymed language of everyday speech, is employed more heavily in Shakespeare’s comedies; it is often used to distinguish class, indicate a character’s disconnect from reality, or identify moments of comedic relief. In As You Like It, for instance, many of the romantic scenes and interactions among noblemen are spoken in blank verse; this technique indicates members of the higher class and moments of deep emotion or wisdom that require elevated language.

Pronouns were also used to distinguish class and status. “Thou” and “thee” indicated a special intimacy among characters, and were used when addressing God, between close friends and relations, and among the lower class. “You,” on the other hand, was more formal. It was used to address superiors—children to parents, servants to masters, members of the upper class. Shakespeare took advantage of these words’ connotations in his plays to establish character and status. When a form of address shifts in dialogue, therefore, it conveys a contrast in meaning, an altered attitude or relationship.

Blank verse is the standard poetic form Shakespeare uses in his plays. It can also be defined as unrhymed iambic pentameter—that is, a line of poetry containing five (“penta” from the Greek prefix meaning five) iambic feet; a foot, in turn, is comprised of two syllables, unstressed and stressed, making each line ten syllables long. The most common meter in English poetry, iambic pentameter follows the same pattern as the human heartbeat. A complete line can be written as the following: de DUM | de DUM | de DUM | de DUM| de DUM The following is an example of how Orlando uses iambic pentameter in Act I, Scene ii: What PA - | ssion HANGS | these WEIGHTS | u - PON | my TONGUE? Shakespeare often breaks from perfect iambic pentameter, however; changes in rhythmic patterns and the number of feet are used to mark variations in tone and structure. Actors use scansion to trace these metrical patterns throughout the text as they search for clues about meaning and character.

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2. Shakespeare’s World

CONTINUED— SCANSION

Some of the most common pattern rhythmic and metrical variations include: SHARED AND SPLIT LINES Shakespeare sometimes splits a line of verse, so that two characters share the ten syllables. This is called a shared line or a split line, and it marks quick thinking or strong emotion, and also creates a sense of movement and speed. Have a look at these lines shared by Duke Frederick and Orlando in Act I, scene ii: DUKE FREDERICK No more, no more.

ORLANDO

Shakespeare was very deliberate when he named his characters; in many cases, names reveal clues about characters’ personalities or histories.

A few notable examples of hidden meanings behind names in As You Like It include: Ganymede: In Roman mythology, a beautiful shepherd boy, favored by Jove, king of the gods Celia: Heavenly Phoebe: A signifier of chastitiy and inconsistency Touchstone: A black rock used to test the quality of gold Silvius: Of the woods

Yes, I beseech your grace:

I am not yet well breathed.

DUKE FREDERICK

How dost thou, Charles?

Together, these lines scan as: no MORE | no MORE | yes, I | be - seech | your GRACE I AM | not YET | well BREATHED. | how DOST | thou, CHARLES FEMININE ENDINGS A feminine ending is a line of verse that ends with an unstressed extra syllable. The result is that the rhythm of the verse is thrown off just enough to indicate that the characters feel unsettled about something. The following is an example, spoken by Le Beau to Orlando in Act I scene ii, of a standard iambic pentameter line followed by one with an additional feminine ending: Hereafter in a better world than this I shall desire more love and knowledge of you Scanned, it looks like this: here AF | - ter IN | a BET | - er WORLD | than THIS I SHALL | de - SIRE | more LOVE | and KNOW | -ledge OF | you TROCHAIC VERSE A trochee is another type of poetic foot. Its pattern of a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable is the exact opposite of an iamb: DUM da. Compared to an iamb, this feels surprisingly unnatural to speakers of the English language, so Shakespeare often uses trochees for his supernatural characters. In the case of As You Like It, this unnatural sound works perfectly for Orlando’s awkwardly written love poems, as Touchstone demonstrates when he reads them aloud in Act III, scene ii: If a hart do lack a hind, Let him seek out Rosalind.

Scanned, it looks like this: IF a | HART do | LACK a | HIND, LET him | SEEK out | ROS - a | - LIND Shakespeare often combines these different metrical variations. For example, this line from Jacques’ speech about the seven ages of Man begins with a trochee and closes with a feminine ending: Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad SIGH ing | like FUR | - nace, WITH | a WOE | - ful BAL |- ad

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Shakespeare in ACTION

2. Shakespeare’s World

PROSE VS. VERSE OBJECTIVE: Students will be able to understand some of the stylistic variations within Shakespeare’s writing. Students will be able to connect Shakespearian writing with the present day. Students will be able to articulate Shakespeare’s writing style.

SUGGESTED GRADE LEVEL: 6 - 12 SUPPLIES NEEDED: “Prose vs. Verse” worksheet (see appendix), writing utensils, extra paper (optional) 1. Ask students what differences between poetry and other kinds of writing are. Elicit many responses.

2. Explain the difference between prose and verse in Shakespeare’s writing, noting that both are used throughout all of his plays and can provide insight into what is happening on a structural and character-based level.

3. Distribute “Prose vs. Verse” worksheet handout and have students work independently or in small groups to decide what type of writing each scenario calls for. a. Students will likely choose prose for the first scenario because of the informal setting and abundance of friends, as well as the antics suggested by the phrase “life of the party” that echoes some of the storylines of Shakespeare’s clowns. Those who choose verse for this scenario will likely center on the fact that there are people with whom they are unfamiliar at the party, so they want to make a good impression. b. Students will likely select verse for the second scenario, because attempting to make a good impression with “higher class” people like teachers and new students is when one wants to be on one’s “best behavior.” Students who choose prose will likely emphasize the “fish out of water” elements of the new location. c. The third scenario will likely be more evenly split, possibly with a shift between the more formal first section (which would be likely chosen as verse because of the formal religious aspects) and the more informal second section (prose for the easygoing conversation).

4. Have students share and explain their self-designed answers. If there is time, have them come up with some rough dialogue that falls under the category they have chosen and expresses their intended style.

5. Follow up questions: a. Can you think of any similar differences in style within contemporary TV, movies, books, or theater? b. If you were performing Shakespeare, do you think you would prefer to work with verse or prose? Why?

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Shakespeare in ACTION

2. Shakespeare’s World

IDENTIFYING YOUR OWN SPEECH PATTERNS OBJECTIVE: Students will be able to identify patterns in Shakespeare’s verse. Students will be able to recognize formal versus informal writing styles. Students will be able to connect Shakespearian dialogue to their own style of speech.

SUGGESTED GRADE LEVEL: 7 - 12 SUPPLIES NEEDED: “Identifying Your Own Speech Patterns” worksheet (see appendix), writing utensils, sound recorder (optional) 1. Explain the difference between stressed and unstressed when it comes to Shakespearian language, identifying the different patterns of speech, emphasizing that Shakespeare’s verse was meant to imitate real speech patterns.

2. One of the tools many actors use when preparing to perform Shakespeare scansion, or analyzing the text using symbols to identify stressed and unstressed syllables. One pair of symbols that can be used are a slash (\) for stressed and a u (U) for unstressed. Demonstrate these marks on a simple two-syllable word, like “Hello,” “Skylight,” or “Complete,” and indicate what that word would sound like if the markings were reversed.

3. Distribute the “ID-’ing Your Own Speech Patterns” worksheet to students. Read the sentence at the top of the page naturally, and have students mark the syllable-divided version with which are stressed and which are unstressed.

4. Either distribute recording devices to students or divide them into pairs. Have them answer one of the four suggested questions (or another one of your choosing), either into the recording device or with the partner transcribing their answer.

5. Have students mark up the transcript with their pattern of speech, noting where they stress syllables and where they do not.

6. Students can trade transcriptions and attempt to mimic each other’s speech patterns, noting where individual idiosyncrasies differ from what comes naturally to them.

7. Repeat with other questions, if desired. Introduce other elements, such as speaking with an accent, whispering, or speaking to someone far away or over the phone, or in a whisper. Identify where the stresses fall throughout these speeches.

8. Ask if any student’s speech is falling into more formalized patterns. Do any of them have a lot of iambs or trochees? Who is the most rhythmic in their speaking? Who is the most erratic?

9. Ask students what effect they think writing in a formal style with rules for stressed and unstressed would do to the style of dialogue. What does that do to the sound of the lines? How would it affect the actors’ process?

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The

3. The World of the Play

PASTORAL Genre

A LITERARY TRADITION

Image 7: The woodcut for the month of January, from Edmund Spencer’s 1589 The Shephearde’s Calender. This illustration features the central shepherd Colin Clout pining over the country lass, Rosalind.

Although the pastoral genre experienced a period of immense popular resurgence during the Elizabethan era, its roots can be traced back to the third century BC. The Greek poet Theocritus’ Idylls—a series of lyrical love poems about the simple rustic life of Sicilian shepherds—is widely credited as the first work of pastoral literature.

The Roman poet Virgil expanded on this theme with Eclogues. This work of literature introduced two new, important elements to the genre: the contrast between urban and rural settings as a larger political metaphor; and Arcadia, the utopian, fictional rural landscape that would serve as the pristine setting for many future pastoral writers’ works.

The pastoral reached England during the early 16th century, appearing in works of fiction, poetry, and drama. Even Queen Elizabeth I enjoyed pastoral dramas. Each summer, when she went on her progresses—excursions to the countryside where she relaxed and encountered rural members of the English population—she enjoyed outdoor pastoral pageants that featured shepherds, hermits, and woodlanders.

Renaissance pastoral dramas transcended social and economic class. In these narratives, city dwellers retreat to the countryside, which turns into a fantasy paradise where shepherds spend their time composing poems to their sweethearts. According Shakespeare scholar Marjorie Garber, these pastoral narratives were “used as a mode of social critique: under the guise of merely talking about shepherds, poets could write critical and satirical accounts of government, politics, and religion.” Recognizable conventions include: • Shepherds who are also poets, writing poems and playing upon pipes • The good old shepherd, poor but eager to give hospitality to strangers • The “savage” man who lacked courtly upbringing but possessed an innate gentleness and gentility • The beautiful shepherdess • The pastoral elegy, mourning the death of a shepherd or shepherdess who was often also a poet • The pastoral debate, on topics like nature versus nurture, or country versus city, a leisurely rhetorical break from the action in which shepherds discourse learnedly with one another about these philosophical topics.

As scholar E.K. Chambers notes, this “pastoral impulse...means that at that period in history Englishmen were learning to feel the oppression of the cities.” Urban life was thriving, but at an expense: builders were pushing further out into the countryside, overcrowding was becoming painfully problematic, and the quiet fields on the outskirts of cities were slowly disappearing. “The monstrous nightmare of the modern city had not yet made its appearance,” Chambers says, “but there was already reason enough, especially in the days when court intrigue was merciless and none too savory, for finer souls to dream their dreams of Arcady, or of Arden.”

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3. The World of the Play

SHAKSPEARE’S INFLUENCES “It is here that men live like the old Robin Hood of England, fleeting the time carelessly as they did in the golden world… It is something more than a mere scenic background; [it is] a spiritual force, bringing medicine to the hurt souls of men.”

— E.K. Chambers, 1905

Image 8: “Robyn Hode” depicted in a 16th-century woodcut.

As he did for most of his works, Shakespeare drew on a variety of literary and dramatic sources for inspiration for As You Like It. More directly than any other, he used Rosalynde: Euphues Golden Legacie, a novel written by Thomas Lodge, published in 1590; in fact, an introductory remark from the text, “If you like it, so,” may account for Shakespeare’s choice of title.

