As You Like It, with line numbers E-Book

William Shakespeare

• Herausgeber: Seltzer Books
• Kategorie: Poesie und Drama
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 117

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2018

Beschreibung

The classic comedy. According to Wikipedia: "As You Like It is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 or early 1600 and first published in the folio of 1623. The work was based upon the novel Rosalynde by Thomas Lodge. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has been suggested as a possibility. As You Like It follows its heroine Rosalind as she flees persecution in her uncle's court to find safety and eventually love in the Forest of Arden. Historically, critical response has varied, with some critics finding the work of lesser quality than other Shakespearean works and some finding the play a work of great merit. The play features one of Shakespeare's most famous and oft-quoted soliloquies, "All the world's a stage" and the phrase "too much of a good thing." The play remains a favorite among audiences and has been adapted for radio, film, and musical theatre."

Leseprobe

As You Like It By William Shakespeare

published by Samizdat Express, Orange, CT, USA

established in 1974, offering over 14,000 books

Other comedies by William Shakespeare:

All's Well That Ends Well

The Comedy of Errors

Love's Labour's Lost

Measure for Measure

The Merchant of Venice

The Merry Wives of Windsor

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Much Ado About Nothing

The Taming of the Shrew

Twelfth Night

Two Gentlemen of Verona

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Dramatis Personae

As You Like It

Act I

Scene I Orchard Of Oliver's House.

Scene II Lawn before the Duke's palace.

Scene III A room in the palace.

Act II

Scene I The Forest of Arden.

Scene II A room in the palace.

Scene III Before Oliver's house.

Scene IV The Forest of Arden.

Scene V The forest.

Scene VI The forest.

Scene VII The forest.

Act III

Scene I A room in the palace.

Scene II The forest.

Scene III The forest.

Scene IV The forest.

Scene V Another part of the forest.

Act IV

Scene I The forest.

Scene II The forest.

Scene III The forest.

Act V

Scene I The forest.

Scene II The forest.

Scene III The forest.

Scene IV The forest.

Epilogue

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

Duke Senior, Living In Banishment.

Duke Frederick, His Brother, An Usurper Of His Dominions.

Lords Attending On The Banished Duke

Amiens

Jaques |

Le Beau, A Courtier Attending Upon Frederick.

Charles, Wrestler To Frederick.

Sons Of Sir Rowland De Boys

Oliver

Jaques (Jaques De Boys:)

Orlando|

Servants To Oliver

Adam

Dennis |

Touchstone, A Clown.

Sir Oliver Martext, A Vicar.

Shepherds

Corin

Silvius

William, A Country Fellow In Love With Audrey. A Person Representing Hymen. (Hymen:)

Rosalind, Daughter To The Banished Duke.

Celia, Daughter To Frederick.

Phebe, A Shepherdess.

Audrey, A Country Wench.

Lords, pages, and attendants, &c.

 (Forester:)

 (A Lord:)

 (First Lord:)

 (SECOND LORD:)

 (First Page:)

 (Second Page:)

SCENE Oliver's house; Duke Frederick's court; and the Forest of Arden.

AS YOU LIKE IT

ACT I

SCENE I Orchard of Oliver's house.

 [Enter ORLANDO and ADAM]

(1) ORLANDO As I remember, Adam, it was upon this fashion

 bequeathed me by will but poor a thousand crowns,

 and, as thou sayest, charged my brother, on his

 blessing, to breed me well: and there begins my

 sadness. My brother Jaques he keeps at school, and

 report speaks goldenly of his profit: for my part,

 he keeps me rustically at home, or, to speak more

 properly, stays me here at home unkept; for call you

 that keeping for a gentleman of my birth, that

(10) differs not from the stalling of an ox? His horses

 are bred better; for, besides that they are fair

 with their feeding, they are taught their manage,

 and to that end riders dearly hired: but I, his

 brother, gain nothing under him but growth; for the

 which his animals on his dunghills are as much

 bound to him as I. Besides this nothing that he so

 plentifully gives me, the something that nature gave

 me his countenance seems to take from me: he lets

 me feed with his hinds, bars me the place of a

(20) brother, and, as much as in him lies, mines my

 gentility with my education. This is it, Adam, that

 grieves me; and the spirit of my father, which I

 think is within me, begins to mutiny against this

 servitude: I will no longer endure it, though yet I

 know no wise remedy how to avoid it.

ADAM Yonder comes my master, your brother.

ORLANDO Go apart, Adam, and thou shalt hear how he will

(30) shake me up.

 [Enter OLIVER]

OLIVER Now, sir! what make you here?

