3.
Before I begin, I’ll add a few more words about Renaissance,
which I’ve again borrowed from the Russian historian A.F. Losev and foully
converted into English (I only confess it to avoid plagiarism). The time when Shakespeare and Marlowe created
their unforgettable masterpieces is rather a decline of Renaissance. Towards
the end of the golden age the humanism passed through a crises. Freedom of
willpower was turned to destruction of those who did not subordinate to the
authority, while the beginning of the golden age was full of gay hopes to free
the human from the spiritual chains of the Middle Ages. Yet what signifies the works of Renaissance
activists, is realism. (End of Losev’s loan). However, it would be naive
to imagine the life during that time like it is in Shakespeare’s comedies. It
would be more relevant to the assignment, I think, to consider the other works
of Shakespeare, such as Macbeth or Richard III, for these
events are closer to what was going on at that time. But because “there may be
more than one way of rendering this
story”, I’ll try this one.
The
pastoral ideal, which Shakespeare explores in his comedy As you Like It,
is a world that fell out of time, that is the world, where time moves along its
own exclusive circle. Time in this circle does not bring any qualitative
changes. Most scenes of the play take place in the forest of Arden, where a
“good guy” – Duke Senior, banished by a “bad guy” – Duke Frederick, carries on
a healthy and simple life, which he praises so persuasively:
Now, my co-mates and
brothers in exile,
Hath not old custom
made this life more sweet
Than that of painted
pomp? Are not these woods
More free from
peril than the envious court?
..........................................................................
And this our life,
exempt from public haunt,
Finds tongues in
trees, books in the running brooks,
Sermons in stones, and
good in everything.
I would not change it.
(II. 1)
This pastoral landscape
is permeated by humanity, in opposition to the savage laws which prevail at the
court from where Duke Senior is banished. By describing delights of country
life among sweet shepherds and shepherdesses, Shakespeare expresses a protest
against the brutality and depravity of the feudal courts.
Interestingly, everyone in this comedy who steps into the
forest, leaves it entirely or partially changed. In the forest, free from urban
laws, they learn to love. The most obvious example is vicious Oliver,
who learns to love his brother Orlando the moment he enters the forest (IV, 3).
Of Duke Frederick, the villain of the piece, Jacques says:
And to the skirts of
this wild wood he came;
Where, meeting with an
old religious man,
After some questions
with him, was converted
Both from his
enterprise and from the world;
His crown bequeathing
to his banished brother...(V,4)
Healing
properties of the forest are indeed surprising. However, I believe that what
Shakespeare expresses by describing all the changes that occur to the most
vicious people, is his believe that being vicious is not the man’s nature, and
everyone can change for the good, if he wants to. It is not the miraculous
forest, but the very human power - to be able to change. We are not born bad or
good, we become.
In
his comedy, Shakespeare reflects the society, wittily emphasizing satirical
moments. Some personages of the comedy judge the viciousness of the urban
society. For example, the clever “fool” Touchstone, although he himself is
poisoned with the court culture, unmasks the hypocrisy and vulgarity of the
aristocracy. The old honest servant Adam
laments about the decay of the customs modern to Shakespeare:
Know you not, master,
to some kind of men
Their graces serve
them but as enemies?
No more do yours; your
virtues, gentle master,
Are sanctified and
holy traitors to you. (II, 12-15)
Orlando, in his turn, praising
generosity of Adam’s soul, calls him an example of
The constant service
of the antique world,
When service sweat for
duty, not for meed! (II, 3)
Usurping
of the throne by the bad guy Duke Frederick, and the robbery of Orlando by his
brother are a reflection of the unlawful and evil misdeeds, pursuits of easy
money, callousness of the urban life. Compared to that, the life of the
banished Duke Senior and his co-mates in the forest indeed is full of moral
purity and humanity. It is not surprise then, that their living in the forest
is compared to Robin Hood’s, the hero of
English ballads, who gathered around him a troop of “noble” robbers with the
purpose of struggle against bad rich people for the good of poor (I, 1).
Picturing the pastoral life, Shakespeare
changes the traditional pastoral genre, adding to it a certain amount of
realism. In the traditional genre, developed before Shakespeare, we had
eternally sighing shepherds and shepherdesses, who wrote each other sweet
little poems, praising each other’s petals of cheeks, gems of eyes and pearls
of teeth. In this comedy, the description of life in the nature is more
realistic, although Shakespeare partially preserved the pastoral style of the old, for example the
suffering shepherd Silvius, desperately in love with Phoebe. However, there is
an element of parody, for Shakespeare juxtaposes sweet-scented Silvius with the
simple-minded goatherd Audrey, whose
words and behavior in opposition to Silvius’ are full of common sense. Also
breaking of the pastoral ideal here is achieved with presentation of the realistic
dirty-handed shepherd Corin, complaining about the severe nature of his “boss”
– rich shepherd. Thus Shakespeare adds realistic moments to the dream-like
picturing of life in nature.It is very important that Shakespeare, paying
homage to the realistic version of pastoral genre, overcomes pastoral ideal
through stressing that the life of the banished in the forest is forced. It is
delightful only till the moment, when the triumph over the evil forces permits
the banished come back to the real and active urban life. Only the peevish
dreamer Jaques, full of misanthropy, who prefers loneliness to the society,
remains in the forest.
In
his comedy Shakespeare creates the world of benevolence, which enriches and
decorates human life. Manifestations of this humanity are love and friendship.
Glorifying of love and friendship in this comedy as well as in others is
connected with a dream about better life, where money serves people without
making them its slaves. It is a dream about world where people are free, where
they don’t have to be afraid of usurpers and churches, where they love each
other, where the good triumphs over the evil. Therefore, I would suggest, the
voice of Rosalind in this comedy is the voice of Shakespeare: her common sense
invites people forget about hatred, envy, pride. She pleads people to love each
other:
...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
.....(Epilogue)
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