The novel narrates the story of Rosader, who escapes the oppression of his brother Saladyne by retreating to the Forest of Arden. There, he meets Rosalynde and Alinda, also banished from their home and living as a shepherd named Ganymede and page named Aliena. While Lodge’s novel employs the sentimental, melodramatic elements of traditional pastoral literature, Shakespeare’s adaptation adds satirical commentary through original characters Jaques and Touchstone.

Shakespeare was also likely influenced by popular pastoral literature. The first significant English landmark in the genre was Edmund Spenser’s 1579 collection entitled The Shephearde’s Calender. Composed as a series of 12 eclogues—short, pastoral poems written in the style of a dialogue or soliloquy—for each month of the year, his work follows the story of the pining shepherd Colin Clout’s unrequited love for the beautiful “country lass” Rosalind. Spenser included satirical footnotes throughout the piece that offered humorous commentary on larger societal themes. Other significant pastoral works include Christopher Marlowe’s 1599 poem “The Passionate Shepherd to His Love” and Sir Phillip Sidney’s sweeping prose narrative Arcadia.

As You Like It also references the legend of Robin Hood (“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,” Charles, I.iii). Although the direct origins of Robin Hood’s character are only speculative, he has appeared in popular literature since the Middle Ages, and his persona has adapted to appeal to different audiences. In 14th-century England, for example, when agrarian discontent had begun to disseminate the feudal system, Robin Hood appears as an anti-establishment rebel who murders government agents and wealthy landowners. In the later variations that appeared on the Elizabethan stage, he is a dispossesed aristocrat with a heart of gold and a love interest, Maid Marian.

Scholars believe that two Robin Hood plays specifically, by dramatist Charles Munday—The Downfall and The Death of Robert Earl of Huntington—would have influenced Shakespeare’s storytelling. Munday’s plays were written in 1598 and presented by the Admiral’s Men, arguably the largest competition faced by Shakespeare’s own theater company, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men. The two plays follow Robert Earl of Huntington after his exile from nobility. Forced to survive in the Sherwood Forest with his troupe of merry men—including Little John and Friar Tuck, among many other clownish companions—he adopts the name Robin Hood alongside his beloved Matilda, who adopts the name Maid Marian. Although crudely written and narratively inconsistent—Robin Hood himself accomplishes very little in these plays and even dies early on in the second—these were popular stage dramas, and likely influenced Shakespeare’s depiction of the Duke and his cohorts.

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Further READING

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“January,” from The Shepheardes Calendar

by Edmund Spenser, 1579 Edmund Spenser (1552–99) wrote this famous collection of poems, widely considered the first significant English work of pastoral literature, as a series of monologues. This poem, the first of 12, one for each month of the year, introduces the reader to the poem’s woeful protagonist: Colin Clout, the pining shepherd boy, deeply in love with the country lass Rosalind. The poem switches between third and first person, describing Clout objectively then narrating his inner dialogue.

A Shepherds boy (no better do him call) When Winter’s wasteful spite was almost spent, All in a sunshine day, as did befall, Led forth his flock, that had been long upent.

So faint they were, and feable in the fold, That now scarcely their feet could them uphold.

All as the Sheep, such was the shepherd’s look, For pale and wan he was, (alas the while) May seem he lov’d, or else some care he took: Well couth he tune his pipe, and frame his stile.

Tho to a hill his fainting flock he led, And thus him played, the while his sheep there fed.

Ye gods of love, that pity lovers’ pain, (if any gods the pain of lovers pity:) Look from above, where you in joys remain, And bow your ears unto my doleful dittie.

And Pan thou shepheards’ God, that once didst love, Pity the pains, that thou thy self didst prove.

Thou barren ground, whom winter’s wrath hath wasted, Art made a mirror, to behold my plight: While thy fresh spring flowr’d, and after hasted Thy summer proud with daffodille’s dight.

And now is come thy winter’s stormy state, Thy mantle marred, wherein thou mas-kedst late.

LEARN MORE:

Explore an annotated version of this text at the following link: http://darkwing.uoregon. edu/~rbear/januarye.html

... A thousand times I curse that careful hour, Wherein I longd the neighbour town to see: And eke ten-thousand times I bless the store, Wherein I saw so fair a sight, as she.

Yet all for naught: [such] sight hath bred my bane.

Ah God, that love should breed both joy and pain.

I love the like lass, (alas why do I love?)

And am forlorne, (alas why am I lorne?)

She deigns not my good will, but doth reprove, And of my rural music holdeth scorn.

Shepheard’s devise she hateth as the snake, And laughes the songs that Colin Clout doth make.

So broke his oaten pipe, and down did lie.

By that, the welked Phoebus again availe, His weary wane, and now the frosty Night Her mantle black through heaven again overhail.

Which seen, the pensive boy half in despight Arose, and homeward drove his sonned sheep, Whose hanging heads did seem his carefull case to weep.

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Rosalynde: Euphues Golden Legacie

by Thomas Lodge,1590 Thomas Lodge (1558–1625) wrote the most directly influential source for Shakespeare’s play as a longform prose piece, itself a very loose adaptation of the medieval Tale of Gamelyn. This excerpt centers on Alinda (daughter of Torismond, King of France), and Rosalynde, (daughter of Gerismond, the usurped King of France, and “the paragon of all earthly perfection”) soon after Rosalynde has received word of her banishment.

Rosalynde waxed very sad, and sat down and wept. Alinda she smiled, and sitting by her friend began thus to comfort her: “Why, how now, Rosalynde, dismayed with a frown of contrary fortune? Have I not oft heard thee say, that high minds were discovered in fortune’s contempt, and heroical scene in the depth of extremities? Thou wert wont to tell others that complained of distress, that the sweetest salve for misery was patience, and the only medicine for want that precious implaister of content. Being such a good physician to others, wilt thou not minister receipts to thyself? But perchance thou wilt say: Why then, if the patients that are sick of this disease can find in themselves neither reason to persuade, nor art to cure, yet, Rosalynde, admit of the counsel of a friend, and apply the salves that may appease thy passions. If thou grievest that being the daughter of a prince, and envy thwarteth thee with such hard exigents, think that royalty is a fair mark, that crowns have crosses when mirth is in cottages; that the fairer the rose is, the sooner it is bitten with caterpillars; the more orient the pearl is, the more apt to take a blemish; and the greatest birth, as it hath most honor, so it hath much envy. If then fortune aimeth at the fairest, be patient Rosalynde, for first by thine exile thou goest to thy father: nature is higher prize than wealth, and the love of one’s parents ought to be more precious than all dignities. Why then doth my Rosalynde grieve at the frown of Torismond, who by offering her a prejudice proffers her a greater pleasure? And more, mad lass, to be melancholy, when thou hast with thee Alinda, a friend who will be a faithful copartner of all thy misfortunes, who hath left her father to follow thee, and chooseth rather to brook all extremities than to forsake thy presence.

Cheerly, woman: as we have been bed-fellows in royalty, we will be fellow-mates in poverty: I will ever be thy Alinda, and thou shalt ever rest to me Rosalynde; so shall the world canonize our friendship, and speak of Rosalynde and Alinda.

And if ever fortune smile, and we return to our former honor, then folding ourselves in the sweet of our friendship, we shall merrily say, calling to mind our forepassed miseries.”

At this Rosalynde began to comfort her, and after she had wept a few kind tears in the bosom of her Alinda, she gave her hearty thanks, and then they sat them down to consult how they should travel. Alinda grieved at nothing but that they might have no man in their company, saying it would be their greatest prejudice in that two women went wandering without either guide or attendant.

“Tush,” quoth Rosalynde, “art thou a woman, and hast not a sudden shift to prevent a misfortune? I, thou seest, am of a tall stature, and would very well become the person and apparel of a page; thou shalt be my mistress, and I will play the man so properly, that, trust me, in what company soever I come I will not be discovered. I will buy me a suit, and have my rapier very handsomely at my side, and if any knave offer wrong, your page will show him the point of his weapon.”

At this Alinda smiled, and upon this they agreed, and presently gathered up all their jewels, which they trussed up in a casket, and Rosalynde in all haste provided her of robes, and Alinda, from her royal weeds, put herself in more homelike attire. Thus fitted to the purpose, away go these two friends, having now changed their names, Alinda being called Aliena, and Rosalynde Ganymede. They travelled along the vineyards, and by many by-ways at last got to the forest side, where they travelled by the space of two or three days without seeing any creature, being often in danger of wild beasts, and pained with many passionate sorrows. Now the black ox began to tread on their feet, and Alinda thought of her wonted royalty; but when she cast her eyes on her Rosalynde, she thought every danger a step to honor. Passing thus on along, about midday they came to a fountain, compassed with a grove of cypress trees, so cunningly and curiously planted, as if some goddess had entreated nature in that place to make her an arbor. By this fountain sat Aliena and her Ganymede, and forth they pulled such victuals as they had, and fed as merrily as if they had been in Paris with all the king’s delicates, Aliena only grieving that they could not so much as meet with a shepherd to discourse them the way to some place where they might make their abode. At last Ganymede casting up his eye espied where on a tree was engraven certain verses; which as soon as he espied, he cried out: “Be of good cheer, mistress, I spy the figures of men; for here in these trees be engraven certain verses of shepherds, or some other swains that inhabit hereabout.”

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The Downfall of Robert Earl of Huntington

by Antony Munday, 1598 Staged by the Admiral’s Men, a dramatic company is close competition with Shakespeare’s own troupe of players, Antony Munday (1560–1633) adapted the Middle Ages legend of Robin Hood into two popular stage plays: The Downfall and The Death of Robert Earl of Huntington. This excerpt centers on the titular Earl after his exile from the kingdom.

Now in Sherwood Forest with his group of merry men, he adopts the name of Robin Hood and asks his companions to take a vow of allegiance. Little John leads the men in this oath, and Scarlet, Much (a particularly over-eager member of the group), and Matilda (who adopts the name Maid Marian) also make appearances.

ROBIN: Wind once more, jolly huntsmen, all your horns, Whose shrill sound, with the echoing woods assist, Shall ring a sad knell for the fearful deer, Before our feathered shafts, deaths winged darts, Bring sudden summons for their fatal ends.

SCARLET: It’s full seven years since we were outlawed first, And wealthy Sherewood was our heritage.

For all those years we reigned uncontrolled...

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ROBIN: Of that enough. What cheer, my dearest love?

MUCH: O good chear anon, sir, she shall have venison her bellyfull.

MATILDA: Matilda is as joyfull of thy good, As joy can make her. How fares Robin Hood?

ROBIN: Well, my Matilda, and if thou agree, Nothing but mirth shall wait on thee and me.

Explore an annotated version of this text at the following link: http://d.lib.rochester.edu/teams/ text/downfall-of-robert-earle-ofhuntington

MATILDA: O God, how full of perfect mirth were I, To see thy grief turned to true jollitie!

ROBIN: Give me thy hand; now God’s curse on me light, If I forsake not grief, in grief’s despight.

Much, make a cry, and yeomen stand ye round.

I charge ye never more let woefull sound Be heard among ye; but what ever fall, Laugh grief to scorn; and so make sorrows small.

Much, make a cry, and loudly, Little John.

MUCH: O God, O God, help, help, help! I am undone, I am undone.

LITTLE JOHN: Why how now, Much? Peace, peace, you roaring slave.

MUCH: My master bid me cry, and I will cry till he bid me leave. Help, help, help: I, mary, will I. ROBIN: Peace, Much; read on the Articles good John.

LITTLE JOHN: First, no man must presume to call our master, By name of Earl, Lord, Baron, Knight, or Squire, But simply by the name of Robin Hood.

