As You Like It

As You Like It, a romantic comedy with a title that seems to have no plot-related meaning but simply promises to be an audience-pleaser, has kept that promise since its debut in 1599. Its story merges several comic devices that Shakespeare knew to be popular with his theatre-goers including a female character masquerading as a man, multiple couples wooing and wedding, bitter sibling rivalries resolved, and a court jester to compound the humor at every turn.

Few of Shakespeare’s plays rely as much on direct and indirect biblical references. The allusions to the Garden of Eden in particular are so numerous that they become a major theme of the story.

The plot centers on two pairs of brothers, both consisting of an evil brother casting a good brother out of his rightful place. Both outcasts resort to the Forest of Arden, an unexpectedly Edenic place where their banishments turn out to be blessings. Duke Senior, legitimate ruler of the realm, is overthrown by younger brother Frederick and banished to the forest along with his top advisors. Meanwhile Oliver, a wealthy young gentleman, plots against the life of his youngest brother Orlando, forcing him to escape into the same forest.

None of this sounds romantic, but there’s more. The evil Duke Frederick has a daughter Celia who is inseparable from her beloved cousin Rosalind, daughter of the rightful Duke. Rosalind is soon banished also, but Celia determines to escape with her cousin into exile and persuades Touchstone the jester to go along. Still no romance? Well, Rosalind and Orlando have laid longing eyes upon each other before their escapes to Arden, and that’s enough to set in motion not just one, but four love matches. 

The “disguised female” feature results from Rosalind’s decision to dress as a man for safety in the forest. When she finds out Orlando is also in Arden, she takes (unfair?) advantage by role-playing as an advisor to the lovelorn without Orlando realizing he is dealing with the woman of his dreams. 

Biblical references and themes 

“Adam” is the fourth word of the play, and the recurring theme of Creation and Garden of Eden will follow. This Adam is the faithful, aged servant of the late Sir Rowland de Boys who will shortly abandon Sir Rowland’s evil heir Oliver, give his life’s savings to young Orlando, and attend him into the forest.

When we first see Arden, Duke Senior is addressing his fellow-exiles and we find that the forest is not the wild and threatening place the men had feared. In Act II, Scene 1, lines 1-11 (II.1.1-11 in the Folger Shakespeare Library edition) he rejoices that they are safer there where they “feel not the penalty of Adam” than they were in “the envious court.” Jacques laments the need of killing deer for food (II.1.21-25) as inconsistent with Arden’s unsullied environment.

Orlando assumes the forest to be “uncouth” upon first venturing into it (II.6.6) but is soon happy to find it full of gentleness (II.7.111-114). The cold winds that might arise (II.5.6-8) are declared to be not a curse, but a blessing compared with human sinfulness (II.7.182-184). Even the diabolical creature who invaded Eden to ruin mankind also has a sinister equivalent in Arden (the serpent in IV.3.114). Besides these reflections of the Garden of Eden, Rosalind’s casual remark that the earth is “almost 6000 years old” (IV.1.100) assumes the traditionally estimated date of the Genesis creation, 4000 B.C.

Direct references to Bible accounts in As You Like It include the prodigal son (I.1.37 and 74), God’s feeding of the ravens in Luke 12:24 and the sparrows in Matthew 10:29 (II.3.44-45), the woman as the “weaker vessel” from I Peter 3:7 (II.4.6), a tree yielding “bad fruit” from Matthew 7:18 (III.2.117), and animals coming in pairs to the ark from Gen. 7:8-9 (V.4.36-37).

Less direct allusions include the Judas kiss (III.4.8-9) and Ruth’s gleaning of harvest leftovers (III.5.106-111). Even the wicked usurper Duke Frederick seems to know Jesus’ lost coin parable from Luke 15:8 in his “seek him with candle” command (III.1.6). That parable leads directly into the better-known prodigal son story which Shakespeare had used more obviously in Act I.

In very general terms an orthodox God-centered worldview is further reflected in expressions like “sermons in stone” (II.1.17), “Is he of God’s making?” (III.2.209-214), “thank heaven fasting” (III.5.62-63), and the disclaimer that Rosalind’s “magic” is “not damnable” (V.2.63-65).

Respect for biblical marriage is upheld throughout the play despite the jester’s inclination to lower that standard with a questionable wedding. He is reprimanded by Jacques and persuaded to get properly married (III.3.83-105). Even the lowly shepherd Silvius professes a love for Phoebe that is “So holy and so perfect…” (III.5.106). All four couples, socially diverse though they are, share a respectable quadruple wedding at play’s end after chaste courtships.

Shakespeare oddly brings a representation of a Roman deity onstage to solemnize the ceremony (V.4.190-191), but the biblical tone is restored immediately as the closing scene is interrupted by miraculous news. Duke Frederick, upon entering the Forest of Arden with evil intent, has met an “old religious man,” been “converted from the world,” and surrendered his usurped crown (V.4.159-168). Not coincidentally Oliver, the play’s other villain, had earlier undergone a conversion soon after entering this beneficent forest. Jacques now declares he will go find Frederick and learn from this “convertite” (V.4.190-191).

