莎劇賞析 之九 ： 《 如君之願 》 As You Like It

1. 莎劇賞析 之九：《如君之願》As You Like It 董 崇 選 中山醫大應用外語系教授 「懂更懂學習英文網站」負責人 網址：http://dgdel.nchu.edu.tw

2. I. Plot: • Type: Pastoral Romance (田園傳奇), Romantic Comedy (浪漫喜劇) Time: The Middle Ages (中世紀) • Locale: The Forest of Arden (阿頓森林) in medieval France (中古法國) First presented: 1599-1600

3. II. Principal Characters: • Duke Senior & Duke Frederick: 兩公爵 兄弟 • Rosalind and Celia: 兩公爵 女兒，堂 姊妹 • Oliver and Orlando: Sir Rowland 之 長子 及 么兒 • Touchstone: Duke Frederick 的 弄臣，a clever fool • Jacques: Duke Senior 的 跟班, a melancholy man • Silvius and Phebe: 牧羊 男、女 • William and Audrey: 鄉下 男、女 • Adam: Orlando 家的老 忠僕 • Charles: a wrestler (摔交手)

4. III. The Story: • 第一幕: Orlando complains that his oldest brother Oliver has allowed him nothing but bare subsistence and has denied him schooling and training in the skills of a gentleman. Oliver incites Charles, the wrestler, to accept Orlando’s challenge and break his neck. Celia consoles Rosalind, who misses her father. They go to see the wrestling match, in which Orlando throws Charles. Rosalind and Orlando fall in love with each other. Duke Frederick cannot accept Orlando because his father was his old enemy. The Duke orders Rosalind to leave the court. Celia determines to go with Rosalind to the Forest of Arden and bring Touchstone with them.

5. III. The Story: • 第二幕: Duke Senior talks about the good simple life in the forest in comparison with the sophisticated court life. The melancholy Jacques is unhappy about their despoiling of the wilderness. Duke Frederick gives orders that Celia, along with Rosalind and Touchstone, be brought back, and Oliver should answer for his brother if Orlando cannot be found. Adam warns Orlando of his danger, offers him 500 crowns, and leaves with him to seek their fortunes elsewhere. Rosalind commissions Corin to buy a cottage with flocks and pasture. Orlando demands food from Duke Senior while the Duke is baiting Jacques.

6. III. The Story: • 第三幕: Orlando carves or hangs on the forest trees verses he wrote on Rosalind’s beauty. Rosalind and Celia, in the guise of Ganymede and his sister Aliena, find some of the verses and then meet Orlando. Rosalind/Ganymede jests with Orlando and offers to cure his foolish love by posing as his mistress to show how fickle a girl can be. Touchstone falls in love with Audrey and considers marrying her while hoping the ceremony is not too binding. Silvius woos Phebe. Rosalind is indignant at Phebe’s cruelty to him. Phebe falls in love with Ganymede and asks Silvius to send her message to the “tall youth.”

7. III. The Story: • 第四幕: Rosalind/Ganymede counsels Orlando that love is not so tragic and no one ever yet died of love. Jacques laments for a deer killed by Duke Senior’s company. Rosalind/Ganymede reads aloud Phebe’s letter to Silvius. Oliver seeks out Rosalind and Celia and tells them that Orlando, in trying to save Oliver, has been wounded by a lion. Rosalind faints at the news.

8. III. The Story: • 第五幕: Touchstone put on pompous airs and threatens William, a former suitor of Audrey. Surprisingly, Oliver and Celia have fallen in love at first sight, and they plan to be married. Besides, Oliver is completely reformed and offers his whole estate to Orlando. Ganymede promises to settle Silvius and Phebe’s affair, and produce Rosalind for a wedding the next day. The day comes and Ganymede becomes Rosalind and then four couples are united altogether. To add to their joy, news also comes that Duke Frederick is converted and restores the former estates to the exiles including Duke Senior.

9. IV. Famous Lines: • “For always the dullness of the fool is the whetstone of the wits.” --Celia to Touchstone • “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.” --Adam to Orlando

10. IV. Famous Lines • “Under the greenwood tree, “Who doth ambition shun, • Who loves to lie with me And loves to live in the sun, • And turn his merry note Seeking the food he eats, • Unto the sweet bird’s throat And pleased with what he gets, Come hither, come hither, Come hither, come hither, • come hither. come hither. • Here shall he see Here shall he see • No enemy, No enemy, • But winter and rough weather.” But winter and rough weather.” • --Amiens sings

11. IV. Famous Lines • “How the world wags: • ‘Tis but an hour ago since it was nine, • And after one hour more ‘twill be eleven; • And so from hour to hour, we ripe, and ripe, • And then from hour to hour, we rot, and rot, • And thereby hangs a tale.” --Jacques quotes a motley fool’s words • “Your gentleness shall force, more than your force move us to gentleness.” --Duke Senior to Orlando

12. IV. Famous Lines • “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, • His acts being seven ages.” --Jacques

13. IV. Famous Lines • “Blow, blow, thou winter wind, “Freeze, freeze, thou bitter sky • Thou art not so unkind Thou dost not bite so nigh • As man’s ingratitude. As benefits forgot. • Thy tooth is not so keen, Though thou the waters warp, • Because thou art not seen, Thy sting is not so sharp, • Although thy breath be rude. As friends remembered not. • Heigh-ho, sing heigh-ho, Heigh-ho, sing heigh-ho • unto the green holly. unto the green holly. • Most friendship is feigning, Most friendship is feigning, • most loving mere folly. most loving mere folly. • Then heigh-ho, the holly, Then heigh-ho, the holly, • This life is most jolly.” This life is most jolly.” • --Amiens sings

14. IV. Famous Lines • “I would thou couldst stammer, that thou mightst pour this concealed man out of thy mouth, as wine comes out of a narrow-mouthed bottle; either too much at once or none at all. I prithee take the cork out of thy mouth, that I may drink thy tidings.” --Rosalind to Celia • “Time travels in divers paces with divers persons. I’ll tell you who Time ambles withal, who Time trots withal, who Time gallops withal, and who he stands still withal.” --Rosalind to Orlando • “Love is merely a madness, and I tell you, deserves as well a dark house and a whip as madmen do; and the reason why they are not so punished and cured is that the lunacy is so ordinary that the whippers are in love too.” --Rosalind to Orlando

15. IV.Famous Lines • “”As the ox hath his bow, sir, the horse his curb, and the falcon her bells, so man hath his desires, and as pigeons bill, so wedlock would be nibbling.” --Touchstone to Jacques • “I had rather have a fool to make me merry than experience to make me sad, and to travel for it too!” • --Rosalind to Jacques • “No, no, Orlando, men are April when they woo, December when they wed. Maids are May when they are maids, but the sky changes when they are wives.” --Rosalind to Orlando

16. V. Discussion: • What is suggested in the play about love and marriage? • How is country life contrasted with courtly life in this play? • Who is most witty and humorous in this play? • What do you think of the sudden changes of people’s characters in this play? • Does the play teach any sense of environmental protection?