ROBIN: Say, yeomen, to this order will ye yield?

ALL: We yield to serve our master Robin Hood.

LITTLE JOHN: Next tis agreed (if thereto she agree)

CONTINUED ON PAGE 23

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DOWNFALL CONTINUED FROM PAGE 22 That fair Matilda henceforth change her name, And while it is the chance of Robin Hood, To live in Sherwood a poor outlaw’s life, She, by Maid Marians name, be only called.

MATILDA: I am contented; read on, Little John, Henceforth let me be nam’d Maid Marian.

LITTLE JOHN: Thirdly, no yeoman, following Robin Hood In Sherwood, shall use widow, wife, or maid, But by true labor, lustful thoughts expell.

ROBIN: How like yee this?

ALL: Master, we like it well.

LITTLE JOHN: Fourthly, no passenger with whom ye meet Shall ye let pass till he with Robin feast.

Fiftly, you never shall the poor man wrong, Lastly, you shall defend with all your power, Maids, widows, orphans, and distressed men.

ALL: All these we vow to keep, as we are men.

ROBIN: Then wend ye to the Greenewod merrily, And let the light roes bootless from ye run.

Marian and I, as sovereigns of your toils, Will wait, within our bower, your bent bows spoils.

[Merry Men exeunt winding their horns] ROBIN: Marian, thou seest though courtly pleasures want, Yet country sport in Sherwood is not scant.

For the soul-ravishing delicious sound Of instrumental music, we have found The winged quiristers, with divers’ notes, Sent from their quaint recording pretty throats, On every branch that compasseth our bower, Without command, contenting us each hour.

For thy steel glass, wherein thou wontst to look, Thy chrystal eyes, gaze in a chrystal brook.

At court, a flower or two did deck thy head: Now with whole garlands is it circled.

For what in wealth we want, we have in flowers, And what we lose in halls, we find in bowers.

MARIAN: Marian hath all, sweet Robert, having thee, And guesses thee as rich, in having me.

ROBIN: I am indeed, For having thee, what comfort can I need?

MARIAN: Go in, go in.

To part such true love, Robin, it were sin.

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As You Like It Act II, scene vii After escaping to the Forest of Arden, Orlando’s elderly servant, Adam, is weak and in need of food. In this scene, Orlando interrupts Duke Senior’s feast, demanding food for his companion.

[Enter ORLANDO, with his sword drawn] ORLANDO. Forbear, and eat no more.

JAQUES. Why, I have eat none yet.

ORLANDO. Nor shalt not, till necessity be served.

JAQUES. Of what kind should this cock come of?

DUKE SENIOR. Art thou thus bolden’d, man, by thy distress, Or else a rude despiser of good manners, That in civility thou seem’st so empty?

ORLANDO. You touch’d my vein at first: the thorny point Of bare distress hath ta’en from me the show Of smooth civility: yet am I inland bred And know some nurture. But forbear, I say: He dies that touches any of this fruit Till I and my affairs are answered.

SEE MORE: Watch a recording of National Players rehearsing this scene at the following YouTube link: http://youtu.be/vMs7gXHhRb8

JAQUES. An you will not be answered with reason, I must die.

DUKE SENIOR. What would you have? Your gentleness shall force More than your force move us to gentleness.

ORLANDO. I almost die for food; and let me have it.

DUKE SENIOR. Sit down and feed, and welcome to our table.

ORLANDO. Speak you so gently? Pardon me, I pray you: I thought that all things had been savage here; And therefore put I on the countenance Of stern commandment. But whate’er you are That in this desert inaccessible, Lose and neglect the creeping hours of time If ever you have look’d on better days, If ever sat at any good man’s feast, If ever from your eyelids wiped a tear And know what ‘tis to pity and be pitied, Let gentleness my strong enforcement be: In the which hope I blush, and hide my sword.

DUKE SENIOR. True is it that we have seen better days, And sat at good men’s feasts and wiped our eyes Of drops that sacred pity hath engender’d:

CONTINUED ON PAGE 25

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 24 And therefore sit you down in gentleness And take upon command what help we have That to your wanting may be minister’d.

ORLANDO. Then but forbear your food a little while, Whiles, like a doe, I go to find my fawn And give it food. There is an old poor man, Who after me hath many a weary step Limp’d in pure love: till he be first sufficed, Oppress’d with two weak evils, age and hunger, I will not touch a bit.

Go find him out, DUKE SENIOR. And we will nothing waste till you return.

ORLANDO. I thank ye; and be blest for your good comfort! [Exit] DUKE SENIOR. Thou seest we are not all alone unhappy: This wide and universal theatre Presents more woeful pageants than the scene Wherein we play in.

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As You Like It Act I, scene iii Before the play, Duke Frederick banished Rosalind’s father, Duke Senior, but allowed Rosalind to stay as a companion to his daughter, Celia. In this scene he changes his mind and decides to exile Rosalind as well.

DUKE FREDERICK. Mistress, dispatch you with your safest haste And get you from our court.

ROSALIND.

Me uncle?

DUKE FREDERICK. You, cousin Within these ten days if that thou be’st found So near our public court as twenty miles, Thou diest for it.

ROSALIND. I do beseech your grace, Let me the knowledge of my fault bear with me:..

DUKE FREDERICK. ...Let it suffice thee that I trust thee not.

ROSALIND. Yet your mistrust cannot make me a traitor: Tell me whereon the likelihood depends.

DUKE FREDERICK. Thou art thy father’s daughter; there’s enough.

SEE MORE: Watch a rehearsal of National Players performing this scene at the following YouTube link: http://youtu.be/lCR3YZ2IqD0

ROSALIND. So was I when your highness took his dukedom; So was I when your highness banish’d him: Treason is not inherited, my lord; Or, if we did derive it from our friends, What’s that to me? my father was no traitor: Then, good my liege, mistake me not so much To think my poverty is treacherous.

CELIA. Dear sovereign, hear me speak.

DUKE FREDERICK. Ay, Celia; we stay’d her for your sake, Else had she with her father ranged along.

CELIA. I did not then entreat to have her stay; It was your pleasure and your own remorse: 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.

DUKE FREDERICK. ...Open not thy lips: Firm and irrevocable is my doom Which I have pass’d upon her; she is banish’d.

CELIA. Pronounce that sentence then on me, my liege: I cannot live out of her company.

DUKE FREDERICK. You are a fool. You, niece, provide yourself: If you outstay the time, upon mine honour, And in the greatness of my word, you die.

[Exit] CELIA. O my poor Rosalind, whither wilt thou go?

CONTINUED ON PAGE 27

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 26 Wilt thou change fathers? I will give thee mine.

I charge thee, be not thou more grieved than I am.

ROSALIND. I have more cause.

CELIA. Thou hast not, cousin; Prithee be cheerful: know’st thou not, the duke Hath banish’d me, his daughter?

ROSALIND.

That he hath not.

CELIA. No, hath not? 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, Whither to go and what to bear with us; 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.

ROSALIND. Why, whither shall we go?

CELIA. To seek my uncle in the forest of Arden.

ROSALIND. Alas, what danger will it be to us, Maids as we are, to travel forth so far!

Beauty provoketh thieves sooner than gold.

CELIA. I’ll put myself in poor and mean attire And with a kind of umber smirch my face; The like do you: so shall we pass along And never stir assailants.

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

A gallant curtle-axe upon my thigh, A boar-spear in my hand; and—in my heart Lie there what hidden woman’s fear there will— We’ll have a swashing and a martial outside, As many other mannish cowards have That do outface it with their semblances.

CELIA. What shall I call thee when thou art a man?

ROSALIND. I’ll have no worse a name than Jove’s own page; And therefore look you call me Ganymede.

But what will you be call’d?

CELIA. Something that hath a reference to my state No longer Celia, but Aliena. ... Let’s away, And get our jewels and our wealth together, Devise the fittest time and safest way To hide us from pursuit that will be made After my flight. Now go we in content To liberty and not to banishment.

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3. The World of the Play

DISCUSSING SHEPHERDS OBJECTIVE: Students will be able to form arguments and rebuttals. Students will be able to articulate thematic arguments of literature. Students will be able to understand the tropes of the pastoral genre.

SUGGESTED GRADE LEVEL: 9 - 12 SUPPLIES NEEDED: Information on pastoral genre, access to resources, writing utensils, separate paper for notes 1. Share information about the pastoral genre. Discuss literary devices, how the shepherd character is used in different ways, and the conflict between city and country.

2. Inform students that they will be modeling this city-versus-country debate in groups. They will be arguing before an elder shepherd (the teacher), who will in turn select the victor.

3. Divide students into two groups, one arguing in favor of city living, the other for country living. Have each group brainstorm three or four arguments, influenced by the literary depictions in this Tool Kit or from their own research. Students should also try to anticipate the other group’s arguments and prepare counterpoints.

4. Have groups determine the order in which they will present their arguemnts and a lead speaker for each of those arguments. Although as many students as possible should have the opportunity to speak, some may work as scribes and write down arguments for the speakers, and others may serve as researchers to help develop arguments.

5. Select a group to present first. The opening group has two minutes to frame their first argument. The next group has one minute to respond, and then the initial group can respond to the rebuttal for one minute. Then the next group makes their first argument, and the debate carries on until the allotted time has run out or the groups have exhausted their arguments.

7. The teacher, in character as the elder shepherd, comes to a conclusion about what the students have uncovered through their debate, and points them towards what they may want to discuss in the future.

8. Dissolve groups and have a discussion about the style and setting of the debate and how it affected their approach to the discussion. Why do they think this type of debate proved popular in literature? Did they find it satisfying and conclusive?

What are their actual feelings on the matter? What has changed about the debate since Shakespeare’s time?

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Shakespeare in ACTION

3. The World of the Play

WRITING YOUR OWN ADAPTATION OBJECTIVE: Students will be able to partake in the process of adaptation. Students will be able to understand the origins of Shakespeare’s plays. Students will be able to compare and contrast artistic work.

SUGGESTED GRADE LEVEL: 6 - 12 SUPPLIES NEEDED: Material to adapt (found in Tool Kit or independently), writing utensils, paper 1. Discuss the idea of adaptation with students. What do they know about it? What sorts of things have they seen adapted from one form to another? What tends to happen to things when they are adapted?

2. Share information about Shakespeare’s influences and sources, how Shakespeare often freely and loosely adapted existing stories and characters for his own plays and how As You Like It was largely inspired by a novel called Rosalynde: Euphues Golden Legacie. Highlight how Shakespeare altered the original text, and call attention to the fact that this was not a strict adaptation but served as more of an inspiration.

3. Select a text for students to adapt as a class (suggestions include Shakespeare’s source material on page 21 or Edmund Spenser’s poem on page 20). Work with students to understand and interpret essence of the work: Who is present? What happens? What is the sequence of events? What is the tone or mood?

4. Once students answer these questions, tell them that they are going to form their own adaptation of this work. To do this, they must select what elements of the work are essential and what can be altered or removed.

5. Divide students into groups or work as a class. They can rewrite the original work in a totally different format, make it into a performance piece, or adapt it into a new artistic medium. Encourage students to be creative and loose with their adaptations, adding characters or changing the time period or setting.

6. If students are working in groups, they can share their concepts with each other and exchange feedback. Ask students to identify commonalities among their adaptations and observe which elements have been adjusted and which tend to stay the same.

7. Follow through on the concepts and create a first draft of the adaptation, in part or in full, and revisit the issue of commonalities and changes.