So the story’s climax features the launching of four marriages, repentance of the villains, their reconciliation with their brothers, and a final picture of religious devotion with Eden restored.  

Similarities to other Shakespeare plays

Kings/Dukes usurped by younger brothers: As You Like It, The Tempest, Hamlet. (The princes in Much Ado About Nothing almost fit the category, as Claudio has apparently put down a rebellion led by Don John just before the action of the play begins.)  

Weddings of multiple couples performed or impending: As You Like It, Midsummer Night’s Dream, Twelfth Night, Much Ado About Nothing, The Taming of the Shrew, The Merchant of Venice. 

Women disguised as men: As You Like It, Twelfth Night, Two Gentlemen of Verona. [Mind-bending bonus: The As You Like It version of the gender disguise adds an extra twist when Rosalind masquerading as the male Ganymede proposes to role-play a woman—herself! Remember, female stage roles in Shakespeare’s time were played by boys dressed as women. So the first audiences of As You Like It were treated to a male playing a female disguised as a male role-playing a female!]

A Student Analyzes “Midsummer Night’s Dream Fairies”

To give you an idea of what a high school student can do when assigned to write a research paper on Shakespeare, I’m offering my summary of 2400-word paper written by a 10^th grader, Kaitlyn M., who had never written a research paper before. She proved to be not an ordinary student but an outstanding one, especially when it came to research papers, so don’t take this as typical, just typical of her! The paper was documented by 24 footnotes drawn from a bibliography of nine books and articles.

Here is Kaitlyn’s opening paragraph (I have underlined her thesis statement).

William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is full of forest magic. Fairy creatures maintain the forest as well as create mischief. Today, many think of fairies as cute little children in tutus and wings. But Fairy King Oberon’s underling Puck calls him King of Shadows and the other fairies call Puck a shrewd and knavish sprite. From these two descriptions, one might reconsider the previous observations. Many self-described conservative Christians may avoid viewing this play because they would think of the magic as evil and coming from the devil. However, the typical whimsical fairy behavior can be found in Fairy Queen Titania and her attendants. The “Disney fairies” of today’s culture seem more closely based on Titania’s fairies. They are ethereal, acorn-nesting sprites. Shakespeare presents his audience with two stereotypes of fairies, one being evil and sinister embodied in Puck and Oberon, the other being charming and whimsical, found in the behavior of Titania along with Peaseblossom, Mustardseed, Moth, and Cobweb, her assistants.

The four major points of Kaitlyn’s outline, with the most significant content from each briefly paraphrased, are as follows:

I. Oberon is Cruel. Examples include his obsession with taking the changeling boy from Titania, taking unfair advantage of her with a magic spell, seeking to unnecessarily humiliate her, and his unfounded jealousy about her. It also seems malicious that he—and Puck--are unable to function in the daylight, similar to the ghosts and “damned spirits” to which Puck refers. Oberon’s only redeeming quality may be that he limits himself and withholds the full force of his potentially destructive powers.

II. Puck is Sinister. Oberon’s chief fairy servant is often described, and self-described, as a serious trouble-maker, not just a lively prankster. Scholar Harold Bloom points out that the word “puck” originally meant a demon up to no good, or a wicked man. Puck is comical to the audience, but his tricks are more painful to his victims than viewers might realize.

III. Titania is compassionate. Her protective care of the changeling son of her deceased friend is generous and heart-felt. She seems concerned about the suffering visited upon the humans by the horrific weather conditions stirred up by the conflict between her and Oberon. She is forgiving toward Oberon after his mistreatment of her. She favors the night, as Oberon does, but displays a different spirit about it and does love the full moonlight which Oberon seems not to.

IV. Titania’s fairies are charming and whimsical. They are vivacious and innocently wild, speak in cute rhymes, and are captivatingly tiny. Many scholars testify that this representation of fairies, so common today, was introduced as a novelty to Shakespeare’s audiences who were accustomed to the “darker” image of fairies.

Kaitlyn’s closing paragraph:

William Shakespeare in A Midsummer Night’s Dream portrays two stereotypical views of fairies, one being evil and sinister, represented by Oberon and Puck, and the other represented by charming and whimsical Titania and her fairies. With these two stereotypes, Shakespeare acknowledges history’s view of a more evil fairyland and introduces a fairydom that is more light-hearted.

[Grade: A+]

Teachers' Resources for Shakespeare

The following is a list of books and other resources that can be very useful for teachers preparing lessons, discussions, and assignments on Shakespeare plays. Please contribute your ideas for extending and improving this list.

