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"As You Like it presents an image of human life, not as an arena for heroic endeavour, but as a place of encounters. " Consider some of the encounters presented in the play, and their significance to its insight into human life. "Man in his Time plays many parts, his Acts being seven ages. " Here we are given two different worlds, with colourful characters ranging from "the Lover sighing like Furnace with a woeful Ballad" to the "Last scene of all" when Man revert to their "second Childishness and mere oblivion, sans teeth, sans Eyes, sans Taste, sans everything. " The stage in the Courts and Forest of Arden served not to dish out mere swashbuckling heroes or heroines. In fact, we are presented with the likes of romantic lovers like Orlando and Rosalind. The emphasis on heroism and bravery is left to its minimum and usually these deeds are plot-movers, used to further the play. Amor Visit Omnia is never more appropriate to describe this play. Love is one of the basis of human life and it is usually through love and love-lost that one can gain an insight into the various characteristics of life. "There is sure another Flood toward, and these couples are coming to the Ark", abundant love is illustrated by the numerous lovers in the play. Yet love is not merely romantic love, it also encompasses "sisterly love", brother love, love between companions and even love in the form of loyalty between the master and his servant.
The play is opened with a scene depicting love-lost. Brotherly love ceased to exist and in the case of the brothers, Orlando and Oliver, it bred's evil. Oliver felt that he is "altogether misprize" by his "gentle never school'd and yet learned full of noble devices" brother, Orlando. In Oliver's jealousy fit, he first tried to kill Orlando through manipulating Charles the wrestler and later, attempted to set fire to Orlando's lodgings. This encounter parallels an incident when Duke Frederick chid's Celia, " she robs thee of thy name. " Jealousy is undeniably a character flaw in human beings and by setting it on stage for the audience to watch, a form of subtle moralization.
Nature and Fortune govern the lives of many and we see these two factors being discussed by the pair of Juno swans, Rosalind and Celia. "Nature hath made a fair creature may she not by fortune fall into the fire" Looking at the fortunes of the fair creatures, Rosalind and her lover, Orlando, we see how Fortune ill-favoured them, and it is with their wits do they flout at Fortune. There is a message to the audience, that Fortune has a hand in one's life but it is not the only determining factor. Like little anecdotes to inspire, various happenings are thrown along our way to show how one is able to change one's fortune. "Devise with me how we may fly" as Celia urges Rosalind to "seek my Uncle in the Forest of Arden. " Characters in this play do not resign to their fate, in fact strives to come out of it. In the end, these characters emerge from the Golden world, a different creature. The first glimpse of romantic love was the encounter between Rosalind and Orlando in the courts. There is a element of fantasy in their love at frist sight.
Yet it is through this pair of lovers are we being shown true love. There are also other desirable characteristics of human life shown. We see the dignity of the ill-favoured Rosalind as she, with "the little strength that she hath" hoped for Orlando to overcome his opponent. She depicts the decency of humanity even under miserable conditions and even Celia, is gentle and loving as she hoped for her strength would "eke out hers." Goodness can penetrate even the "envious court." There is a sort of good triumphing over evil. "Go in content to Liberty and not to Banishment. " At times, human conditions may be tough but how troubles are being approached depend largely on human attitudes. "Sweet are the uses of Adversity." It may be a statement of truth to some and in this play, this is highlighted often. Shakespeare seemed to tell the audience how to relate to troubles in their lives and how adversities may not be that bad afterall. This is one of the important insights into human existence.
We may have to change ourselves to suit the surroundings and it is basically human attitude. The painted pomp at the court where courtiers have "trod a measure, flattered a lady " and. "politic with (my) their friend, smooth with (mine) the enemy" is juxtaposed with the simplicity and sincerity in the Forest of Arden. We are shown two different facets of life just as we are presented with two different worlds in this play. Relationships are part and parcel of life. There are many relationships in the play and throught examining their relationships, the audience gain more insight into their own. The relationship between the master and servant during the Elizabethan times is seen as a minute sort of emotional exchange.
In fact, there was seldom nothing more than wages or bonds between the two parties. Adam, a man of Life's two weak, "Age and Hunger" served to rewrite this belief. He is the faithful loyal 'dog' Oliver banished. Adam believed in "Service sweat for Duty not for meed" and he is genuine towards Orlando, even offering his five hundred Crowns to Orlando.