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Shakespeare in ACTION

3. The World of the Play

FINDING OPPORTUNITY IN THE WOODS OBJECTIVE: Students will be able to understand tropes of the pastoral genre. Students will be able to identify how a cultural icon evolves through different literary interpretations.

SUGGESTED GRADE LEVEL: 6 - 12 SUPPLIES NEEDED: Scene from The Downfall of Robert Earl of Huntington by Antony Munday (see page 19), Act II, scene vii from As You Like It (see page 21), extra paper, writing utensils, art supplies (optional) 1. Discuss the pastoral genre, highlighting the concepts of communing with nature and escpaing from society, and ask students why they think those tropes used to be popular.

2. Ask students what they know about Robin Hood as a cultural presence. What are the important aspects of his character that survive from iteration to iteration? Create a list.

3. Distribute the Antony Munday scene from page 19. Read aloud with students or have students work in groups to identify what takes place in the scene. Ask them what elements they can identify from their list in this version. What is missing?

4. Ask students to pay special attention to the rules that Robin Hood is creating. What type of world is he trying to create?

What might living in this new world be like?

5. Distribute the As You Like It scene from page 21. Orlando has just come to the woods in this scene and is still abiding by the lifestyle of the Court. How does the world of the Court differ from Duke Senior’s world? What type of society is the Duke trying to create? How does his world conflict with Orlando’s?

6. In groups, have students summarize the challenges Orlando faces and have them write predictions for what they think will happen to him in the woods. Share these predictions, and see where they overlap and where they differ.

7. In these same groups, students should consider everything they have read and brainstorm what their own ideal woodland society might be like. What elements of the “real world” might they like to change? What rules would they create and enforce in this new society to make these changes?

8. After agreeing to these rules, have each student decide what their role and identity will be in the forest. Perhaps they would like to draw a picture or write a story of their life in the woods. Would they choose a new name or occupation? Might they wear a disguise? These characters can be shared with the rest of the class.

9. Have students reflect on the exercise. What trends emerge among these different societies? Would the world they created be preferable to the rules of society? Would their rules work realistically? What Orlando-type figures would they expect to encounter in the woods? What would they be leaving behind? What is the appeal of exploring this concept of escapism in fiction?

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Gender and “CHASTE, OBEDIENT, SILENT”

Image 9: 16th-century woodcut of a lord wooing a gentlewoman.

COURTSHIP AND LOVE “Ye are the head, she is the body; it is your office to command, and hers to obey; but yet with such a sweet harmony, as she should be ready to obey, as ye to command.”

—King James I on the importance of a husband’s authority, 1611

3. The World of the Play

MARRIAGE

Although Shakespeare’s plays feature a variety of strong female characters, Elizabethan England was largely a patriarchal society. Women were considered lesser than their husbands and fathers in all capacities: morally, spiritually, mentally, even phsyically. In fact, biological differences between the sexes were used to defend the notion that women were meant to be dominated by men. Elizabethans believed that physical appearance was a reflection of inner condition, leading to the maxim that “a woman in the temperature of her body is tender, soft, and beautiful, so doth her disposition in mind correspond accordingly; she is mild, yielding, and virtuous.”

This last description, virtuous, was a particularly important trait to which women were expected to adhere. Before marriage, a woman’s most important asset was her virginity; after marriage, it was her fidelity. Popular handbooks for women, virtually always written by men, spelled out the ideals of femininity and marriage, and as one such document emphasized, these primarily included remaining “chaste, silent, and obedient.”

Before she married, a woman was obedient to her father or the family patriarch. After her wedding, she was considered the property of her new husband. Marriage was an important political and economic tool for members of the English upper class. Inheritences passed solely from father to son, and the family was considered a miniature commonwealth, with the father as king and his family as his subjects. To that end, marrying a daughter to a suitable husband was the equivilant of making a new political ally.

Marriage, therefore, was the focal point of a noblewoman’s world. Women’s access to education increased siginificantly during this era—those from wealthier families were often tutored in the classics and languages—but schooling was still mostly limited to preparing for domestic married life. When women were educated beyond their station, they were compared to men rather than praised for their intelligence, like one succesful noblewoman who was remembered after her death as “a woman of most masculine understanding.”

The tradition of “Courtly Love” began in early medieval literature among 11th-century French poets writing about lovestruck knights. In these early works, the central lovers are always of royal lineage, never peasants or commoners, and the woman is worshiped as the paragon of female perfection. Her and the knight’s love, while pristine, is unattainable: the woman is usually married or betrothed to another, and the impossibility of the knight’s affections make his love all the more pure. Although he displays gentlemanly courtesy, humility, and service, his desire includes an element of desperation or despair. These themes reflected the medieval, secular view of marriage as an economic, social contract between families.

These conventions found their way into English literature through the influence of Italian poetry. Petrarch, a renowned Italian poet, was acclaimed for his love sonnets; he

CONTINUED ON PAGE 32

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3. The World of the Play

COURTSHIP AND LOVE CON’T THE VIRGIN QUEEN

“I know I have the body but of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king and of a king of England too.”

— Queen Elizabeth I, to the troops at Tilbury before the Spanish Armada, 1588

Image 10: Princess Elizabeth, c. 1546, by William Scrots.

famously wrote 366 poems about his unrequited love for an exquisite yet unattainable woman named Laura. Although Renaissance English poets emulated Petrarch’s work through sonnets of their own, shifting notions of love and marriage altered the focus of these later sonnets. Marriage in Elizabethan England remained heavily contingent on parental influence, particularly among the higher social classes, but the church emphasized the binding power of two consenting individuals. Sonnets, therefore, evolved into more nuanced narratives about a variety of love-related themes and reflected the timely conflict between romantic love and familial obligation. In Shakespeare’s 154 sonnets, he explores the emotional and social intricicies of love, diverging from Petrarch’s fatalistic, often melodramatic format.

Over the course of her 44-year reign, Queen Elizabeth I (1533–1603) defied various societal conventions of gender. A lifetime of hardships prepared her for the political and social challenges specific to a woman governing a patriarchal society. The youngest daughter of King Henry VIII, Elizabeth was declared illigitimate after her mother’s beheading in 1533.

During her half-sister Queen Mary’s fiveyear reign, Elizabeth was forced to convert to Catholocism, and because her popularity with the public was deemed a threat to the monarchy, she was imprisoned in the Tower of London briefly.

After Mary’s death and her coronation, Elizabeth was constantly bombarded with advice from noblemen hoping to impart their own ideas on this member of the “weaker sex.” Most notably, members of Parliament were determined to marry the Queen and secure an heir to the throne. Parliament even threatened to cut government funds until she agreed to wed. Elizabeth, in response, declared that “In my end, this shall be for me sufficient, that a marble stone shall declare that a queen, having reigned such a time, lived and died a virgin.”

Although her gender certainly presented challenges, Elizabeth also recognized the power that such a unique situation offered. Crowned at the age of 25, the young and then beautiful queen had a variety of suitors during her monarchy—a position that she used to her full advantage. She regularly dangled the prospect of marriage in the face of domestic and foreign nobles, never committing to an agreement, but often using these relationships to foster and break political alliances.

By the second half of her reign, when she was beyond the age of childbearing, Elizabeth fostered the image of herself as the Virgin Queen. In contrast to this pristine, feminine representation, Elizabeth was often compared to an Amazon warrior by her subjects. The Amazons, a society of women from Greek mythology who used men solely for procreation, completely refuted societal notions of femininity and were regarded with a mixture of fascination and disdain. These two contradictory images—that of the delicate, maternal virgin and then the brutish, masculine warrior—exemplify the careful balance that Elizabeth struck between conforming to and diverging from patriarchal gender norms.

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Further READING

3. The World of the Play

The Duties of Children Before Marriage

By Thomas Becon, 1564 Thomas Becon (1512–67), a Protestant minister, wrote one of the earliest influential guide books for women after the Reformation. His advice remained relevent into the 17th century. In this excerpt, he emphasizes the popular Renaissance view that women were to be chaste, silent, and obedient. He also expresses his view on marriage, strongly recommending that young men and women ensure that they have approval of their parents or others in authority before commiting themselves to one another.

From Silence in a Maid is Greatly Commendable This also must maids provide, that they be not full of tongue, and of much babbling, nor use many words, but as few as they may, yea, and those wisely and discreetly, soberly and modestly spoken, ever remembering this common proverb: A maid should be seen and not heard. Except that the gravity of some matter do require, that she should speak: or else an answer is to be made to such things as are demanded of her: let her keep silence. For there is nothing that doth so much commend, advance, set forth, adorn, deck, trim, and garnish a maid as silence. And this noble virtue may the virgins learn of that most holy, pure, and glorious virgin Mary: which when she either heard or saw any worthy and notable thing, blabbed it not straightaways to her gossips, as the manner of women is at this present day, but being silent, she kept all those sayings secret and pondered them in her heart, saith blessed Luke.

From Children Ought Not to Contract Matrimony Without Consent of their Parents Finally, when the time cometh, that they feel themselves apt unto marriage, that they may avoid all uncleanness and bring forth fruit according to God’s ordinance, as their parents have done before them: they must diligently take heed, that they presume not to take in hand so grave, weighty and earnest matter, not entangle themselves with the love of any person, before they have made their parents, tutors, friends, or such have governance of them privy to their intent, yea and also require their both counsel and consent in the matter, and by no means to establish or appoint any thing in this behalf without the determination of their rulers. For this part of the honor that the children owe to their parents and tutors by the commandment of God, even to be bestowed in marriage, as it pleased the godly, prudent, and honest parenets or tutors to appoint: with this persuassion, that they for their age, wisdom, and experience, yea and for the tender love, singular benevolence, and hearty good will that they bear toward the children, both know and will better provide for them, than they be able to provide for themselves.

The children which presume to marry without the counsel of their parents, do greatly offend God, and are fallen away from the obedience, which they owe their parents or tutors in this behalf, by the commandment of God. Let all godly maids take heed therefore, that they snarl not themselves with the love of any other, nor marry with any person before they have the good will of their parents.

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Further READING

3. The World of the Play

A Godly Form of Household Government

By John Dod and Robert Cleaver, 1598 One of the many popular conduct books written after the Reformation, John Dod and Robert Cleaver’s book is typical in its stance on marriage contracts.

It differs from others, however, in that it takes into consideration the desires of the couple as well as the views of the parents.

A Contract is a voluntary promise of marriage, mutually made between one man and one woman, both being meet and free to marry one another, and therefore allowed to do so by their Parents. ...We call this promise of marriage, voluntary, because it must not come from the lips alone, but from the well-liking and consent of the heart: for if it be only a verbal promise, without any will at all, (and so mere hypocritical and dissembled) though it bindeth the party that promiseth, to the performance of his promise, made before God and man: yet if the Parents afterwards shall certainly know this, and that there was no will, nor unfeigned meaning at all in the party, neither yet is, but rather a loathing and abhorring of his spouse betrothed, though he be not able to render just and sufficient cause thereof, they may upon this occasion, either defer the day of marriage the longer, to see if God will happily change the mind of the party, or utterly break and frustrate the promise...Wherefore this promise must be in this respsect, at least, willing and voluntary. For...if it be voluntary and unfeigned, it is enough, and fully sufficient, to make a true contract in the Lord...Secondly, we call it voluntary, in respect of constraint and compulsion, contrary to a free consent: for if either party be urged, constrained, or compelled, by great fear of their Parents, or others, by threatening of

loss or preferment, of health, of limb, of life, or of any such other like, by any other violent manner of dealing whatsover, to yield their promise clean contrary to the motion of good liking of their hearts. This kind of promise, as it doth not bind the party to keep it: so it ought to be frustrated and broken by the Parents themselves, or by such masters as may and ought, to command and rule them in such cases.

