AS YOU LIKE IT Selfie from Maddie K.

As You Like It was the first Shakespeare play that I read and actually enjoyed. In middle school I was involved in theater and was Cecelia in this Shakespeare play. I loved acting in As You Like It so many years ago, so I was very excited when I got to see it performed while in Oxford. It is a play for the romantic: most of the characters fall in love. A cultural experience of human sexuality seems to be exhibited. The human experience of falling in love and the human sexuality of attraction for another person is seen throughout the play. Right from the start two of the main characters, Rosalind and Orlando, fall in love at first sight. They have a romantic attraction to each other that is soon seen to be impossible because Rosalind is banished from the kingdom. Rosalind takes refuge in the forest disguised as a man and ends up becoming friends with Orlando. They become fast friends, but instead of having a romantic love for one another, they have a friendship love because Orlando does not know that it is his Rosalind. It is interesting to see the difference in the progression of the relationship between the two when Rosalind is a women and then later a man. With the both leads being straight, there is a different relationship developed based on the sex of Rosalind. When she is a woman their love is sudden, heart wrenching, and it causes Orlando to write poems of his love for her. In contrast, when she is a man their relationship is calmer, more action based, and looked at as comradely. They talk about love in this stage of their relationship, but Orlando thinks he is just talking about it to a friend. In contrast Rosalind is talking to him about love because she is in love with him. While Orlando fell in love with female Rosalind, he does not have romantic feelings for male Rosalind because of her gender. The play is suggesting that long term love is more likely to stem from a developed friendship. Love can come from a sudden surge of passion, but to truly last there needs to be a foundation of friendship.

To further reflect on the human sexuality of falling in love, I would like to mention the three other couples that fell into a romantic love. Two of the three couples fell in in love at first sight, while the third couple took a little bit longer. One of the other woman characters, Phoebe, falls in love with male Rosalind; she falls in love with her because Rosalind knows how to please a woman emotionally and also because she has a very attractive face. Once she finds out Rosalind is a girl she falls in love with a Silvius, who is actually a man. She falls in love with him because she is told to, but also because of his consistency of pursuing her throughout the play. The culture in Shakespeare's day included getting married at a younger age than we do today. Getting married soon after meeting someone was more common back then, because they had shorter life spans. Elizabethan culture and the current culture do have something in common: people fall in love.

The scenic design of the set was used very effectively to show the events going on in the play, and also allowed the viewer to easily follow the chain of events. The theater space was unique at the performance of As You Like It, because they used two stages. Both were settings were outdoors and used natural lighting because it was still light outside when the play occurred; at the end of act one they had the audience move to the second space. The first space did not have a background and the actors used vivid language to explain where they were and what was going on in the play. This first space primarily represented the castle where the duke lived and the initial meeting and attraction between Rosalind and Orlando. This space showed the first example of human sexuality and attraction which was between the two lead characters. It was used until Rosalind was banished and thereafter she and Cecelia ran off together. The second theater space was in the woods away from the castle and represented Rosalind's banishment as well as her time as a man. The scenic design was set up between two trees with an open space and seating area in the middle. This set was where the remaining three couples feel in love and all four couples ended up getting married. Twinkling Christmas lights were entwined with the trees to give the play a mystical feel. It also added to talk of love throughout the play. The human sexuality of being attracted to another person was enhanced by this mood lighting. The costumes used throughout the performance were old fashion for our time, but more modern than Shakespeare's time. This aesthetic aspect allowed for the viewer to recognize the social standings based on the characters clothing, but also to see that this play is from an earlier era. The props used during the second scenic display were simple and effective: woven baskets as seats and tables, musical instruments, and then finally wedding attire and items.

The play showed the ultimate happy ending of everyone reconciling with rivals, falling in love, and the balance of power being restored. The brothers ended up becoming friends, every couple got married, and Duke Senior was restored to power; which meant that Rosalind was not banished anymore. As a viewer, the scenic design of having two different sets divided up the play into two distinct parts. This allowed me to easily understand what was going on throughout the play. Watching the play was very aesthetically pleasing and enjoyable.