Alan Rickman on Jaques (Shakespeare On Stage) by Alan Rickman

Author:Alan Rickman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Nick Hern Books

Synopsis of the Play

As You Like It (1600)

ACT 1 Orlando is being persecuted by his elder brother Oliver. Rosalind’s father, Duke Senior, has been banished and had his Dukedom usurped by his younger brother Frederick. However, Rosalind has remained at court to be with her cousin Celia, Duke Frederick’s daughter. Rosalind meets Orlando after watching him defeat Frederick’s prizefighter, and they fall instantly in love. ‘Sir,’ she tells him, ‘you have wrestled well and overthrown / More than your enemies’, but Orlando is tongue-tied. When the psychotic Frederick peremptorily banishes Rosalind, Celia promises to go with her. They head for Duke Senior’s refuge in the Forest of Arden disguised as boys, with Rosalind calling herself Ganymede and Celia Aliena. They are accompanied by Touchstone the clown.

ACT 2 Orlando is also forced to flee, along with his ancient servant Adam, under threat of death from Oliver. We meet Duke Senior and his pastoral court, which includes the melancholy Jaques. The exiles arrive independently in the forest. Rosalind and co meet an old shepherd, Corin, and buy his cottage, while Orlando and Adam are welcomed and fed by Duke Senior. Jaques extemporises on the seven ages of man: ‘All the world’s a stage, / And all the men and women merely players.’

ACT 3 Back at court, Duke Frederick rages against the various disappearances, and orders Oliver to find Orlando – who by now is busy pinning love poems to Rosalind on trees in the forest. Rosalind discovers the verses, and becomes ecstatic when Celia tells her who wrote them. But she is still in male disguise, so when Orlando appears she makes a virtue of necessity: ‘I will speak to him like a saucy lackey, and under that habit play the knave with him.’ Rosalind aka Ganymede proposes a cure for Orlando’s lovesickness: he must woo Ganymede, who will act out the part of his mistress. Other rustic lovers appear on the scene. Touchstone takes up with the country wench Audrey (‘I thank the gods I am foul’) and Silvius pines unrequitedly for the shepherdess Phoebe. When Ganymede chastises her for being proud and pitiless, Phoebe at once becomes besotted by ‘him’.

ACT 4 Orlando woos Rosalind-pretending-to-be-Ganymede-pretending-to-be-Rosalind. The charade culminates in Celia conducting a mock marriage ceremony. After Orlando leaves, Rosalind confesses to Celia, ‘O coz... that thou didst know how many fathom deep I am in love!’ Meanwhile, Phoebe has written a love letter to ‘Ganymede’, who in turn castigates Silvius for delivering it and tells him not to be such a wimp. A transformed Oliver arrives carrying a bloody napkin. He describes Orlando’s bravery in saving him from a lioness, and having some flesh torn from his arm in the process. On hearing this, ‘Ganymede’ faints.

ACT 5 Touchstone has resolved to marry Audrey. Oliver and Celia have fallen in love at first sight, and will be married next day. When Orlando envies his brother’s happiness, ‘Ganymede’ offers to make Rosalind appear by magic and marry him too. Silvius and Phoebe appear,

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.