But if a marriage contract be mutual, then it doth mutually and inviolably bind both: so that in this regard, neither Parent, Magistrate, nor any other, can or ought to break it. For this being fully performed and accomplished, is one principal cause of making two one flesh.

It is a calamity infernal to be in company with those that a man would not be withall, and yet cannot be separated nor depart from them. Hereof cometh, as we do see in some marriages, so great ruins, so wicked and vile deed, as mains, & murders committed by such desperate persons, as are loath to keep, and yet cannot lawfully refuse, nor leave them: Therefore young folks ought not to be too rash and hasty in their choice, but to have the good advice and direction of their parents and trusty friends in this behalf, who have better judgment, and are more free from the motions of all affections, than they are. And they must take heed, lest following the light and corrupt judgment of their own affections and minds, they change not a short delectation and pleasure, into a continual sorrow and repentance. For we do learn, by great and continual use and experience of things, that the secret contracts made between those that be young do seldom prosper, whereas contrariwise, those marriages that are made and established by the advice of wise and religious parents, do prosper well.

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Further READING Sonnet 138

By Francis Petrarch Born in Arezzo, Italy, Petrarch (1304–74) composed 366 love sonnets, many of them about his unrequited love for Laura, a mysterious and unattainable married woman. Crowned the poet laureate of Rome, he was not only popular in his own lifetime, but during the Elizabethan era as well. His poems investigate the connection between love and chastity in the foreground of a political landscape, though many of them are also driven by emotion and sentimentality.

Sonnet 18

By William Shakespeare Although Petrarch’s work heavily influenced Elizabethan poetry, Shakespeare’s sonnets differ from the Italian poet’s in both structure and content. He employed a structure conventionalized by English poets Wyatt and Surrey; thematically, his love sonnets are not about a specific woman, like Petrarch’s, but broader, more varied subjects and ideas. In all, Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets.

Orlando’s love poem From As You Like It Posted on trees throughout the Forest of Arden, Orlando’s wistful love poetry is full of awkward rhymes and uneven metrical patterns, hardly up to Shakespeare’s or Petrarch’s standards.

SEE MORE: Watch a rehearsal of Celia (played by Rosie O’Leary) read this poem in rehearsal at the following link: http://youtu.be/3888sWYHNxs

3. The World of the Play

Me Love has left in fair cold arms to lie, Which kill me wrongfully: if I complain, My martyrdom is doubled, worse my pain: Better in silence love, and loving die!

For she the frozen Rhine with burning eye Can melt at will, the hard rock break in twain, So equal to her beauty her disdain That others’ pleasure wakes her angry sigh.

A breathing moving marble all the rest, Of very adamant is made her heart, So hard, to move it baffles all my art.

Despite her lowering brow and haughty breast, One thing she cannot, my fond heart deter From tender hopes and passionate sighs for her.

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer’s lease hath all too short a date: Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimmed, And every fair from fair sometime declines, By chance, or nature’s changing course untrimmed: But thy eternal summer shall not fade Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st, Nor shall death brag thou wanderest in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st: So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

But upon the fairest boughs, Will I Rosalinda write, Teaching all that read to know The quintessence of every sprite Heaven would in little show.

Therefore Heaven Nature charged That one body should be fill’d With all graces wide-enlarged: Nature presently distill’d Helen’s cheek, but not her heart, Cleopatra’s majesty, Atalanta’s better part, Sad Lucretia’s modesty.

Thus Rosalind of many parts By heavenly synod was devised, Of many faces, eyes and hearts, To have the touches dearest prized.

Heaven would that she these gifts should have, And I to live and die her slave.

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Further READING

3. The World of the Play

As You Like It Act IV, scene i In this excerpt, Rosalind, disguised as Ganeymede, continues to tutor Orlando on the complex art of courtship.

ROSALIND. Break an hour’s promise in love! He that will divide a minute into a thousand parts and break but a part of the thousandth part of a minute in the affairs of love, it may be said of him that Cupid hath clapped him o’ the shoulder, but I’ll doubt his heart is whole.

ORLANDO. Pardon me, dear Rosalind.

ROSALIND. Nay, an you be so tardy, come no more in my sight: I had as lief be wooed by a snail.

ORLANDO. By a snail?

ROSALIND. Ay, by a snail; for though he comes slowly, he carries his house on his head; a better jointure, I think, than you make a woman: besides he brings his destiny with him.

SEE MORE:

ORLANDO. What’s that?

ROSALIND. Why, horns, which such as you are fain to blame your wives for: but he comes armed in his fortune and prevents the slander of his wife.

ORLANDO. Virtue is no horn-maker; and my Rosalind is virtuous.

Watch a rehearsal of National Players performing this scene at the following YouTube link: http://youtu.be/qCaDgEfDyvU

ROSALIND. And I am your Rosalind.

CELIA. It pleases him to call you so; but he hath a Rosalind of a better leer than you.

ROSALIND. Come, woo me, woo me, for now I am in a holiday humour and like enough to consent. What would you say to me now, an I were your very very Rosalind?

ORLANDO. I would kiss before I spoke.

ROSALIND. Nay, you were better speak first, and when you were gravelled for lack of matter, you might take occasion to kiss.

ORLANDO. How if the kiss be denied?

ROSALIND. Then she puts you to entreaty, and there begins new matter.

ORLANDO. Who could be out, being before his beloved mistress?

ROSALIND. Marry, that should you, if I were your mistress, or I should think my honesty ranker than my wit.

ORLANDO. What, of my suit?

ROSALIND. Am not I your Rosalind?

ORLANDO. I take some joy to say you are, because I would be talking of her.

ROSALIND. Well in her person I say I will not have you.

ORLANDO. Then in mine own person I die.

ROSALIND. No, faith, die by attorney. Men have died from time to time and worms have eaten them, but not for love.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 37

36

Further READING

3. The World of the Play

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 36 ORLANDO. I would not have my right Rosalind of this mind, for, I protest, her frown might kill me.

ROSALIND. By this hand, it will not kill a fly. But come, now I will be your Rosalind in a more coming-on disposition, and ask me what you will. I will grant it.

ORLANDO. Then love me, Rosalind.

ROSALIND. Yes, faith, will I, Fridays and Saturdays and all.

ORLANDO. And wilt thou have me?

ROSALIND. Ay, and twenty such.

ORLANDO. What sayest thou?

ROSALIND. Are you not good?

ORLANDO. I hope so.

ROSALIND. Why then, can one desire too much of a good thing? Come, sister, you shall be the priest and marry us. Give me your hand, Orlando.

What do you say, sister?

ORLANDO. Pray thee, marry us.

CELIA. I cannot say the words.

ROSALIND. You must begin, ‘Will you, Orlando–’ CELIA. Go to. Will you, Orlando, have to wife this Rosalind?

ORLANDO. I will.

ROSALIND. Ay, but when?

ORLANDO. Why now; as fast as she can marry us.

ROSALIND. Then you must say ‘I take thee, Rosalind, for wife.’

ORLANDO. I take thee, Rosalind, for wife.

ROSALIND. I might ask you for your commission; but I do take thee, Orlando, for my husband: there’s a girl goes before the priest; and certainly a woman’s thought runs before her actions.

ORLANDO. So do all thoughts; they are winged.

ROSALIND. Now tell me how long you would have her after you have possessed her.

ORLANDO. For ever and a day.

37

Shakespeare in ACTION

3. The World of the Play

LEARNING TO LOVE POETRY OBJECTIVE: Students will be able to understand poetic forms. Students will be able to follow rules for poetic forms. Students will be able to write from the perspective of a character. Students will be able to analyze the use of poetry within dramatic work.

SUGGESTED GRADE LEVEL: 6 - 12 SUPPLIES NEEDED: Three poems from Teacher Tool Kit (pg. 35), Love Poems Worksheet (appendix) 1. Ask students for their impressions of love poetry. Why do people write love poems? What are they meant to accomplish?

Can they think of any examples of famous love poems?

2. Distribute the three poems from page 35. Explain that these are three different approaches to writing a love poem: Petrarch (whose approach is one of three basic forms) is writing specifically for his unrequited love for Laura; Shakespeare compares his generic love favorably to the fleeting nature of summer; and Orlando writes awkwardly about Rosalind.

3. Ask students to analyze these poems for content and complexity. Ask students what elements make Orlando’s poem less accomplished than Shakespeare’s and Petrarch’s.

4. Ask students to brainstorm some ideas for imagery in a love poem. What might someone compare a love to? What sorts of things do they think about when they think of someone they love?

5. Pass out the “Love Poems” worksheet, and tell students they are going to write their own versions of one of these poems, following the same rhyme schemes and perhaps drawing on some of the same approaches or imagery. For more of a challenge they should try to write in iambs (see Shakespeare’s Language, pg. 14). Options include: assigning different forms to different students, allowing students to pick their favorite or the one that calls to them the most, or having them write similar content in more than one form to get a feel for how the poems can change.

6. Share poems with each other. What trends emerge across the whole class? Which poems tend to resonate the most?

What type of person do they imagine saying the words of the various poems?

38

Shakespeare in ACTION

3. The World of the Play

SUBVERTING OPPRESSION OBJECTIVE: Students will be able to connect Shakespeare’s writing to present-day cultural and societal issues. Students will be able to understand Elizabethan societal customs. Students will be able to write adaptations.

SUGGESTED GRADE LEVEL: 9 - 12 SUPPLIES NEEDED: As You Like It Act IV, scene i, (pg. 22) The Duties of Children Before Marriage (pg. 26), A Godly Form of Household Government (pg. 27), ability to research instances of oppression/subversion.

1. Talk with students about Elizabethan gender roles and marriage customs using information found in “Gender and Marriage” section of Tool Kit (pg. 24).

2. After reading The Duties of Children Before Marriage (pg. 26) and/or A Godly Form of Household Government (pg. 27) have students come up with a list of rules and guidelines that were held up then, but that we see as outdated today.

3. Ask students where they see parallels throughout history: How and when have people been treated as objects and not individuals? Where does this still persist today? What sorts of actions are being taken by people to stop or circumvent these injustices?

4. Distribute Act IV, scene i, and read it as a class with the overall question in mind: How is Rosalind, in disguise as Ganymede, subverting her status as a woman, and what is it allowing her to do? How does Rosalind conform to and refute Elizabethan gender roles, both when she is at the Court and after she escapes to Arden?

5. Ask students to think about different contexts where this sort of scene would take place. What are some other potential instances of oppressed people overcoming that oppression in unique ways? For example, women have increasingly been speaking out about facing street harassment, and some have even attempted to avoid being catcalled by changing their style of dress, even if it means being less comfortable. Does that seem fair? What is it about society that makes women have to make these sorts of adjustments to their daily lives?

6. Instruct students to draft their own rewritten version of the scene in a new context. Who is the Rosalind equivalent? What is that person in disguise as? How is that person dealing with the rules that have been placed upon them?

7. Share, read, or perform the new scenes. Have a discussion about how possible these sorts of subversions are in the real world. What are the alternatives to create change in society?

RESEARCH TIP: Check out these websites for information about

street harassment, sexual oppression, and movements for gender equality in the 21st century: • http://www.stopstreetharassment.org/our-work/nationalstudy/ • http://www.usaid.gov/what-we-do/gender-equality-andwomens-empowerment • http://www.summer.harvard.edu/blog-news-events/genderinequality-women-workplace

39

Getting to Know

4. Before the Show

ROSALIND

“WIT, MIRTH, AND BEAUTY 1600–1899

“How contemporary [Rosalind] is! She did not fold her hands and await the pleasure of circumstances. She was no patient Grizel, virtuous only in compliance. She was that modern type, the woman of direct, brave, and intelligent action.”

