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Inside Shakespeare’s mind:

The gentle Celia

Shakespeare did not even care to establish a sense of place for the play and scatter his characters in the Forest of Arden. He begins the play with so many of them intertwined to stretch them around in different directions but not far from each other.

But, then that is Shakespeare, the Master of himself

The principle site is the beautiful Forest of Arden that the Bard celebrates in many of his plays with Birnham Forest following suit. These two forests are very fresh in the minds of his readers because of the celebrating dialogue he lavish upon them.

Credits

* The banished Duke - A man of grace and peace, apt at pleading for his cause.

* Rosalind - His daughter. The longest woman’s part in Shakespeare with 736 lines. Says an Epilogue at the end of the play.

* Celia - Gentle cousin to Rosalind and daughter to the disgusting Duke Fredrick.

* Fredrick - Brother to the banished Duke whose position he usurped.

* Jaques - The banished Duke’s courtier.

* Charles - The ‘sinewy’ wrestler in the court of Duke Fredrick.

* Orlando - The younger brother of the three and an expert wrestler himself.

* Touchstone - A firm favourite with Shakespeare and appear in other plays

* Phebe - A disdainful Shepherdess who falls in love with Ganymede unaware ‘he’ is a girl.

* Corin - A veteran shepherd whose rural philosophy contrast with the worldly-wise Touchstone.

When Arden in the fading Summer, take on Autumn in the high glory of myriad colours upon their trees, the falling leaves blowing in the wind are of red, orange, green, gold brown, yellow.......spotted, brindled and in self colour before harsh winter claims their trees. It is this backdrop he uses to get the lovers lost and found and reconcile in AS YOU LIKE IT. After setting the scene right, he moves into the court of Duke Fredrick.

Synopsis

Sited in the Forest of Arden as well as at the Court of Duke Fredrick. When the play was written is not known exactly but we can presume it to be before 1599 because this play was the first to have been mounted when the Globe Playhouse opened in 1599.

The story revolves around the three sons of Sir Rowland de Boys. Elder son Oliver hates the youngest, Orlando because he is stubborn and whom he has always humiliated. Orlando is matched against a deadly wrestler called, Charles in the Court of Duke Fredrick who has usurped the rightful Duke of his legitimate position.

His daughter Rosalind and Fredrick’s daughter, Celia witness the match which Orlando wins. On eye contact Rosalind and Orlando falls in love with each other. Fredrick who is very envious of Rosalind’s popularity, banish her but not before her cousin Celia join her because she dislikes what her father is doing.

The two girls disguising themselves as Gunymede (Rosalind) and Celia as Gunymede’s sister along with jester, Touchstone, leaves for the Forest of Arden to find ‘Gunymed’s’ father where after being banished by Fredrick, lives in the company of ‘brothers’ and ‘sisters’ and the melancholy courtier, Jacques.

In the meantime, Orlando arrives along with his faithful Adam to the forestcover of Arden. These travellers arrived separately while Rosalind eavesdrop on Shephered, Silvius declaring his love for the scornful shepherdess, Phebe close to where they are.

(Enter Rosalind and Celia disguised)

Rosalind – I could find in my heart to disgrace my man’s apparel and to cry like a woman but I must comfort the weaker vessel, and doublet and hose ought to show itself courageous to petticoat. Therefore courage ‘Aliena’

Celia – I pray you, bear with me, I go no further

R – Well, this is the Forest of Arden...

- Act. II Sce I

Orlando confront ‘Gunymede’ in the forest and after he has read some of the love poems found hanging on trees (written by Rosalind (Gunymede) she promises to cure his infatuation if he would come to her cottage every day which he does. Yet, Orlando cannot recognize Rosalind.

A scene from the Court of Duke Fredrick with his niece, Celia

The glorious Forest of Arden where the play, as you like it is sited

There is a bit of confusion here when Phebe falls in love with ‘Gunymede’ much to the amusement of Celia. Back in Fredrick’s Court, when the Duke hears how the banished Orlando rescues his brother, Oliver from a lioness and seeing the bloodstained napkin, ‘Gunymede’ faints, he forgives all. Oliver and Celia are now in love.

All the couples scattered in the Forest are gathered and the partners sorted out. The banished Duke ‘Rosalind’s father) is restored while Fredrick steps aside for a happy ending. They all listen to Rosalind’s Epilogue at the end of the play. (Very unnecessary for Shakespeare. No reason to have got Rosalind to orate)

.....’ It is not the fashion to see the lady the epilogue; but it is no more unhandsome than to see the lord the prologue. If it be true that good wine needs no bush, ‘it is true that a good play needs an epilogue. What a cause cannot insinuate with you in the 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 will 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 men that believe you.

I would kiss as many of you that had beards as that please me, complexions that liked me and breaths that that I defiled not and I am sure as many of us have good beards not or good faces or sweet breaths will, for my kind offer, when I make curtsy, bid me farewell (end of Epilogue, Exeunt)

In performance

Drury Lane in 1723 mounted a stupid adaption of AS YOU LIKE IT Called LOVE IN A FOREST which left out many characters that included Phebe and Touchstone. It also mad a ridiculous Jacques in love with Celia but from 1740 when the original text returned the characters found their own identity that made the play for directors to handle with ease.

From 1919 at Stratford, and in 1932 at the Open Air, and in 1936 at the Old Vic and New, the beautiful Margeretta Scott and Fabia Drake were the stunning Celias and Rosalinds.

Then from 1952 onwards there was no stopping of this play bearing boarded around the world. Every theatre everywhere mounted with Thespians as well as with talented actors and actresses where Rosalind and Celia surfaced.

In 1936 Dr Paul Czinner filmed AS YOU LIKE IT with Sir Laurence Oliver as Orlando and Elizabeth Bergner as the coy Rosalind and Celia by an unknown actress.

 

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