• Brightest Heaven of Invention, A Christian Guide to Six Shakespeare Plays. Excellent book by Peter J. Leithart (Cannon Press, Moscow, ID, 1996) with chapters on Henry V, Julius Caesar, Hamlet, Macbeth, Taming of the Shrew, and Much Ado About Nothing. Also an introduction on "A Christian Approach to Literary Study" and general introduction essays to history, tragedy, and comedy plays. I find the material quite sophisticated, and use it primarily with A.P. English classes, although it can be a useful resource at the College Prep level as well.
  
  
• Stories from Shakespeare by Marchette Chute. For generations a standard little reference book with easy-to-read but literate and accurate prose summaries of 36 of the 37 plays of Shakespeare (the 36 included in the First Folio, excluding Pericles). When you need a quick summary for any reason, this is an excellent resource. I sometimes have students read one of the summaries if I want them to have a working knowledge of a plot line that somehow parallels a play they are actually reading. (Teach Twelfth Night and include a summary of Comedy of Errors, for example.) The book also has a useful 7-page introduction.
  
  
• Twisted Tales from Shakespeare by Richard Armour, "twistfully illustrated by Campbell Grant." My dear old Dad, bless him, introduced this book to me while I was still in high school. A hilarious collection of pseudo-academic spoofs on Hamlet, Macbeth, Midsummer Night's Dream, Romeo & Juliet, Merchant of Venice, and Othello. Also spurious introductions on Shakespeare's Life, The Elizabethan Theater, and Shakespeare's Development, and appendices on The Sonnets and Authorship of the Plays, which offers a fractured guide to those theories that Shakespeare didn't write anything at all. My rule: Students MUST master the real play before being allowed to see the spoof. Out of print for years, I'm seeing used copies on Amazon for $14 and up. My old copy says $2.45 on the cover, 70 cents higher than the original 1957 published price.
  
  
• An excellent on-line "concordance" to Shakespeare's works is available at www.rhymezone.com/shakespeare/ Enter a word or phrase and find where it appears in Shakespeare's writings.
  
  
• Christ in the Drama by Fred Eastman, (Macmillan Co., New York, 1947). Chapter Two is titled “The Influence of Christ in Shakespeare’s Plays.” In this venerable classic, Eastman gives special attention to Othello, Macbeth, and King Lear, but also deals with Hamlet, Romeo & Juliet, and Julius Caesar. (Other Shakespeare titles are referred to in passing.) Available as of this writing from Barnes & Noble or Amazon.com.
  
  
• Shakespearean Criticism, published by Thomson Gale. This is beyond being a gold mine; it’s the Mother Lode! In printed form it is a series of more than 80 volumes, with new volumes added periodically, collecting short scholarly articles and excerpts on Shakespearean drama. Each volume updates a complete indexing of the entire set, with a Character Index, Topic Index, and Topic Index classified by play titles. Bibliographic information is included. Probably available only in large libraries such as those on college campuses. My students and I use the set at the University of Oregon library. The material is now being made available as an online database as well.

Sexual Morality

Shakespeare's plays include elements of appropriate or inappropriate sexuality. Christians might be uneasy with some of these story lines, and feel that the overall body of Shakespeare's work sends mixed messages as to sexual morality.

One generalization I would offer is that Shakespeare sometimes implies a distinction between upper class characters and commoners with higher standards expected of the former, while lower standards for the latter might be assumed.

The exceptions among the upper class are treated as serious matters, often with weighty consequences. Hamlet takes his royal mother bitterly to task for her adulterous (by his society's standards) marriage to her brother-in-law (III.4.19-106). Juliet (III.5.216-255 and IV.1.51-90) is desperate to avoid violating her marriage as she has been advised to do by her nurse.

Even false accusations of fornication among the upper class are extremely serious when believed, whether in Shakespeare's comedies (Much Ado about Nothing IV.1.81-210) or tragedies (Othello IV.2.37-105). Yet in Much Ado, Borachio and Margaret seem to have something going on (II.2.12-49), as do Cassio and Bianca in Othello (IV.1.123-158), but these liaisons between commoners are treated as normal. Measure for Measure (the only Shakespeare play named from a verse of scripture, Matt. 7:2) deals with fornication and hypocrisy via a unique plot line in which the premature sexual union of a "nearlywed" couple is regarded as a mitigated sin in contrast with the immeasurably worse intentions of Angelo, the city's interim ruler.

All's Well that Ends Well offers another unique story in which a young nobleman brushes the boundaries of adultery. See my post on that play describing the two buffers between Shakespeare's general rule about sexual misconduct by the high-born and what actually happens. First, Bertram has already despairingly given up his title and considers himself ruined, virtually a dead man. Second, he never actually commits adultery although he fully intends to and just as fully believes he has! In the same play, notice the frequent words in praise of virginity and chastity. See also the modest propriety of Hermia, another nearlywed, under tempting circumstances in Midsummer Night's Dream (II.2.41-70).