AS YOU LIKE IT Selfie from Jessie G.

On Tuesday, July 22, I set out to experience The Oxford Shakespeare Company’s production of As You Like It (by William Shakespeare, of course) at Wadham College Oxford. I was initially attracted to this production because of the unique theatre space being used; I was excited to experience one of Shakespeare’s brilliant comedies in such a beautiful setting. The play began with the audience sitting on blankets in the grass, which is not typically what one envisions when they imagine going to the theatre. After a while the players instructed us to move across the courtyard where chairs had been set up in a semi-circle to enjoy the rest of the performance. I found it interesting that the audience was seated in the grass for Act I, during which the action takes place in and around the Duke’s palace, a setting the characters were familiar and comfortable with, yet for Act II, we were seated in chairs, a setting that felt much more natural for experiencing theatre, however the characters had entered the Forest of Arden, a setting that completely stripped them of the comforts of society that they are used to. This paradox left me preoccupied with ideas of societal comfort and setting throughout the remainder of the play. I left the “theatre” thinking that the Forest of Arden represented an escape for the characters in more than just the physical aspect, also serving as an area for transformation and self-discovery.

 In the Forest of Arden, both Rosalind (Rebecca Tanwen) and Oliver (Alexander McWilliam) have a chance to reinvent themselves. Rosalind, having escaped the unethical society of court, enters the Forest of Arden as a place where she is free to be herself. Rosalind renames herself Ganymede and chooses the identity of a strong male in an attempt to shed her identity as the daughter of Duke Senior. Underneath her disguise, however, she clings to her femininity. Even in her masculine costume, Rosalind proclaims that she can, "cry like a woman.” Oliver is initially presented as a wicked character for denying his brother the right to an education. When the Duke orders him to go into Arden and find Orlando (David Alwyn) he has the chance to redeem himself. When he meets Rosalind and Celia (Charlotte Hamblin) he introduces himself by saying, "I do not shame / To tell you what I was, since my conversion / So sweetly tastes, being the thing that I am.” Now that Oliver has removed himself from the daily pressures of court life, he has the opportunity to judge his own character and redeem himself as a genuine person. However, Oliver's redemption fulfills the Duke's order, ultimately making Oliver appear more suited for court life. The Forest of Arden is not truly an escape from society for either Rosalind or Oliver, but rather a sanctuary where they are finally able to act freely, and therefore learn about themselves, eventually returning to society with a new understanding of their individual identities. This idea was reflected in the decision to stage the play outside; being outdoors provided a sense of liberation that was felt by both the characters and the audience. It was interesting that the audience moved from blankets to chairs when the characters did the opposite and relocated from comfort to the unknown, yet personally I felt this paradox made the transitions that much more effective.

Seeing Shakespeare’s As You Like It in Wadham College’s beautiful gardens really was a unique and interesting theatrical experience. I’ve seen Shakespeare scenes on location before but I had never experienced a full performance outdoors. Being outside made the characters journey through the Forest of Arden that much more realistic and thought provoking. I actually preferred sitting on blankets in the grass to sitting in chairs; it was much more comfortable and made the experience very relaxing. Although it felt unconventional it was a positive change for me and I felt as though it mirrored the positive changes the characters underwent as they journeyed through the Forest of Arden.

In the Forest of Arden the characters are physically removed from society, thus they are also removed from the economic, political, and gender roles that govern them in their everyday lives. Initially, The Forest of Arden feels like a sanctuary, where the characters are free to reinvent themselves. They take on roles that were previously unavailable to them. However once they have the experience of inhabiting different personas, they become that much more dedicated to their traditional societal roles. Shakespeare thus presents the Forest of Arden as a commentary on the permanent influence of society on individual identity, criticizing utopianism as an impossibility and stating that individuals re-enact their societal roles even in the absence of society.

Throughout this trip we have also been, like the characters in Shakespeare’s As You Like It,  pushed outside of our comfort zones; we have been transplanted into a new culture that, in many ways, is very different from what we are used to in the United States. I believe this has been an amazing growing experience for each and every one of us where we have had the opportunity to learn more about ourselves individually. Being forced to step out of my comfort zone once more, in this seemingly insignificant way, made me that much more aware of what a growing experience this truly is, and of the characters undergoing such a similar transformation.

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.