As You Like It

by William Shakespeare

Background

This play is a comedy by the famous Elizabethan playwright, William Shakespeare. Its date
of composition is unknown, but historians think that it may originally have been written
around 1599 and published in 1623. The text was intended to be performed in a thrust
stage open air theatre. Find out three facts about how the text would have been performed,
and write them below:

1.

2.

COMPONENT 3: PRE-1956 AS YOU LIKE IT

3.

Next, you should consider how the original performing conditions were different from what
can be found in contemporary performance. Find three differences and write them below:

1.

2.

3.

Here are some of the main themes of As You Like It:

• status of women • person fulfilment

• marriage • entrapment

• freedom • reality/fantasy

• romance • sexuality

You should remember these, especially when thinking about how you would create a
production of the text. You will be encouraged to think practically about the questions in
the exam paper for Component 3. This means that you will need to focus on three aspects
of performance:

• Acting

• Directing

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 • Designing
You have already explored some Design elements for this component. Now you can focus
on the practice of Acting and Directing for As You Like It.

Acting

As You Like It has a large cast of characters. The action is set in two locations: the court, and
the forest. The main character is Rosalind, who controls the narrative throughout the play.
It is the most substantial female role in Shakespeare’s plays.

The play contains all the elements expected in a Shakespearean comedy, including disguise,
confusion, a masque and a clown. It is not an entirely naturalistic play in terms of its style,
and this affects the design as well as the acting style.

In order to research the play and its context, find out about any similarities with other
comedies by Shakespeare. Then, as you work through the play, use the character charts on
pages 7–11 to write any information that you find about the characters from the text and

COMPONENT 3: PRE-1956 AS YOU LIKE IT

from your practical work. Below are some ideas on how to work practically on individual
characters.

Rosalind

Look at Act 5, Scene 2. Read the scene aloud. After you have read it, answer the questions
below:

In as few words as possible, how does Rosalind feel at this moment?

What does the dialogue tell us about Rosalind’s feelings at this point?

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Write a list of the key words within this section.

What do these key words add to our knowledge of Rosalind?

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Think of three different ways of performing the section. Each way should emphasise a
different emotion.

1.

2.

3.

Perform the speech using one of the emotions above.

Evaluate your performance, thinking in particular about the emotions in the speech and
how the audience perceives Rosalind. You could refer to your tone of voice, pitch, emphasis,
and movement at key moments.

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Next, try to use movement and mime to communicate Rosalind’s feelings and state of mind
at this point.

Think of a song or a piece of music that reflects the mood of Rosalind in this section.

Why do you think so?

Orlando

Next, turn to Act 4, Scene 1, and read from line 35 to the end of the scene. You are going to
work on the character of Orlando.

What type of person is Orlando?

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Describe his mood at the beginning of the section.

How does Rosalind react to him?

What is Orlando’s state of mind in this section?

What is Orlando’s motivation in this section?

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Perform the section, concentrating on your vocal skills.

Try the section quietly; then quickly; then with a mounting sense of rage; then as someone
defeated; then finally, with curiosity.

Which of the options felt most appropriate? Why?

Jaques

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Next, focus on the speech in Act 2, Scene 7, lines 138 to 165. This is one of the most famous
speeches in Shakespeare’s plays, and can be a challenge to perform. What is Jaques’s
motivation in this section?

What do you think are the key words within this speech? Write them down here.

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Read the speech aloud, and perform it using these different ideas and moods. You are:

• depressed • ecstatic

• hyped • in deep thought

• melancholy • confiding in a friend

• in a rush • sly

Which emotion helped you most when performing, and why?

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What does this speech tell us about Jaques’ character?

What kind of movement would be appropriate for Jaques in this section? Why?

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 CHARACTER MAPS

Use the following maps to write your ideas about the characters’ motivation, objectives,
movement, voice and interaction. Then you can build on these sketches when you are
thinking about how you would portray the characters on stage.

Rosalind

Motivation – main objectives Voice

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Movement – body language Interaction with other characters

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Celia

Motivation – main objectives Voice

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Movement – body language Interaction with other characters

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Jaques

Motivation – main objectives Voice

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Movement – body language Interaction with other characters

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Duke Ferdinand

Motivation – main objectives Voice

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Movement – body language Interaction with other characters

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Touchstone

Motivation – main objectives Voice

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Movement – body language Interaction with other characters

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 Directing

In this section your role as director will be to achieve the following:

• move characters on stage

• discuss their interaction

• discuss their proxemics

• discuss their motivation

• discuss creating mood and atmosphere.

Read Act 2 scene 3.

What are the motivations of Orlando and Adam in this section?

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On what type of stage would you stage this section?

What are your ideas for the characters’ movement in this section?

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What are the mood and atmosphere during this section?

Read Act 5 scene 3 “enter Oliver” up to P79 “Rosalind faints”

What are the motivations of the characters in this section?

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What are your ideas for the interaction between the characters?

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What movements would you have in this section? Why?

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How would you create tension between the characters?

You can use the same questions for different sections of the play, in order to deepen your
knowledge of the way the text could be directed.

Additional material can be accessed in the set text notes.

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