"As You Like It"

Paper Summary:

This is an essay on William Shakespeare's play, "As You Like It". The paper explores many aspects of the play, including the source Shakespeare used when constructing the play, the history behind the play, the setting of the play, the characters in the play and the dramatic genius of the play. The paper also closely compares and contrasts "As You Like It" with its source, Thomas Lodge's, "Rosalynde".

From the Paper:

"William Shakespeare's As You Like It is unique in that it is derived from only one main source: Thomas Lodge's Rosalynde: Euphues' Golden Legacie. Rosalynde was published in 1590, and an introductory phrase featured in Lodge's text is "If you like it, so" (Thomas Lodge's Rosalynde R prologue). It is likely that this phrase weighed heavily on the bard's feather pen as he was selecting a title for his romantic comedy. Coincidentally, Rosalynde is a pastoral romance that was actually based on a medieval narrative poem, The Tale of Gamelyn (The Norton Shakespeare NS 1592). The Tale of Gamelyn is a story that focuses on fraternal oppression. Gamelyn is unjustly treated by his older brother, and the fraternal relationship is volatile and violent at best. Ultimately, Gamelyn flees to the woods where he escapes the tyrannical wrath of his brother and becomes a leader of friendly outlaws. Shakespeare modified the plot and subplots of Rosalynde, borrowed characters, and invented new ones in order to generate a parody that artfully oscillates between the fundamental ideals of traditional and conventional romance. It is no revelation that As You Like It owes much to Lodge's novel, however, Shakespeare did orchestrate considerable changes and embellishments. Critics often speculate as to whether these changes are the fruits of a literary and dramatic genius or simply a product of the necessary transformations of narrative to drama."

More papers on "As You Like It":

• Analytical Essay # 144441 : "Characters and Roles in "As You Like It"
• Analytical Essay # 58877 : "Brother in "As You Like It"'"
• Analytical Essay # 26872 : "The Taming of the Shrew" and "As You Like It"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: