Allusions In Shakespeare's As You Like It: May 2013

Monday, May 13, 2013

Introduction

In William Shakespeare's As You Like It, the language can be somewhat confusing. Not only has our slang and some spelling changed, but the characters often allude to myths and stories that we do not understand. The purpose of this blog is to explain how some of these allusions affect the meaning of the text and relate to the plot. Each allusion is a separate post, with the text including it and the explanation. These are the titles:

Allusion #3 - Jove in a Thatched House
Allusion #4 - Adam
Allusion #5 - Juno's Crown
Allusion #6 - Noah's Ark
Allusion #7 - Veni, Vidi, Vici (I Saw, I Came, I Overcame)
Allusion #8 - Bastard of Venus
Allusion #9 - Juno's Swans
Allusion #10 - Atalanta

Works Cited

http://www.goddess-guide.com/juno.html

http://dictionary.reference.com/

http://englishplus.com/grammar/00000117.htm

http://greekandromangods.weebly.com/

Friday, May 10, 2013

Allusion #1 - Diana's Lips

As You Like It Act 3 Scene 4

CELIA He hath bought a pair of cast lips of Diana. A nun of winter’s sisterhood kisses not more
religiously. The very ice of chastity is in them.

Celia and Rosalind are waiting for Orlando to arrive for his appointment with "Ganymede", in which "Ganymede" is supposed to help him out of love by pretending to be Rosalind.
Orlando is late for his first appointment, and while waiting Rosalind and Celia are wondering if he really does love Rosalind as he says he does. In this quote they allude to Diana, the Roman goddess of chastity, who was worshiped in the wild. She, being the virgin goddess, would not kiss for pleasure but rather because she had to. This means her kisses would be without love.
The girls are saying Orlando has Diana's lips. Diana kisses without emotion; therefore Orlando kisses without emotion, and doesn't really love Rosalind as he says so often he does.

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Allusion #2 - Robin Hood

As You Like It Act 1 Scene 1

CHARLES They say he is already in the Forest of Arden, and a many merry men with him; and there they live like the old Robin Hood of England. They say many young gentlemen flock to him every day and fleet the time carelessly, as they did in the golden world.

Robin Hood was a robber who thieved riches from the wealthy and gave them to people in need. He lived an unrestricted life in the Sherwood Forest (which had many caves) with his merry men and Maid Marian, doing as they pleased. In the notes of the book, it also mentions that he used to be a knight until his land was taken, and that he then lived in the Sherwood Forest for a time until he finally regained his land.
In his speech Charles compared Duke Senior and his faithful followers to Robin Hood and his merry men. Duke Senior is indeed like this. As I said in the sentence before, the men who follow Duke Senior into exile are his followers, just as the merry men are Robin Hood's followers. Also, his life in the forest was free, and so in a way was Duke Senior. In As You Like It, Act 2 Scene 1, he proclaims that life in the woods is freer of danger than in court (a comparison of city and country).
I also mentioned earlier that the Sherwood Forest was full of caves. While the Forest of Arden might not be so abundant in these rocky shelters, some are mentioned. For example, Orlando leaves Adam in a cave while he goes to look for food, and after Orlando saves Oliver, Orlando is taken to Oliver's cave where his wound is discovered.
Like Robin Hood, Duke Senior also was kicked off his land, the dukedom. He also went to the forest and lived there until he got his land back (when Duke Frederick was converted).
Either Charles has got both brains and brawn when he compares these two men, or Shakespeare is just doing some foreshadowing.

Allusion #3 - Jove in a Thatched House

As You Like It Act 3 Scene 3

JAQUES O knowledge ill-inhabited, worse than Jove in a thatched house.

