Presentation on As You Like It by MM Shariful Karim

2. By William Shakespeare

3. Presented By:
MM Shariful Karim
Chairman & Associate Professor
Department of English
Dean, Faculty of Arts and Humanities
Comilla University
Email: karimshariful@gmail.com
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4. Introduction:
William Shakespeare is one of the greatest dramatists of
the world. He is considered as a master of art and his art
of characterization is truly unique that no other dramatist in
the word has achieved such high position in world literature.
He has a keen observation of life and he portrayed his
characters which is more lively and efficient in all ages. He is
not of his own age but he is of all ages. As You Like It is truly
a fantastic Pastoral Comedy of William Shakespeare where
the rural and courtly setting are past together.

5. Biography of William Shakespeare
 Name : William Shakespeare
 Occupation : Poet, Playwright, Philosopher.
 Birth Date : April 23, 1564
 Death Date : April 23, 1616
 Education : King's New School
 Place of Birth : Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom
 Place of Death : Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom
 Nickname : "Bard of Avon“ "Swan of Avon” "The Bard“
 Works : Poem (154 Sonnets) & Drama: 37 Plays

6. William Shakespeare( 1564-1616)

7. Elizabethan Era
Features of the Era
Queen Elizabeth
 Elizabethan period is the
golden age of literature.
 This is the age of renaissance
in Europe.
 There two groups in Religion
 Protestants and Catholics
 Anglicanism establishing
 Emphasis on humanity
 University wits writes under
this era.

8. Original Identity of As You Like It
 Full title : As You Like It
 Author : William Shakespeare
 Type of work : Play
 Genre : Pastoral Romantic
Comedy
 Language : English
 Written : in 1599
 Performed : Wilton House in 1603
 Published : First Folio, 1623
 Age : The Renaissance

9. Major Characters of the Play
 Rosalind is the heroine and protagonist of the play As You Like It
by William Shakespeare. She is the beautiful daughter of the
exiled Duke Senior and niece to his usurping brother Duke
Frederick. Her father is banished from the kingdom which breaks
her heart. She then meets Orlando, one of her father's friends' son
and falls in love with him. After angering her uncle, she leaves his
court for exile in the Forest of Arden. Disguised as a shepherd
named Ganymede, Rosalind lives with her sweet and devoted
cousin, Celia (who is disguised as Ganymede's sister, Aliena), and
Duke Frederick's fool Touchstone.
 Eventually, Rosalind is reunited with her father and married to her
faithful lover, Orlando.
 Rosalind is one of Shakespeare's most recognized heroines.
Admired for her intelligence, quick wit, and beauty, Rosalind is a
vital character in "As You Like It." Most commonly seen next to her
beloved cousin Celia, Rosalind is also a faithful friend, leader, and
schemer. She stays true to her family and friends throughout the
entire story, no matter how dangerous the consequences.
 Rosalind dominates the stage. Her true decision-making skills can
be seen in the last scene of Act V (5) where she has to present
herself as Rosalind to her father and to Orlando, but at the same
time change Phebe's opinion to marry Silvius. She is the main
character of the play who extracts the clarity of important traits in
other characters.

10. Continued
 Orlando - The youngest son of Sir Rowland de Bois and younger brother of
Oliver. Orlando is an attractive young man who, under his brother’s neglectful
care, has languished without a gentleman’s education or training. Regardless, he
considers himself to have great potential, and his victorious battle with Charles
proves him right. Orlando cares for the aging Adam in the Forest of Ardenne and
later risks his life to save Oliver from a hungry lioness, proving himself a proper
gentleman. He is a fitting hero for the play and, though he proves no match for
her wit or poetry, the most obvious romantic match for Rosalind.
 Duke Senior - The father of Rosalind and the rightful ruler of the dukedom in
which the play is set. Having been banished by his usurping brother, Frederick,
Duke Senior now lives in exile in the Forest of Ardenne with a number of loyal
men, including Lord Amiens and Jaques. We have the sense that Senior did not
put up much of a fight to keep his dukedom, for he seems to make the most of
whatever life gives him. Content in the forest, where he claims to learn as much
from stones and brooks as he would in a church or library, Duke Senior proves
himself to be a kind and fair-minded ruler.
 Jaques - A faithful lord who accompanies Duke Senior into exile in the Forest of
Ardenne. Jaques is an example of a stock figure in Elizabethan comedy, the man
possessed of a hopelessly melancholy disposition. Much like a referee in a
football game, he stands on the sidelines, watching and judging the actions of the
other characters without ever fully participating. Given his inability to participate
in life, it is fitting that Jaques alone refuses to follow Duke Senior and the other
courtiers back to court, and instead resolves to assume a solitary and
contemplative life in a monastery.