— Actress Viola Allen, 1916

Images 11, 12, and 13: Pictured below.

Dorothy Jordan

by John Hoppner, 1801

Although popular belief holds that As You Like It was performed for the opening season of The Globe Theatre (1599–1600), there is no actual record of a performance during Shakespeare’s lifetime. If it were staged at The Globe, boy actors would have played Celia and Rosalind. Rosalind would have invited a particularly complex interpretation. Cross-dressing as a man would have drawn attention to the boy playing the role, and certain moments, such as Touchstone asking the cousins to swear by their beards, might have been especially metatheatrical.

1723 marked the first recorded performance of As You Like It, a radically altered adaptation called Love in a Forest. Charles Johnson kept the original play’s basic plot structure, but removed many of the characters (Touchstone, most notably) and inserted speeches and characters from other Shakespearean plays. As Orlando declared during the Prologue, the goal was to “tune the sacred Bard’s immortal lyre; The scheme from time and error to restore, and give the stage from Shakespeare one play more.”

As You Like It returned to the stage in its original form later in the 18th century, and since then has seen a series of notable Rosalinds. With more lines than any other female Shakespearean character and plenty of quippy dialogue, the role became paramount for great stage actresses from the mid-18th century on. These early Rosalinds embodied Victorian feminine ideals; Ganymede’s image was not meant to obscure the womanly form or character, but rather reveal the delicate and charming ideals hidden beneath the disguise. This interpretation of the role was embodied most succesfully

by Helen Faucit, whose Rosalind was described by one critic as “full of wit, mirth, and beauty.” When she delivered her final lines, she experienced “the involuntary rushing of happy tears to my eyes, which made it necessary for me to turn my head away from Orlando.”

Other actresses delved into the character with humor and nuance. Dorothy Jordan, one of the earliest successful Rosalinds, was once described as “a spirit of fun, that would have outlaughed Puck himself.” The 19th-century actress Charlotte Cushman was praised for her ability to embody Ganymede; one critic said that “Her mind became masculine as well as her outward semblance,” retaining “those outward and visible symbols of the stronger sex.” The most controversial 19th-century Rosalind was easily Sarah Siddons, the famous tragic actress who tackled Shakespeare’s comedic role in a dramatically untraditional manner. Siddons approached gender with ambivilance, refusing to compromise the text with boyish impersonation, even choosing gender-neutral clothing for both roles instead of the traditional breeches for Ganymede.

Ada Rehan

by John Hoppner, 1890

Lily Langtree 1893

40

Getting to Know

4. Before the Show

ROSALIND

“DANGEROUS LOVE” 20th century — Present

Images 14, 15, and 16: Pictured below.

Vanessa Redgrave 1961

Twentieth-century Rosalinds experimented even more with sexuality and upending gender norms. In 1936 Michael Redgrave played a young Orlando wooed by a much older Rosalind, Edith Evans. As Redgrave described Evans, “As Rosalind, she was less than expressive. But when she changed into a boy her whole being seemed transformed. It was not that she looked in the least like a boy...But nothing mattered except her spell.” Twenty-five years later, Redgrave’s own daughter, Vanessa, starred in a Royal Shakespeare Company production that turned traditional productions on their heads.

Ian Bannen’s Orlando grew attracted to and wooed the “male” Ganymede rather than the woman that Ganymede pretended to be, thereby complicating the story, and perhaps, according to some scholars, closer to its author’s original intention.

Director Clifford Williams staged an all-male version of the play in 1967, one year before the legalization of homosexuality. Declan Donnellan directed another all-male production in 1991, in which Adrian Lester’s Rosalind’s attempts at being macho resounded on a particularly humorous level. Lester reflected that “People said I looked most like a woman when I was playing Rosalind trying to look like a man. When I stopped trying to look like a woman, I looked most like one.” Donnellan compared his casting to Japanese Kabuki theater, also solely performed by men, in which the actors play women but are also “supremely the creation of make-believe,” depending on the audience’s willingness to accept what is obviously unreal.

The millennium brought forth an array of emotional, nuanced Rosalinds. Victoria Hamilton’s portrayal at the Sheffield Theatre in 2000 emphasized the heroine’s maturation, both as a young woman as well as a lover, “not just a real physical charge to the love dialogues,” as one critic wrote, “but a genuine suspense.” In the same year, Alexandra Gilbreath’s Royal Shakespeare Company performance was lauded by critics, one of whom remarked that “it was as if she had been brought to the edge of the magic forest called dangerous love and then not been encouraged to go any further.”

In 2003, Nina Sosanya became the Royal Shakespeare Company’s first black actress to take the part. Described as boyish, savvy, and quick-witted, the Arden edition of the play argues that she was actually “too good at acting a boy to be able to simultaneously act a woman.”

Helen Mirren 1978

Adrian Lester 1991

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An Actor’s

4. Before the Show

PERSPECTIVE

Dallas Milholland is from Bellingham, WA and received her MFA in Acting from Western Illinois University. Her onstage roles for Tour 66 include Rosalind in As You Like It, Ariel in The Tempest, and Maude Atkinson in To Kill a Mockingbird. Offstage, she serves as Treasurer.

Image 17: Dallas Milholland as Rosalind.

Tell me about the first time you read or saw As You Like It. What were your first impressions of Rosalind?

The first time that I saw As You Like It was actually a movie version, and my impressions of Rosalind: she was quirky and fun and completely insane. She has such gusto, strength, courage. What she is willing to put herself through to get what she wants is, I think, pretty admirable. But also: crazy. Completely crazy.

I’m also very excited because I always wanted to have an opportunity to play Rosalind, and not being a particularly tall female, that has never really been an option for me, and the repertory nature of Players is giving me that opportunity.

In what ways is Rosalind’s story dictated by the world in which she lives?

It’s completely dictated. Completely. In terms of the love story of the play, of course Rosalind is getting to an age when she wants to be in love, I mean, who doesn’t want to be in love? But I think that, had her father remained the Duke, and had she had the opportunity to meet other possible suitors she would have faced such different questions. Who are they to be? How would she love them? Her father being banished, the new Duke having taken over her entire way of being, he’s completely turned her life on its head. She doesn’t know who she is, she doesn’t know how she fits in, she doesn’t know where to go or what to do, how to live. She is then forced to take a very scary and dangerous path. She discovers that it’s really fun! And she sort of runs with that, she gets wrapped up in that story, she gets wrapped up in her cockiness and her confidence. So that kind of runs away with her a little bit. Outside influences have absolutely shaped what she’s doing.

Why does she have to cross dress?

I think that part of what it means to live in this new world of her uncle, the Duke’s kingdom, is to question the honesty of men. So when she realizes that she’s being banished, I think she’s genuinely terrified of what is going to happen to her and Celia.

And she has a line that says that “being women, how are we going to survive?” and I think that’s because of a genuine mistrust of men. And I think that she in that moment chooses to dress like a man and play the part of a boy because it is safe. It is safe, and she feels so unsafe in this world right now. She used to feel very safe, she used to be the princess when her father was the Duke and she was kind of in charge, living in her own little world, and it was totally awesome, but suddenly that was ripped from her, and so the only way that she can gain control of herself again is by playing a boy.

What is the nature of Rosalind’s relationship to Celia?

It’s really lovely. Celia and Rosalind are cousins, but they are also best friends, and they have grown up together. Before Duke Frederick took over the kingdom, I think they were cousins who played together and knew each other when they grew up, and now they are forced into circumstances where they have to live together, and I don’t think they did before. So now, they’re discovering how much they need each other, how they’re both confused by this new world, and Celia is just as confused as Rosalind and doesn’t know what to do or what is expected of her. So they rely on each other, they rely on their intelligence, that they can practice their wit to-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 39 42

4. Before the Show

CONTINUED— AN ACTOR’S PERSPECTIVE

“There are still so many things that we can never even hope to understand. So this huge weight of ‘what do I do now? Now that I’ve graduated from college? Now that I live in this big city? Now that I’ve graduated from graduate school? Now that I think I want to have a family? Now that all of these life questions have come up?’ and you never really know what to do with them. And laugh or cry, I choose to do both wholeheartedly and often, and I believe that Rosalind does too.”

—Dallas Milholland, Tour 66

gether, they rely on their camaraderie, they rely on their sisterly love, and it carries them through the forest in a way that changes. Because other things come up and relationships happen, and there is jealousy, because one of them has a little boyfriend.

It’s very much as best friends and sisters would be.

How do you relate to Rosalind?

I relate to Rosalind because I kind of feel like I’m a little bit crazy too. I don’t know anything about what I’m doing, ever. I really have this belief that as old as we may grow, we are only ever just kids. And there are still so many things that we can never even hope to understand. So this huge weight of “what do I do now? What do I do now that I’ve graduated from college? What do I do now that I live in this big city? What do I do now that I’ve graduated from graduate school? What do I do now that I think I want to have a family? What do I do now that all of these life questions have come up?” and you never really know what to do with them. And laugh or cry, I choose to do both whole-heartedly and often, and I believe that Rosalind does too.

What have you discovered about her character that most surprised you?

I think I’ve always viewed Rosalind as a lover, and she is a lover, but I think I was surprised to find that for her, there are different grades of love and loving. And being so swept away in love, I think she truly does believe it is a madness. I think that there’s a part of her that says “Ok, we can be crazy and we can be in love, but then life is gonna hit because that’s the way the world works. And at what point are you going to walk away because things aren’t going to be beautiful anymore?” And when she says to Orlando, “I’m going to be crazy one day and really nice the next day, and are you going to be able to take it?” Orlando’s in this place where he’s in puppy love. I had always sort of envisioned her as also being in a puppy love sort of way, but I don’t think she is, I think she is longing for something that is much truer and deeper than that. Something that is much more about long term partnering than about cute fun time.

What is your favorite part of playing Rosalind?

I’m discovering that I really love it when she allows herself to be as crazy as she is and as crazy as she wants to be, under the guise of a totally-in-control saucy young man.

I’m discovering that I’m really loving those moments, that it’s really fun to play her as extreme as she wants to be, when it’s cool and a safe space for her to do that.

What do you think happens to her after the play ends?

She marries Orlando. And I do believe that they move back into the palace with her father. I believe that she and Orlando stay there. She raises her daughters not like daughters, and she raises her sons not like sons.

What is Rosalind’s general attitude towards the world?

Life is gritty and messy and scary and awesome and you are in control of it.

If Rosalind existed in contemporary times, what do you think she would be doing?

She might be a marriage counselor, I think!

What is her biggest strength and her greatest weakness?

Her biggest strength is her confidence. She’s terrified at the start of the play, but then that grows into moments when, because she is in disguise, she has no fear, and she has the confidence to get what she wants. Her greatest weakness, then, is that she gets too proud. She becomes so proud and so distracted that it becomes a little dangerous, then running from danger becomes dangerous.

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Further READING

4. Before the Show

Critical Responses to Rosalind Various writers, 1833–2009 “Rosalind’s character is made up of sportive gaiety and natural tenderness: her tongue runs the faster to conceal the pressure of her heart. She talks herself out of breath, only to get deeper in love. The coquetry with which she plays with her lover in the double character which she has to support is managed with the nicest address.”