ORLANDO Nothing: I am not taught to make any thing.

OLIVER What mar you then, sir?

ORLANDO Marry, sir, I am helping you to mar that which God

 made, a poor unworthy brother of yours, with idleness.

OLIVER Marry, sir, be better employed, and be naught awhile.

(40) ORLANDO Shall I keep your hogs and eat husks with them?

 What prodigal portion have I spent, that I should

 come to such penury?

OLIVER Know you where your are, sir?

ORLANDO O, sir, very well; here in your orchard.

OLIVER Know you before whom, sir?

ORLANDO Ay, better than him I am before knows me. I know

 you are my eldest brother; and, in the gentle

 condition of blood, you should so know me. The

 courtesy of nations allows you my better, in that

(50) you are the first-born; but the same tradition

 takes not away my blood, were there twenty brothers

 betwixt us: I have as much of my father in me as

 you; albeit, I confess, your coming before me is

 nearer to his reverence.

OLIVER What, boy!

ORLANDO Come, come, elder brother, you are too young in this.

OLIVER Wilt thou lay hands on me, villain?

ORLANDO I am no villain; I am the youngest son of Sir

(60) Rowland de Boys; he was my father, and he is thrice

 a villain that says such a father begot villains.

 Wert thou not my brother, I would not take this hand

 from thy throat till this other had pulled out thy

 tongue for saying so: thou hast railed on thyself.

ADAM Sweet masters, be patient: for your father's

 remembrance, be at accord.

OLIVER Let me go, I say.

ORLANDO I will not, till I please: you shall hear me. My

(70) father charged you in his will to give me good

 education: you have trained me like a peasant,

 obscuring and hiding from me all gentleman-like

 qualities. The spirit of my father grows strong in

 me, and I will no longer endure it: therefore allow

 me such exercises as may become a gentleman, or

 give me the poor allottery my father left me by

 testament; with that I will go buy my fortunes.

OLIVER And what wilt thou do? beg, when that is spent?

(80) Well, sir, get you in: I will not long be troubled

 with you; you shall have some part of your will: I

 pray you, leave me.

ORLANDO I will no further offend you than becomes me for my good.

OLIVER Get you with him, you old dog.

ADAM Is 'old dog' my reward? Most true, I have lost my

 teeth in your service. God be with my old master!

 he would not have spoke such a word.

 [Exeunt ORLANDO and ADAM]

(90) OLIVER Is it even so? begin you to grow upon me? I will

 physic your rankness, and yet give no thousand

 crowns neither. Holla, Dennis!

 [Enter DENNIS]

DENNIS Calls your worship?

OLIVER Was not Charles, the duke's wrestler, here to speak with me?

DENNIS So please you, he is here at the door and importunes

 access to you.

OLIVER Call him in.

 [Exit DENNIS]

 'Twill be a good way; and to-morrow the wrestling is.

 [Enter CHARLES]

(100) CHARLES Good morrow to your worship.

OLIVER Good Monsieur Charles, what's the new news at the

 new court?

CHARLES There's no news at the court, sir, but the old news:

 that is, the old duke is banished by his younger

 brother the new duke; and three or four loving lords

 have put themselves into voluntary exile with him,

 whose lands and revenues enrich the new duke;

 therefore he gives them good leave to wander.

(110) OLIVER Can you tell if Rosalind, the duke's daughter, be

 banished with her father?

CHARLES O, no; for the duke's daughter, her cousin, so loves

 her, being ever from their cradles bred together,

 that she would have followed her exile, or have died

 to stay behind her. She is at the court, and no

 less beloved of her uncle than his own daughter; and

 never two ladies loved as they do.

OLIVER Where will the old duke live?

(120) CHARLES They say he is already in the forest of Arden, and

 a many merry men with him; and there they live like

 the old Robin Hood of England: they say many young

 gentlemen flock to him every day, and fleet the time

 carelessly, as they did in the golden world.

OLIVER What, you wrestle to-morrow before the new duke?

CHARLES Marry, do I, sir; and I came to acquaint you with a

 matter. I am given, sir, secretly to understand

(130) that your younger brother Orlando hath a disposition

 to come in disguised against me to try a fall.

 To-morrow, sir, I wrestle for my credit; and he that

 escapes me without some broken limb shall acquit him

 well. Your brother is but young and tender; and,

 for your love, I would be loath to foil him, as I

 must, for my own honour, if he come in: therefore,

 out of my love to you, I came hither to acquaint you

 withal, that either you might stay him from his

(140) intendment or brook such disgrace well as he shall

 run into, in that it is a thing of his own search

 and altogether against my will.