11. Continued
 Celia - The daughter of Duke Frederick and Rosalind’s dearest friend. Celia’s devotion to
Rosalind is unmatched, as evidenced by her decision to follow her cousin into exile. To
make the trip, Celia assumes the disguise of a simple shepherdess and calls herself
Aliena. As elucidated by her extreme love of Rosalind and her immediate devotion to
Oliver, whom she marries at the end of the play, Celia possesses a loving heart, but is
prone to deep, almost excessive emotions.
 Duke Frederick - The brother of Duke Senior and usurper of his throne. Duke
Frederick’s cruel nature and volatile temper are displayed when he banishes his niece,
Rosalind, from court without reason. That Celia, his own daughter, cannot mitigate his
unfounded anger demonstrates the intensity of the duke’s hatefulness. Frederick mounts
an army against his exiled brother but aborts his vengeful mission after he meets an old
religious man on the road to the Forest of Ardenne. He immediately changes his ways,
dedicating himself to a monastic life and returning the crown to his brother, thus
testifying to the ease and elegance with which humans can sometimes change for the
better.
 Touchstone - A clown in Duke Frederick’s court who accompanies Rosalind and Celia in
their flight to Ardenne. Although Touchstone’s job, as fool, is to criticize the behavior
and point out the folly of those around him, Touchstone fails to do so with even a fraction
of Rosalind’s grace. Next to his mistress, the clown seems hopelessly vulgar and narrow-
minded. Almost every line he speaks echoes with bawdy innuendo.

12. Continued
 Oliver - The oldest son of Sir Rowland de Bois and sole inheritor of the de Bois estate. Oliver is a
loveless young man who begrudges his brother, Orlando, a gentleman’s education. He admits to
hating Orlando without cause or reason and goes to great lengths to ensure his brother’s downfall.
When Duke Frederick employs Oliver to find his missing brother, Oliver finds himself living in
despair in the Forest of Ardenne, where Orlando saves his life. This display of undeserved generosity
prompts Oliver to change himself into a better, more loving person. His transformation is evidenced
by his love for the disguised Celia, whom he takes to be a simple shepherdess.
 Silvius - A young, suffering shepherd, who is desperately in love with the disdainful Phoebe.
Conforming to the model of Petrarchan love, Silvius prostrates himself before a woman who refuses
to return his affections. In the end, however, he wins the object of his desire.
 Phoebe - A young shepherdess, who disdains the affections of Silvius. She falls in love with
Ganymede, who is really Rosalind in disguise, but Rosalind tricks Phoebe into marrying Silvius.
 Lord Amiens - A faithful lord who accompanies Duke Senior into exile in the Forest of Ardenne.
Lord Amiens is rather jolly and loves to sing.
 Charles - A professional wrestler in Duke Frederick’s court. Charles demonstrates both his caring
nature and his political savvy when he asks Oliver to intercede in his upcoming fight with Orlando:
he does not want to injure the young man and thereby lose favor among the nobles who support him.
Charles’s concern for Orlando proves unwarranted when Orlando beats him senseless.

13. A short overview of the Play
 Duke Senior, banished and usurped by his brother, Duke Frederick, now lives in the Forest of Arden,
with his noblemen. Senior’s daughter Rosalind has been allowed to remain at court with Frederick’s
daughter Celia, but she suddenly incurs Frederick’s displeasure, and is banished. Celia decides to run
away with her, and they leave for Arden with Rosalind disguised as a man, and accompanied by
Touchstone, a clown. Rosalind changes her name to Ganymede, and Celia to Aliena.
 Before they leave, Rosalind falls in love with one of the sons of Rowland De Boys—Orlando, who is
ruled and hated by his elder brother, Oliver. Orlando foils Oliver’s plan to have him killed in a match
against the Duke’s chief wrestler, Charles, by defeating the champion.
 Orlando is then advised by Le Beau to leave the court, and he flees to Arden with his old servant
Adam. They are starving when they encounter Duke Senior, who takes them in, delighted to discover
that Orlando is the son of his old friend Sir Rowland.
 Rosalind and Celia observe two shepherds, Corin and Silvius, talking, and learn of Silvius’s love for
Phebe, a shepherdess. They buy pastures and herd from them, and decide to live as shepherds.
Touchstone spends much time in the company of Audrey, a country wench who is loved by William,
eventually wooing her himself. Jaques, a melancholy nobleman of Duke Senior’s company, becomes
fascinated by Touchstone, and spends much time talking to him.