—William Hazzlit, 1817

“Rosalind’s spirit cleanses us of false melancholies, rancid reductions, corrupting idealisms, and universalized sentiments. An actress capable of the role of Rosalind will expose both Jaques and Touchstone as sensibilities inadequate to the play’s vision...We can praise Rosalind for her spontaneity, for sincerity, for wisdom, and those can be our interpretations; or we can be charmed by her slyness.”

—Harold Bloom, 1988

“The impression left on our hearts and minds by the character of Rosalind—by the mixture of playfulness, sensibility, and what the French (and we for lack of a better expression) call naiveté—is like a delicious strain of music... She says some of the most charming things in the world, and some of the most humorous; but we apply them as phrases rather than as maxims, and remember them rather for their pointed felicity of expression and fanciful application, than for their general truth and depth of meaning.”

—Anna Brownell Jameson, 1833

“Literally and figuratively the disguise releases her: you have to imagine her going into doublet and hose from Elizabethan petticoat and farthingale and a rib-cracking corset.

To get out of that corset must be such a relief! Rosalind can stretch her limbs, she can breathe properly, and so she’s able to embark on increasingly long sweeps of thought and expression that take her ever deeper into new terrain.”

—Juliet Stevenson, 1985

“The popularity of Rosalind is due to three main causes.

First, she only speaks in blank verse for a few minutes. Secondly, she only wears a skirt for a few minutes. Third, she makes love to the man instead of waiting for the man to make love to her—a piece of natural history which has kept Shakespeare’s heroines alive, whilst generations of properly governessed young ladies, taught to say ‘No’ three times at least, have miserably perished.”

—George Bernard Shaw, 1896 “Neither Rosalind nor the play questions the conventional categories of masculine and feminine. She does not reconcile gender definitions in the sense of integrating or synthesizing them. Her own insistence on the metaphor of exterior (male) and interior (female) keeps the categories distinct and separable. The liberation that Rosalind experiences in the forest has built into it the conservative countermovement by which, as the play returns to the normal world, she will be reduced to the traditional woman who is subservient to men...We are apt to assume that the green world is more free than it actually is.”

—Peter Erickson, 1985

“Her magic is one of the world’s oldest forces bringing harmony out of conflict—love. Not only is Rosalind the magician she claims to be, she is the product of her magic. More accurately, she is that special magician, the alchemist, who seeks to achieve the Sacred Marriage in order to compound higher substances out of lesser, contrary elements, all of which are carefully divided under male and female headings.

—Robert Kimbrough, 1990 “Part of the play’s appeal to modern audiences comes from its recognition that women need to express desire as much as men do. In the Forest, Rosalind, through wooing Orlando, can herself become not just the object of male desires, but a woman who commands the language of love.”

—Juliet Dusinberre, 1992 “Rosalind is our Hamlet as we would like it. Written around the same time as her less fortunate brother Hamlet, and her other sibling Henry V, Rosalind comes at civil strife and injustice and a world out of joint from a different angle. Perhaps she is blessed that as a woman she was not ‘born to set it right,’ and can therefore behave more like an artist, more like Shakespeare: the ’powerless’ subversive.”

—Michael Boyd, 2009

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Further READING

4. Before the Show

As You Like It Epilogue ROSALIND. It is not the fashion to see the lady the epilogue; but it is no more unhandsome than to see the man the prologue. If it be true that good wine needs no bush, ‘tis true that a good play needs no epilogue; yet to good wine they do use good bushes, and good plays prove the better by the help of good epilogues. What a case am I in then, that am neither a good epilogue nor cannot insinuate with you on behalf of a good play! I am not furnished like a beggar, therefore to beg will not become me: my way is to conjure you; and I’ll begin with the women. I charge you, O women, for the love you bear to men, to like as much of this play as please you: and I charge you, O men, for the love you bear to women—as I perceive by your simpering, none of you hates them—that between you and the women the play may please. If I were a woman I would kiss as many of you as had beards that pleased me, complexions that liked me and breaths that I defied not: and, I am sure, as many as have good beards or good faces or sweet breaths will, for my kind offer, when I make curtsy, bid me farewell.

[Exeunt]

SEE MORE:

Watch a recording of National Players performing this scene at the following YouTube link: http://youtu.be/kCWS_E58Ppk

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Shakespeare in ACTION

4. Before the Show

CREATING A DISGUISE OBJECTIVE: Students will be able to create differing interpretations of a character. Students will be able to understand part of the costume design process. Students will be able to think and talk about the physical elements of acting.

SUGGESTED GRADE LEVEL: 5 - 12 SUPPLIES NEEDED: Body outlines, coloring supplies, Rosalind information (pg. 42), Rosalind quotes/scenes 1. Work through the stage history of Rosalind (see page 42) and talk about the nature of the role with students, explaining that she goes into disguise as a man for much of the play.

2. Have students research other interpretations of Rosalind in disguise and note trends. Have them look at scenes and see what Rosalind does as Ganymede.

3. After collecting a lot of information from the text and from other sources, have students work individually or in groups to come up with their own design concept for Rosalind.

4. Distribute blank body outlines and have students fill it in with their costume design concept. Surrounding the drawing, have them write in the quotes that most influenced them in the forming of their design.

5. Share these designs with each other. Note similarities and differences. Are there broad groupings they tend to fall under?

Or are they all fairly unique? What do they expect to see in National Players’ depiction of Ganymede?

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Shakespeare in ACTION

4. Before the Show

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS “WIT, MIRTH, AND BEAUTY” 1. How does the fact that Shakespeare wrote women parts to be played by boys impact your expectations and interpretation of the play?

2. After studying As You Like It, what do you think made it a candidate for the changes in its adaptation Love in a Forest?

Do you think those changes were successful?

3. Would the Victorian feminine interpretation of Rosalind play well today? Why or why not?

4. When reading about Sarah Siddons’ approach, why do you think her take was so controversial? Would it ignite the same controversy today?

5. What do the qualities Viola Allen praises in Rosalind make you think about the character?

6. What trends do you notice from the pictures of early Rosalinds? What sort of performances would you expect from those actors?

“DANGEROUS LOVE” 1. Does the idea of Rosalind finding her “true self” while in disguise as Ganymede resonate? What would that suggest about the character?

2. What does it say about Orlando if he is more active in his pursuit of Ganymede than of Rosalind?

3. Considering the all-male production of the play prior to the legalization of homosexuality, can you think of some other works of art that seem to anticipate social changes in a similar way?

4. What does Adrian Lester’s comment about his believable femininity make you think about how an actor should approach a role?

5. After reading the quotes from critics about the various Rosalind performances, what do you think people look for when seeing a new performance of Rosalind?

6. What do the pictures of the more contemporary Rosalinds say about changing performance styles?

AN ACTOR’S PERSPECTIVE 1. How does Dallas’ interpretation and performance of Rosalind differ from those highlighted in the character’s stage history? How is it similar to other performances?

2. What do you think it is like to present a totally new version of a part that has seen many interpretations?

3. How would you imagine the collaboration between a director and an actor works for a part like Rosalind?

RESPONSES TO ROSALIND 1. Which of the quotes about Rosalind speaks to you the most? Which the least? Why? 2. What do the responses to Rosalind say about the time periods in which they were written?

EPILOGUE 1. What is Rosalind’s demeanor throughout the epilogue? What message is she trying to impart upon the audience?

2. How does this epilogue resonate differently if Rosalind is played by a woman or a man?

3. Why do you think Shakespeare chose this approach for the last moments of the play?

4. Think of other examples of epilogues from books, film, and theater. What did those epilogues accomplish? How is Rosalind’s epilogue similar? How is it different?

47

Brother of

Celia

Middle son

Brother of

Rosalind

Father of

Exiled to the Forest of Arden

Servant to

Court jester

Amiens

Touchstone

Orlando

Follower of

Follower of

Follower of

Youngest son of Sir Rowland de Boys

Duke Senior

Jaques

Father of

Duke Frederick

Eldest son of Sir Rowland de Boys

Oliver

Court Wrestler

Charles

Le Beau

Servant to

Brother of

Meet the CHARACTERS

Adam

Phebe

Jacques

Audrey

Corin

God of marriage

Hymen 48

William

Silvius

Friend of

4. Before the Show

A Brief

SYNOPSIS

Image 18: A painting of Act III, scene ii by Frederick William Davis, 1902

4. Before the Show

As the play opens, Orlando, the youngest son of Sir Rowland de Boys, is relaying his life’s troubles to Adam, his servant. His eldest brother Oliver, refuses to educate him or provide the inheritance promised after their father’s death. Oliver inexplicably hates his younger brother, and tells the court wrestler Charles to be merciless with Orlando during their upcoming match. Oliver and Charles also discuss how the good Duke Senior has been deprived of his dominions by his younger brother, Frederick, and has taken to the idyllic Forest of Arden with a few faithful courtiers.

The next day, Rosalind, Duke Senior’s daughter, and her best friend Celia, Duke Frederick’s daughter, watch Orlando surprisingly win the mismatched wrestling competition, and Orlando and Rosalind fall in love at first sight. Soon after, Duke Frederick banishes Rosalind from his court. She and Celia decide to seek Duke Senior in the Forest of Arden: Celia disguised as a peasant girl, Aliena, and Rosalind as a boy, Ganymede. They and the court jester, Touchstone, arrive at the forest and buy a small cottage. There, they learn that Orlando and Adam, fearful of Oliver’s plot for revenge, have also fled to the woods. Back at court, Duke Frederick orders Oliver to search for Orlando, Rosalind, and Celia.

Orlando joins Duke Senior and his merry men and begins decorating the forest trees with love poems to his secret love, Rosalind. However, when he accidentally meets her in the forest, he is fooled by her disguise. Rosalind, on the other hand, takes advantage of her situation and offers to cure him of his lovesickness by “pretending” to be Rosalind and allowing him to court her.

Meanwhile Touchstone courts the country maid, Audrey, and the young shepherd Silvius’ romantic pursuit of Phebe is stilted by Phebe’s enamoration with Rosalind’s alter-ego. Oliver meets Rosalind and Celia, explains that he has reformed his ways after his younger brother saved him from a lion, and instantly falls in love with Celia. The various exiles and lovers begin to gather in the forest; Rosalind leaves them, promising she will return tomorrow and satisfy everyone, including the deluded Orlando and Phebe.

True to her promise, Rosalind returns and eventually reveals her true identity to Orlando. By the play’s end, all the love affairs are happily resolved. The multiple weddings of Orlando/Rosalind, Oliver/Celia, Touchstone/Audrey, and Silvius/Phebe are presided over by Hymen, god of marriage; and, finally, in the midst of the celebrations, the newlyweds learn that Duke Frederick has repented and has restored all possessions and estates to their rightful owners.

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What to

LOOK for

5. During the Show

National Players tours all of the country, performing its three productions on dozens of stages. How does this photograph (Image 19) of Tour 66’s first venue compare with your performance space?

What do you observe about the set’s design elements? What do they suggest about the world that the Players are going to create?

Take notice of the lighting and sound equipment on stage. What does their arrangement suggest? How do you think they will be implemented? Why do you think they are visible to the audience?

What items and furniture do you notice onstage? What do you think these props represent, and how do you predict they will be utilized?

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BEFOREyou watch THEATER ETIQUETTE

5. During the Show

Coming to the theater involves a more active form of participation than other types of entertainment, such as film or television. Theater is a two-way art form: the performers and audience feed off of each other, so the more energy coming from the spectators, the greater the experience will be for everyone. That said, a certain degree of respect and decorum is necessary for the actors to perform their very best. This list of etiquette rules is designed to help you enjoy this artistic experience as much as possible, whether you are a regular theater-goer or this is your first time watching a live performance: DO respond to the onstage action with applause and laughter. Performers feed off your energy, so feel free to engage with them as much as possible.