Jaques is watching Touchstone and Audrey talk. Touchstone is making a bunch of puns in his speech, but Audrey, being not so smart, doesn't catch them.
Jove is the Roman king of gods. When Rome conquered Greece, they admired Greece's culture and modeled their gods to fit the Greek gods. One adaptation was that the Roman gods also lived on Mount Olympus, or at least used it as a base. Each day they would come to a gate in the clouds which would be opened by four goddesses. For their meal they ate ambrosia and drank nectar, which was passed out by another goddess. While they ate, they were entertained by Apollo on his lyre and the muses. Then they departed to sleep. This lifestyle contrasted with that of those who lived in thatched houses, who were generally poor. It would be rather unusual, then, to have the king of the gods living in a poor man's house. He belongs at Mount Olympus, not in a thatched house.
As I mentioned earlier, Audrey is not clever enough to understand or see any of his puns. This is because Audrey, being from the country, is not as well learned as Touchstone, who comes from the city. This is a comparison of city and country. Touchstone's jokes do not belong in the country as they cannot be fathomed; rather they are better off in the city where the people of the court can understand.
Just like Jove is out of place in a thatched house, so is Touchstone's wit.

Allusion #4 - Adam

As You Like It Act 2 Scene 1

DUKE SENIOR ... (this part removed)
Here feel we but the penalty of Adam,
The seasons' difference, as the icy fang
And churlish chiding of the winter’s wind,
Which, when it bites and blows upon my body
... (this part removed)

This is a reference to Adam's punishment for sinning, which was the changing of the seasons. This story coincides with Duke Senior's predicament.
When God made the first man (Adam) and the first woman (Eve), they lived in the Garden of Eden (sounds like Arden, huh? We're getting there). They were innocent and had no idea what living in a world of sin was like. They were allowed to do anything except they could not eat from a certain tree. Well, they did, and after eating, they knew sin and felt ashamed. As punishment, God banished them from the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve had children, and they too could not help but sin and know it, and their children had children had children, and so on.
In both As You Like It and this story in the book of Genesis, the natural world is good: In As You Like It, the Forest of Arden is the Green World where everything is natural, in contrast to the city where brothers plot against their siblings and the Duke banishes his own family. In the biblical story, the Garden of Eden is where Adam lives before understanding sin, and once his heart and mind are tainted with it, he is sent outside of the Garden, which in this case represents the city.
Duke Senior was banished from the city when his brother usurped the throne and took over. Adam (and Eve) were banished from the Garden when they ate the forbidden fruit, and their minds were taken over with sin.
Duke Senior's allusion to Adam is very much like his current situation.

Allusion #5 - Juno's Crown

As You Like It Act 5 Scene 4

HYMEN ... (this part removed)
Wedding is great Juno’s crown,
O blessèd bond of board and bed.
'Tis Hymen peoples every town.
High wedlock then be honorèd.
Honor, high honor, and renown,
To Hymen, god of every town.

It's the end of the play, and all the couples are getting married by Hymen. In his singing he mentions Juno, Roman queen of the gods, wife to Jove (god of the skies), and goddess of marriage. It is said that June, Juno's month, is a good month to be wed.
He says that wedding is Juno's crown, which is related to the current plot. Orlando and Rosalind are currently being married. Soon after, Jaques De Boys comes with the news that Duke Frederick, converted by a religious man, has returned to Duke Senior all that he took when he usurped him. This means that Orlando, having married Rosalind, will inherit his fortune, and in a way getting a sort of "crown", or power.
Juno is also goddess of pregnancy. Touchstone and Audrey have physical love, remember, and as soon as they are married, they will do the thing that causes pregnancy. If all works as it should, Audrey will become pregnant.
Not only does "great Juno" do all of these things, she also helps to straighten out arguments between spouses. However, it seems that she has decided not to assist the aforementioned Touchstone and Audrey, as according to Jaques' prediction, they will fight so that their marriage will last but two months.
As a Greek god of marriage ceremonies, Hymen seems to be "marrying" the situations with the song, as they relate and intertwine.

Allusion #6 - Noah's Ark

As You Like It Act 5 Scene 4

JAQUES There is sure another flood toward, and these couples are coming to the ark. Here comes a pair of very strange beasts, which in all tongues are called fools.