14. Continued
 Orlando leaves love messages for Rosalind all over the forest, which she in due course
sees. When the two girls meet Orlando again, ‘Ganymede’ persuades Orlandoto treat
‘him’ as his Rosalind, so that he may practise wooing. Frederick, believing Celia and
Rosalind to have fled with Orlando, sends Oliver after his brother, threatening to take the
De Boys’ lands if Oliver returns without him.
 Oliver is saved from a lion by Orlando, and the two brothers are reconciled. Oliver relates
the story to the two girls, and falls in love with Celia. Phebe has fallen for Ganymede,
which causes some confusion until Rosalind reveals herself. Phebe then agrees to marry
Silvius. Rosalind is reunited with her father, and marries Orlando. Oliver marries Celia.
Touchstone marries Audrey.
 The third son of Sir Rowland, Jaques, arrives to announce that Frederick had intended to
invade the forest with an army, but on his way he met a religious man who converted him
from his harsh ways, and he has now begun a religious life. Jaques decides to join him.
Duke Senior has his lands and crown restored.

15. Historical Background
• The era when Shakespeare was born.
• Before the age of Elizabethan drama, plays were mainly based on religious
themes. However, people demanded, Elizabethan dramas were based on
secular issues.
 Elizabethan Drama refers to the plays which were produced during the reign
of queen Elizabeth in England.
• The opening of several good sized play houses was responsible for this
increased patronage . the largest and most famous of which was the Globe
Theatre (1599), home to many of Shakespeare's work.
• The most popular types of Elizabethan plays were histories of England’s
rulers..

16. Critical analysis of the Play
This play has a great significant critical response of the audience of the world. Still
now many researchers are trying to find out the authentic view of William
Shakespeare in his writings. Here in this play he shows his excellence in
portraying the characters full of imagination and love for nature. Moreover, the
duel setting and the characters are really unique innovation of William
Shakespeare He has tried to show the real scenario of the present society by the
play As You Like It.

17. Act I: Scene II
“Tis true, for those that she makes fair,
She scarce makes honest;
These that she makes honest,
She makes very ill- favouredly.
Act I: Scene II
(Here Celia complains to Rosalind about lady’s misfortune)

18. Act I: Scene III
We still slept together
Rose at an instant, learn’d, play’d, eat together,
And whereso’er we went, like Juno’s swans,
Still we went coupled and inseparable.”
(Act I: Scene III) Here Celia speaks to her Father Duke Frederick

19. Act II: Scene IV
“Alas, poor shepherd, searching of the wound
I have by hard adventure found mine own.”
Act II: Scene IV
(Spoken by Rosalind in the forest of Arden about her own love in the
presence of Celia and Touchstone )

20. Act II: Scene I
Sweet are the uses of adversity.
Which like the toad, ugly and venomous
Wears yet a precious jewel in his head.”
(Duke Senior’s speech)

21. Act II: Scene VII
"All the world 's a stage, and all the men
and women merely players.
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts."
(Act II, Scene VII)

22. Act II: Scene VII
Blow, blow, thou winter wind,
Thou art not so unkind
As man’s ingratitude.”
(Act II, Scene VII)

23. Act III: Scene II
“Love is merely a madness, and I tell you,
Dissolves as well a dark house
and a whip as madmen do.”
Act III: Scene II (Spoken by Rosalind to Orlando)

24. Act V: Scene II
"The fool doth think he is wise,
but the wise man knows himself to be a fool".
(Act V, Scene II)

25. Act IV: Scene I
"Can one desire too much of a good thing?
(Act IV, Scene I)

26. Pastoral Romantic Comedy
A literary work (as a poem or play) dealing with shepherds or rural life in a
usually artificial manner and typically drawing a contrast between the
innocence and serenity of the simple life and the misery and corruption of
city and especially court life
Pastoral, a popular Renaissance literary genre, influenced a number of Shakespeare's
works. The pastoral genre depicts an idealized vision of a simpler, rural life and a
longing for a lost world of innocence.
The pastoral mode was an integral part of the Renaissance debate between the virtues
of the active versus the contemplative life, often expressed as the opposition of
negotium, involvement in business, civic, and social life, and otium, ease or idleness.

