Shakespeare's "As You Like It" Synopsis and Comments - "All the world is a stage. All men and women are but actors! A great success of the brilliant Rosalind!
I would like to introduce "As You Like It" written by Shakespeare between 1599 and 1600. I read the 37th edition of "As You Like It" translated by Tsunen Fukuda and published by Shinchosha in 2007.
Let's take a quick look at the book.
The duke, deprived of his estates by his brother, has moved to the Forest of Arden. The Duke's daughter Rosalind, who has remained in the house because of her close friendship with her uncle's daughter Celia, is finally banished. Rosalind, disguised as a man, heads for the forest with Ciria, while Orlandeau, the son of the duke's minister of merit, flees his brother's persecution and arrives in the forest.... The film depicts the various loves of several pairs of lovers in a cheerful pastoral atmosphere.
AmazonProducts Page.
This is the story of Rosalind, a brilliant woman who plays a great role in the Forest of Arden. Among Shakespeare's works, there are not so many works in which a female protagonist plays an active role. This work is unique in that sense as well.
And the Forest of Arden, which is mentioned in the work, is modeled on Shakespeare's home town of Warwickshire. In fact, this forest is very important in the story.
The commentary by Yasuo Nakamura at the end of the book states the following.
When one mentions "As You Like It," everyone thinks, "Ah, the Forest of Arden," so famous is the natural forest that is the main setting of the play. The natural forest that is the main setting of the play is that famous. Although Arden Forest is supposed to be in France, Shakespeare undoubtedly had in mind Stounley's Deer Park on the banks of the River Avon in Warwickshire, where he grew up, when he wrote "As You Like It". There is even a theory that Shakespeare left for London after he was discovered poaching in the forest where the deer were. In addition, Arden was also the maiden name of Shakespeare's mother.
Dover Wilson, who compiled the "Complete Works of New Shakespeare," which was the original source for Fukuda's translation of "As You Like It," writes Shakespeare's first success in describing a backdrop was the fairy-dwelling forest in "A Summer Night's Dream," and he went even further in the final act of "The Merchant of Venice," but even more successful in creating an atmospheric effect was the Arden Forest in "As You Like It," which was matched only by the dark night in "Macbeth," the isolated island in The only comparable works are the dark night in "Macbeth" and the isolated island of Prospero in "Arashi", where the music seems to be constantly echoing.
Shinchosha, Shakespeare, translated by Tsunenobu Fukuda, "As You Like It", 2007, 37th printing edition, p. 189
The translator, Tsunen Fukuda, explains in detail what the Forest of Arden is and what effect it has on the work. Let's take a look.
The May beauty of the Arden Forest that fills Shakespeare's native Warwickshire is already familiar from "A Summer Night's Dream". In "As You Like It," there is no such depiction of nature. However, it is clear that Shakespeare, as well as the audience of the time, regarded this forest as a kind of Shangri-La, and it is under this promise that this work was written and seen. (Omitted).
For the old duke and all others, and of course for Orlando as well, the Forest of Arden is a paradise in contrast to the world of unpleasant reality, and the "magic" that works there soothes the heart tired of strife and hatred, and comforts the broken heart.
At the end of the play, when Duke Frederick leaves without a fight at the word of a monk and repents and resigns his position, it is also the work of the "magic" of the forest, which is not found in Lodge's "Rosalind," and which is Shakespeare's idea.
Needless to say, the function of this "magic" is brought to the fore in "Arashi" in a much more conscious way, but I will discuss that again.
In short, "As You Like It" cannot be understood without assuming the hypothetical world of the Forest of Arden. Once you accept that as one of the promises, the realistic plotting about whether or not Orlando knew Ganymede as Rosalind becomes of little consequence, and the other "ridiculousness" becomes a pretty fun laugh.
Shinchosha, Shakespeare, translated by Tsunenobu Fukuda, "As You Like It", 2007, 37th printing edition, p182-184.
Some line breaks have been made.
In short, "As You Like It" cannot be understood without assuming the hypothetical world of the Forest of Arden.
The Arden Forest is so important that the translator states, "The Arden Forest is the most important forest in the world.
And the most famous quote in this work is also introduced in the title: "Everything in this world is a stage. All men and women are but actors.
This translation was introduced in the book "All Shakespeare's Works Read by Synopsis" by Shoichiro Kawai. It is generally known that "Everything in this world is a stage. All men and women are but actors. I also had this image in my mind.
However, Tsunen Fukuda's translation was as follows.
The whole world is one stage, where all people, men and women alike, are but actors, each with his or her own comings and goings, and each playing different roles throughout his or her life.
Shinchosha, Shakespeare, translated by Tsunenobu Fukuda, "As You Like It", 2007, 37th printing edition, p. 70
The impression is much different compared to the words we saw earlier.
But what they are trying to say is the same. The world is a stage. And each one of us is playing a different role.
It is a very tasteful phrase, typical of a playwright, isn't it? It is also because Shakespeare himself was on stage as a performer.
And in "As You Like It," Rosalind, the heroine of the story, dresses as a man in the Forest of Arden, takes the name Ganymede, and has a series of witty exchanges with Orlando, the man she is interested in.
Rosalind is playing the role of Ganymede, and she is further performing a stage role in the play "As You Like It. This double structure was also seen in "A Summer Night's Dream," but in this production, the phrase "everything in this world is a stage" is combined in a very memorable scene.
As mentioned in the above commentary by Tsunsheng Fukuda, this workA Summer Night's Dreamand"Storm."The work is also closely connected to the
King Lear"andMacbeth."The tragedies of "A Night Dream in Summer" and "Arashi" are honestly heavy to read. However, "A Summer Night's Dream" and "Arashi" are very easy to read and cheerful works. There is a lightness to them.
You can savor Shakespeare's connotative quotes or enjoy the lightness of the story.
I believe that the easy familiarity of this work is something to be appreciated, in my opinion.
I highly recommend this work.
The above is a summary of Shakespeare's "As You Like It" and my impression of it - a masterpiece famous for the quote "All the world is a stage"! The brilliant Rosalind in all her glory!" was.
Click here to read the previous article.
Related Articles
