As You Like It by William Shakespeare (Book Analysis) E-Book

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• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 26

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2019

Beschreibung

Unlock the more straightforward side of As You Like It with this concise and insightful summary and analysis!

This engaging summary presents an analysis of As You Like It by William Shakespeare, a pastoral comedy which stands out for its sparkling wit and amusing subversion of many of the tropes of the pastoral genre. In the play, numerous characters find themselves in the idyllic Forest of Arden: Duke Senior, whose rightful position has been usurped by his scheming brother; Rosalind, Duke Senior’s daughter, who has been forced to flee the court by her vengeful uncle; and Orlando, whose older brother bears a bitter grudge against him. Away from the vices of the court, love flourishes and the characters are able to leave the problems of the past behind and make a fresh start.  As You Like It is one of the most loved comedies by William Shakespeare, who is widely considered to be one of the most influential writers in the history of the English language.

Find out everything you need to know about As You Like It in a fraction of the time!

This in-depth and informative reading guide brings you:
• A complete plot summary
• Character studies
• Key themes and symbols
• Questions for further reflection

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Leseprobe

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

ENGLISH PLAYWRIGHT AND POET

Born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564.Died in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1616.Notable works:King Lear (1623), playA Midsummer Night’s Dream (1600), playRichard III (1597), play

William Shakespeare was an English playwright and poet and is generally considered the most influential writer in the English language. He worked in several modes including comedy, history, tragedy, the narrative poem and the sonnet, and was active during an extraordinary flowering of creativity during the Elizabethan Renaissance – not just as a playwright, but also as an actor and as the eventual co-owner of the Globe theatre in London. Shakespeare spent 20 years in London, where he wrote all of his famous works and staged them with his own acting company, The King’s Men, and others. Shakespeare’s plays are universal in their scope, as they explore all the complexities of the human experience, from politics to love and death. Played constantly all around the world and revered for their complex characters and deft use of language, Shakespeare’s plays are now considered one of the crowning jewels of English and international literary heritage.

AS YOU LIKE IT

COMIC DRAMA

Genre: playReference edition: Shakespeare, W. (2004) As You Like It. London: The Arden Shakespeare, ed. by Juliet Dusinberre.1stedition: 1623Themes: love, pastoral life vs. city life, injustice, forgiveness, cleverness and foolishness, gender, culture, philosophy and thought

Written around 1599 and first published in the First Folio edition of 1623, As You Like It is one of Shakespeare’s most well-known and beloved comedies. The heroine of As You Like It, a young woman called Rosalind, flees a bad situation in the court of her uncle, a French duke, and into the strange Forest of Arden, where she encounters a young man called Orlando and a host of other strange characters. The play is firmly in the ‘pastoral’ tradition; that is, it takes place in natural and rural settings while promoting a somewhat idyllic view of a life away from the bustle of human activity in a city or a court. However, as always with Shakespeare, this is complicated by the fact that he includes characters who almost parody the earnest pastoral tradition, and thereby is also writing a kind of wry satirical take on the genre. Despite this, As You Like It is also one of Shakespeare’s most hopeful comedies, one which seems to challenge the restrictions and lack of freedoms, particularly of women, in the England of Shakespeare’s age.

SUMMARY

ONE FATHER DEAD AND ONE FATHER BANISHED

The wealthy Sir Rowland de Bois has died, and his inheritance legally passes to his eldest son, Oliver. According to his will, Oliver must take good care of his younger (and more beloved) brother, Orlando. Instead, Oliver spites Orlando by denying him the privileges of his upbringing which would allow him to grow into a gentleman.