27. Pastoral Romantic Comedy
 Commentary on pastoral in Shakespeare's dramatic works frequently involves
references to writers who generated and developed the pastoral mode. These
include the Greek poet Theocritus; the Latin poet Virgil; authors of the Italian
Renaissance such as Sannazaro, Guarini, Tasso, and Mantuan; and English
Renaissance pastoral writers, including Spenser, Greene, Lodge, and Sidney,
whose Arcadia is considered to be one of the greatest pastorals.
 Many critics argue that pastoral is a way of looking at life, art, and nature—an
attitude and a system of values rather than a set of formal literary conventions.
 However, there is general agreement regarding the three-part structure of
pastoral drama—flight or exile from the court or city, retreat to a rural setting,
and return. The sojourn in the countryside supposedly provides an opportunity
to gain new insights and perspectives, leading to personal education, growth,
and renewal. Scholars have explored Shakespeare's use of this dramatic
structure, and the evidence in his plays of pastoralism and anti-pastoralism,
with particular reference to As You Like It, The Winter's Tale, and The Tempest.

28. Pastoral Romantic Comedy
 Scholars who write about As You Like It generally agree that the play does not represent
the Forest of Arden as a lost, golden world. There is, however, a range of opinions
regarding whether this comedy is anti-pastoral or merely ambivalent about the literary
pastoral tradition.
 Several critics assert that As You Like It challenges conventional literary pastoralism.
Lindenbaum, for example, calls attention to the different views of pastoral expressed by
disparate characters in the play. The critic also points out that Windsor is not like
Sidney's Arcadia—a golden or green world—but is instead a retreat that combines two
traditions: pastoral as a place of innocence and pastoral as a celebration of “sensual
gratification.”

29. Characteristics of Pastoral Romantic
Comedy
 The setting is in the pastoral forest of Arden
 Adventure
 Shepherd life
 Disguise
 Co-incidents
 Different types of love imageries
 Simplicity
 Love affair
 Country life/Rural Life
 Rustic setting
 Nature imageries
 Lake and Rivers
 It is light- hearted and filled with jokes relevant to those times in order to grab
the attention of audience.

30. Forest of Arden

31. Significance of the Forest Scene
 Materializing love in an ideal environment
 Development of the plot
 Utopia, Arcadia, Biblical Forest of Eden and
Dreamland
 Changing the attitudes towards life
 Celebrating simple life
 Different from the life the court or City
 Maintenance of Harmony
 No problems of modern society
 Symbol of Fruitfulness
 Place of peace and happiness

32. Continued
 Place of Magical charms
 The forest life does not give us the solution to the
problem but shows our existence. Because at the end
of the play almost all the characters decide to
comeback to the civilized world.
 Marriage is the symbol of regeneration and happy
aspect of life

33. Rosalind

34. Character of Rosalind
 Fascinating character
 Adorable
 Wit and Wisdom (As she says- “One inch of delay mere in a south
sea of discovery”)
 Bright, lively and Sympathetic
 Love at First sight
 Disguised as Ganymede
 Melancholic
 Quick thinking, Direct, high minded in her speech

35. Continued
Bold in speaking
Generous and kind
Emotional
Pretty and beautiful
Romantic lover
Highly admirable

36. Conclusion:
In conclusion, we can say Shakespeare’s As You Like It inherits all the features of the
Pastoral Romance. But this play also shows something radically different of this tradition.
One can easily trace out the Shakespeare's England in this play. He has skillfully shown that
the forest of Robin Hood or Sydney’s Arcadia can only be possible in literature but not in real sense.
So, As You Like It is considered to be a romantic pastoral comedy, one of Shakespeare's most light-
hearted plays. It is a romantic comedy in that it ends in multiple marriages: Rosalind and Orlando;
Celia and Orlando's brother Oliver; the shepherd Silvius and the maid Phebe; and Touchstone and
his milkmaid Audrey. It is pastoral because it extols the virtues of life in the country, in the peace of
Nature, as opposed to the life of the courtier. Shakespeare's party of royals, banished to the Forest of
Arden, surrounded by farms and happy, simple folk, discover that they are much happier in these
simpler surroundings than they ever were at court. The pastoral was a kind of nostalgic,
sentimental representation of country life that really did not reflect reality, but was set up to be a kind
of ideal. Shakespeare plays with this ideal in As You Like It.

37. Thank You