Loyalty should be one of the character imprinted into human beings. The master-servant relationship is shown to be one where goodwill is reciprocated. The encounter between Orlando and Duke Senior also supported this notion. Adam is being addressed as the "venerable Burthen" and treated kindly. The exchange between the Youth and the Aged defeats the cynicism of Jaques as well as others sharing similar opinion. Undesirable characteristics of life are also shown.
Jaques lamented over the deer and of the "Fashion that pierce through the body of Country, City and Court." The rest of the deer had "left and abandon of his velvet friend." Jaques is actually satirizing the whole humanity and its degeneration. We no longer care for others and usually leave others in their demises. This is a vital outcry to us and as the audience watches this, they are actually being shown their own misdeeds. It sheds light on our slowly degenerating humanity.
Other encounters such as the exchange between the courtly fool, Touchstone and the wish country folk, Corin also showed up the rotten apples of the human population. Touchstone displayed his courtly wit and an air of the high and mighty, representing the courts while Corin, humble and sincere embodied the goodness of humanity. The juxtaposition is obvious. Their exchanged also dweller upon the courts and the countryside. During the exchange, Corin made an important speech "I am a true Labourer, I earn that I eat, get what I wear, owe no man Hate, envy no man's Happiness; glad of other men's Good, content with my Harm; " This throws in the audience's face many human conditions which should pertain to the shaping of a better being. Many in the audience would share Orlando's view that is "how bitter a thing that is, to look into happiness through another man's eyes. " The world may have been better off with more Corin's.
Love prattles are aplenty, the love test between Orlando and Rosalind operating incognito as Ganimed, Silvius and Phebe and Phebe's foolish mistake of falling for Ganimed. Love is being examined through the various couplings and the audience themselves may start to categorise their own relationships accordingly. "Love is merely a madness and I tell you, deserves as well as dark House and a whip as Madmen do and the reason why they are not so punish'd and cur'd is that the Lunacy is so ordinary that the Whippers are in love too. " During Ganimed's exchange with Orlando, she rises this question on Love. The audience ponder with Orlando the truth in the statement made. If love is so ordinary, it is truly an image of life. Love is also to forgive.
The chance encounter between Oliver and Celia affirmed this point. It also seemed that love is reward for human goodness, and in this case, Oliver is the 'reformed' and he gets his reward who is Celia. Does goodness equate reward? Orlando is seen as the romantic hero and Rosalind the romantic heroine. Orlando may have overthrown Charles the wrestler but most importantly, he had conquered Rosalind's heart. As Rosalind herself said "you have wrestled well and overthrown more than your Enemies. " Even from the very start of their relationship, Rosalind looks upon Orlando as a lover, the "father of my child" and not as the knight in shining armour.
Orlando's stint as champion wrestler was but fleeting and after which, we see him dumbstruck, as "passion weight upon his tongue." He moved from the fearless hero to the romantic, lovelorn counterpart of Rosalind. Violence ceased to exist as the characters moved from the courts of the humorous Duke into the healing forest. In fact, by restraining violence to the envious courts, Shakespeare is cancelling violence out of the 'right way of life', the way humanity should function. As the audience chart Orlando's journey into Arden, we see his thoughts being peppered with the "fair, the chaste and unexpressive She. " He is being depicted no more the hero but a lover who hangs his verses in trees, character his thoughts in tree barks as witnesses to his love.
Orlando's encounter with Ganimed further undermines his role as the warrior-hero. He laid himself open to the love games of Rosalind and swore that he was "that unfortunate he" who had been wounded by "love's invisible arrows." In fact, in the golden world of Arden, Orlando mellowed down. There was only a small incident which was not fully illustrated by Shakespeare, which is the encounter with the lioness and Orlando's bravery for saving his brother. It was only by word of mouth, by Oliver that the audience came to know of Orlando's heroic endeavour.
As the play draws to a close after the staging of hymen and the unions of the various couples, it is not difficult to see that Love is the reigning theme in the play. Along with Love, other human conditions are being discussed. "Breaking of ribs" was not meant for ladies and it is being tossed aside along with all the 'baddies' in humanity. The play is not an area for heroic endeavours instead it dishes moral lessons as well as a introspection of human life.
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Research essay sample on Human Beings Human Life