DON’T speak aloud or whisper to your neighbor during the show; there will be plenty of time for discussion after the performance, and you run the risk of distracting the actors from their work.

DO turn off your cell phone and similar devices before the performance begins.

DON’T check your phone during the performance. Even if you have your device on silent, the bright light can be a distraction for the performers.

DO use to the restroom before the performance. If you must leave the theater in the middle of the show, be as quiet and respectful as possible.

DO take notes. Jot down ideas, connections, and opinions that come to you during the performance. If you are attending a talkback, brainstorm some questions you have for the actors, either about the play itself or about the experience of being a National Player.

HEARING SHAKESPEARE

Although Shakespeare’s language can sometimes seem difficult to understand, a bit of practice and preparation can help you follow the story as easily as possible. Here are some tips to help you enjoy and appreciate the onstage action: • Relax. You do not have to understand every word in Shakespeare’s lexicon to understand his plays. Instead, just try to grasp the gist of what each character is saying, and before long, the rhythm and sound of the language will feel second-nature.

• Watch the performers’ body language, gestures, and facial expressions. In terms of storytelling, body language is just as important as the text, and actors employ a variety of performance techniques to make their dialogue as clear as possible.

• Although he uses prose as well, Shakespeare often uses verse in his plays, a metrical form of poetry called iambic pentameter. This rhythm, which uses stressed and unstressed syllables, makes it easier to both understand and to learn Shakespeare. The rhythm guides the ear to the important parts of each phrase.

• Remember, the plays are not meant to scare or confuse you. Shakespeare wrote to entertain, and he was pretty good at it (he was one of the most popular playwrights of his time, after all). Even his tragedies have comedic moments, so feel free to laugh and react to the actors’ jokes and antics.

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Show Encounter Guide Name:

5. During the Show

Date:

1. What do you notice about (circle the elements that your teacher wants you to focus on, and explain in the space provided): The story The set (scenery, how the stage looks without actors) Transitions (how the scenes and playing space change)

Language (the dialogue and the characters’ style of speech)

Physical acting (how the actors move/embody their characters)

Lighting

Sound and music

Blocking/staging (where the actors stand and navigate the space)

Vocal acting (how the actors sound/speak like their characters)

2. What questions would you like to ask the performers?

Show Encounter Survey (please return to the Players) Show: As You Like It Date:

Grade:

School:

1. I enjoyed the performance: VERY MUCH

SOMEWHAT

A LITTLE

NOT AT ALL

2. The play makes me think about:

3. How did this production connect with themes/subjects you are learning in school?

4. Is this the first live theater production you have seen?

YES

NO 52

Shakespeare in ACTION

6. After the Show

ACTIVITIES AND PROMPTS DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 1. Summarize As You Like It in three sentences.

2. What elements from the show stood out to you?

3. Why do you think Rosalind had to stay in character as a man?

4. What role does music have in this production? What mood or tone did the musical sequences evoke? How did they impact your viewing experience?

5. What did Orlando gain from his lessons with Rosalind? What, if anything, do you think Rosalind learned?

6. What was the most interesting relationship in the play? How would you characterize that relationship?

7. Was there a specific moment when you identified with one of the characters? What was it that made you feel that way?

8. Who do you think had the most power in the play? Can you name a specific moment when he or she used this power?

What about when she or he lost it?

9. How would you describe Touchstone and Audrey’s relationship?

10. What do you think about the setting of the play? What does the idea of the forest or the court mean to you?

WRITE A REVIEW Critical analysis is an important part of the theater world; they give artists insight into how well their work comes across to patrons, and it allows audiences to respond to their experiences in a professional manner. Most shows are reviewed in some form, whether by professionals in newspapers or amateurs posting on Facebook. We encourage students to write their own reviews of their experience seeing our show. You can even share these reviews by emailing them to nationalplayers@ olneytheatre.org or posting them online and then sharing them with us on Facebook (Facebook.com/NationalPlayers) or Twitter (@NationalPlayers).

Some guidelines on how to approach writing a review: • The best reviews first identify what the production was attempting to achieve. Consider the director’s intended vision and what you think the production wanted to portray, as well as the intended effect of individual elements. From there, base your review on how well the show achieved those goals.

• “I didn’t like it” or “It was cool” is not a useful critique. Be sure to go into specifics, identifying why things did or did not work.

• Remember your intended reader: other prospective audience members. Think about who the ideal audience member for this show might be, and think about what that person would or would not like.

• Do not forget that there are many separate elements within the show, and many different people contributed to the final product. Try to attribute elements to the different people who worked on the show whenever possible (reference the program for a full list of the artists who contributed to the production, from acting and directing to lighting and sound design).

• Some plot summary is useful for providing context, but a review is not meant to just describe what happens. If there are things in the performance that work best as a surprise, avoid revealing them in your review.

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Shakespeare in ACTION

6. After the Show

ACTIVITIES AND PROMPTS STAGE YOUR OWN One of the best things about theater is that there are an enormous number of valid and interesting interpretations of great works. Have students pick a favorite scene from As You Like It, like the scene in which Rosalind and Celia decide to run away (Page 26) or the Duke and his merry men (IV.i) and have them come up with their own interpretation of the scene. What is happening at this moment? How do you want to present it in a theatrical way? What resources are available to you? Assign different roles throughout the class, and work together to make a version that is your own. Take a video of your work and share it with National Players online; we’d love to see what you do.

GET INSPIRED Oftentimes, when directors are preparing for a show, they look for outside inspiration to guide them. Find another work of art (painting, picture, song, poem, novel, TV show/episode, movie) or person, place, or theme that you think represents this play well. Write about the connections you see between your inspiration piece and the play. If you were directing your own production, how would you use this inspiration piece to guide your team toward your own vision of the final product?

WRITE YOUR OWN EPILOGUE Think about where the play leaves all of the characters at the end. What do you think would happen to them in the future?

Write a speculative scene featuring some of the characters down the road. What are they doing? How do they feel about it?

How have they changed? With whom do they still interact? How have their relationships with other characters changed? You do not have to write in dramatic format; this can be a short story or even a comic book style telling. Alternatively, can you think of any scenes within the play that are referenced or described that you did not get to see? Create a “fill in the gaps” scene in the same way, filling in things before or during the play that are not depicted in the script.

THEMATIC ESSAY Think about some of the themes of the play (listed below) and write an exploration of how you see the play treat that topic.

Think of other works you’ve read in school, or other movies or TV shows you’ve seen, that deal with this topic and compare what you saw in the play with what those other works have.

Gender City vs. Country Forgiveness Power Class/Social Hierarchy Love (Friendship vs. Romantic) Escapism from/Return to Reality

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APPENDIX

5. After the Show

The following pages include companion worksheets for Tool Kit activities, as well as a comprehensive list of further print and online resources.

You are welcome to make copies of these pages and use them in your classroom, either alongside other Tool Kit resources or in other capacities.

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PROSE VS. VERSE What if Shakespeare were to script your life? What sort of scenes would he depict? Where would you have the most dramatic confrontations? What would your soliloquies be about? All interesting to consider, but a question we can also play around with is: Where would you speak in verse and where would you speak in prose? Below are several scenarios.

Read the scenario and consider whether you think each character would speak in the more formal and heightened verse style, or the more relaxed and familiar prose style. Give your reasoning in each instance.

SCENARIO 1: You are at a backyard barbecue to kick off the beginning of summer. You and your friends don’t know everybody there, but you are all sure to be the life of the party and make a huge scene. Your parents are in charge of the food, but you are in charge of the good times.

PROSE OR VERSE? WHY?

SCENARIO 2: You’re in a new school for the first time. You have just moved to a new city and don’t know many people, and you are slightly uncomfortable in your brand-new school uniform and don’t recognize many faces. You run into your new English teacher in the hallway and introduce yourself and ask for directions to your social studies class.

PROSE OR VERSE? WHY?

SCENARIO 3: You are with the family of a friend at the service for a religion other than your own. Afterwards, you greet the service leader and thank them for allowing you to observe. Then you and your friend go out to get something to eat and talk about some of your favorite memories together.

PROSE OR VERSE? WHY?

SCENARIO 4: Create your own.

PROSE OR VERSE? WHY?

IDENTIFYING YOUR OWN SPEECH PATTERNS Good Morning, everybody! Please take a seat and take out a pen or pencil.

Good

Morn

ing,

eve

ry

bo

dy!

Please

take

a

seat

and

take

out

a

pen

or

pen

cil.

Question A: What is your ideal morning ritual?

Question B: How do you get to your favorite restaurant from here?

Question C: Where does your name come from?

Question D: Describe the plot of the most recent book that you read.

LEARNING TO LOVE POETRY Use the lines and (if desired) the marked-out rhyme schemes below to write your own love poem in the style of Petrarch, Shakespeare or Orlando. Be sure to consider your subject, and how you are regarding them.

Title: By:

Sh

Pe ake sp Orla tra ea nd rc re h o

A

A

A

B

B

B

B

A

A

A

B

B A

C

C

C

D

D

D

D

C

C

C

D

D E

E

E

F

F

F

E

F

E

F

E

F

G H

G

G

G

G

G

H I I

COSTUME DESIGN TEMPLATE

Further

RESOURCES

READING COMPANIONS

Garber, Marjorie. Shakespeare After All. A unique guide through all of Shakespeare’s plays, this is an accessible and comprehensive text for both beginners and scholars.

Greenblatt, Stephen. Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare.

A descriptive, engaging biography of William Shakespeare, Greenblatt includes information on Elizabethan life and culture, entertaining anecdotes, and clever storytelling to paint an entertaining and education picture of the playwright’s life.

Holzknecht, Karl J. and Raymond Ross. Outlines of Shakespeare’s Plays Act-by-act synopses of each play with helpful character descriptions and relationship information, this collection also includes relevant background material.

Kott, Jan. Shakespeare our Contemporary.

One of the most influential Shakespeare criticism works of modern time, Kott’s selection of essays includes provocative analyses on all of Shakespeare’s plays.

Sarrazin, George and Alexander Schmidt. Shakespeare Lexicon and Quotation Dictionary.

A comprehensive collection of definitions, phrases, terms, and locations, as well as more than 50,000 exact quotations.

Vaughan, lden T. and Virginia Mason. The Arden Shakespeare Edition of The Tempest.

Along with an extensive introduction to the play’s cultural, stage, and textual history, the Arden edition of the text also includes pages of footnotes and additional information.

Wells, Stanley. Shakespeare: A Life in Drama.

Along with a concise biography of the playwright, Wells provides an intriguing portrayal of Shakespeare’s character.

ONLINE RESOURCES

shakespeare-literature.com and absoluteshakespeare.com The complete texts of Shakespeare’s plays as well as links to study resources. shakespeare-online.com An excellent, regularly updated repository of information on Shakespeare. folger.edu/Home_02B.html The website of the Folger Shakespeare Library, with study guides and primary resources. globelink.org A website maintained by Shakespeare’s Globe in London with links to resources, archives, and information about the Globe’s current season. opensourceshakespeare.org An online library of Shakespeare’s texts, including advanced search options and a concordance.

ShakespeareinAmericanLife.org A project of the Folger Shakespare Library, with visual, textual, and video companions to Shakespeare’s plays. pbs.org/wnet/shakespeare-uncovered A series of films and educational companions to the historical and artistic impact of Shakespeare’s plays.