OLIVER Charles, I thank thee for thy love to me, which

 thou shalt find I will most kindly requite. I had

 myself notice of my brother's purpose herein and

 have by underhand means laboured to dissuade him from

 it, but he is resolute. I'll tell thee, Charles:

 it is the stubbornest young fellow of France, full

 of ambition, an envious emulator of every man's

(150) good parts, a secret and villanous contriver against

 me his natural brother: therefore use thy

 discretion; I had as lief thou didst break his neck

 as his finger. And thou wert best look to't; for if

 thou dost him any slight disgrace or if he do not

 mightily grace himself on thee, he will practise

 against thee by poison, entrap thee by some

 treacherous device and never leave thee till he

 hath ta'en thy life by some indirect means or other;

 for, I assure thee, and almost with tears I speak

(160) it, there is not one so young and so villanous this

 day living. I speak but brotherly of him; but

 should I anatomize him to thee as he is, I must

 blush and weep and thou must look pale and wonder.

CHARLES I am heartily glad I came hither to you. If he come

 to-morrow, I'll give him his payment: if ever he go

 alone again, I'll never wrestle for prize more: and

 so God keep your worship!

OLIVER Farewell, good Charles.

 [Exit CHARLES]

(170) Now will I stir this gamester: I hope I shall see

 an end of him; for my soul, yet I know not why,

 hates nothing more than he. Yet he's gentle, never

 schooled and yet learned, full of noble device, of

 all sorts enchantingly beloved, and indeed so much

 in the heart of the world, and especially of my own

 people, who best know him, that I am altogether

 misprised: but it shall not be so long; this

 wrestler shall clear all: nothing remains but that

 I kindle the boy thither; which now I'll go about.

 [Exit]

SCENE II Lawn before the Duke's palace.

 [Enter CELIA and ROSALIND]

(1) CELIA I pray thee, Rosalind, sweet my coz, be merry.

ROSALIND Dear Celia, I show more mirth than I am mistress of;

 and would you yet I were merrier? Unless you could

 teach me to forget a banished father, you must not

 learn me how to remember any extraordinary pleasure.

CELIA Herein I see thou lovest me not with the full weight

 that I love thee. If my uncle, thy banished father,

(10) had banished thy uncle, the duke my father, so thou

 hadst been still with me, I could have taught my

 love to take thy father for mine: so wouldst thou,

 if the truth of thy love to me were so righteously

 tempered as mine is to thee.

ROSALIND Well, I will forget the condition of my estate, to

 rejoice in yours.

CELIA You know my father hath no child but I, nor none is

(20) like to have: and, truly, when he dies, thou shalt

 be his heir, for what he hath taken away from thy

 father perforce, I will render thee again in

 affection; by mine honour, I will; and when I break

 that oath, let me turn monster: therefore, my

 sweet Rose, my dear Rose, be merry.

ROSALIND From henceforth I will, coz, and devise sports. Let

 me see; what think you of falling in love?

CELIA Marry, I prithee, do, to make sport withal: but

(30) love no man in good earnest; nor no further in sport

 neither than with safety of a pure blush thou mayst

 in honour come off again.

ROSALIND What shall be our sport, then?

CELIA Let us sit and mock the good housewife Fortune from

 her wheel, that her gifts may henceforth be bestowed equally.

ROSALIND I would we could do so, for her benefits are

 mightily misplaced, and the bountiful blind woman

 doth most mistake in her gifts to women.

(40) CELIA 'Tis true; for those that she makes fair she scarce

 makes honest, and those that she makes honest she

 makes very ill-favouredly.

ROSALIND Nay, now thou goest from Fortune's office to

 Nature's: Fortune reigns in gifts of the world,

 not in the lineaments of Nature.

 [Enter TOUCHSTONE]

CELIA No? when Nature hath made a fair creature, may she

 not by Fortune fall into the fire? Though Nature

 hath given us wit to flout at Fortune, hath not

(50) Fortune sent in this fool to cut off the argument?

ROSALIND Indeed, there is Fortune too hard for Nature, when

 Fortune makes Nature's natural the cutter-off of

 Nature's wit.

CELIA Peradventure this is not Fortune's work neither, but

 Nature's; who perceiveth our natural wits too dull

 to reason of such goddesses and hath sent this

 natural for our whetstone; for always the dulness of

 the fool is the whetstone of the wits. How now,

 wit! whither wander you?

(60) TOUCHSTONE Mistress, you must come away to your father.

CELIA Were you made the messenger?

TOUCHSTONE No, by mine honour, but I was bid to come for you.