In this remark Jaques is alluding to the Biblical story of Noah's Ark as he watches Touchstone and Audrey approach together.
Many years after the creation of mankind, people lost faith in God. They prayed and worshiped their own made-up idols, which made God very angry. There was, however, a man called Noah who was still faithful. God instructed him to build an ark and put two of every kind of animal into it, because he was going to flood the Earth and kill every living being on it except for those in the ark.
This seems completely irrelevant to Shakespeare, but some things are related.
When God had Noah put two of every animal into the ark, one was male and the other female. Presumably, this was so that after the flood ended, the animals could breed and produce more of their kind. Touchstone and Audrey, the couple coming toward Jaques, relate to this description. They are together because Touchstone wants Audrey for physical purposes, just as there are 2 of each animal, one of each gender so that they can reproduce.
Also, pairs of each animal were needed. This is a lot like the four different relationships in As You Like It. Each type of love represented by a couple is like a pair of animals. There is the physical love of Touchstone and Audrey. True love is portrayed by Orlando and Rosalind. Oliver, and Celia show love at first sight, and Silvius and Phoebe illustrated melodramatic love.
At a glance, it seems Jaques is just being moody and melancholy again, but the reference to Noah's Ark really does have some surprising meaning behind it.

Allusion #7 - Veni, Vidi, Vici (I Came, I Saw, I Conquered)

As You Like It Act 5 Scene 2

ROSALIND ... (this part removed)
Nay, ’tis true. There was never anything so sudden but the fight of two rams and Caesar’s
thrasonical brag of “I came, saw, and overcame.”

Rosalind (as Ganymede) is talking to Orlando about how swiftly his brother and "Aliena" have fallen in love. In the quote, Caesar is basically saying, "I came, I saw, I conquered." It is commonly used when conveying an image of something that happens fast In this case it describes Oliver and and "Aliena" falling for each other. Their almost immediate relationship mirrors this saying pretty well.
I came: After Orlando saves him from the lioness and the snake, he goes to find the "Ganymede" and "Aliena" who Orlando told to deliver the bloody handkerchief.
I saw: Oliver stops to ask for directions from Rosalind and Celia but realizes they are who he is looking for. This is the first time he sees "Aliena". It is also the same case for Celia.
I conquered: Oliver and Celia conquer, not a country, but each other's hearts! (This happens in the process explained later by Rosalind.)
When Rosalind quotes Caesar, she is describing not only how quickly they fell in love, but also a shortened version of how too.

Allusion #8 - Bastard of Venus

As You Like It Act 4 Scene 1

ROSALIND No, that same wicked bastard of Venus that was begot of thought, conceived of spleen, and born of madness, that blind rascally boy that abuses everyone’s eyes because his own are out, let him be judge how deep I am in love. I’ll tell thee, Aliena, I cannot be out of the sight of Orlando. I’ll go find a shadow and sigh till he come.

This "bastard of Venus" spoken of by Rosalind is Cupid (which, when translated into Latin means love), the illegitimate son of Venus (Roman goddess of love and beauty) and Mars (Roman god of war). It is said that he carries a bow and a quiver of arrows with him, and should he pierce someone with one of these shafts, that person will fall madly in love.
In the myth of Cupid and Psyche, Cupid tells his wife that she must never look at her face. In saying this, he is trying to hide his true identity. Of course, Psyche gives in to temptation and looks, realizing that he is not the monster he was said to be, but an extremely good-looking man. This is similar to Rosalind/Ganymede and Orlando. They are in a "relationship," (I'm talking about how Orlando courts "Ganymede" as if "he" were Rosalind) but "Ganymede" is hiding that "he" is truly Rosalind just as Cupid is hiding his identity; the only difference is that Cupid isn't pretending to be someone else.
Cupid and Rosalind also both have relatives who dislike the object of their affection so much they plotted some sort of revenge. Cupid's mother, Venus, resented Psyche because other mortals said she (Psyche) was more beautiful than her, so she ordered Cupid to go punish Psyche by giving her a certain potion. This is when Cupid fell in love. Rosalind's uncle doesn't like Orlando because he is the son of Sir Rowland De Boys. Instead of launching Cupid on him, however, he sends Oliver De Boys to get Orlando, not caring whether Orlando is dead when brought to him or alive.
Cupid made himself fall in love by accidentally cutting himself with one of his arrows. Rosalind's underlying message is that she loves Orlando so much she has probably been stabbed with an arrow too, and since her and Cupid's relationships are similar, her love for Orlando is worthy of the god of love.*

*Venus is a goddess, which is different than a god.

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Allusion #9 - Juno's swans

As You Like It Act 1 Scene 3

CELIA ... (this part removed)
Why so am I. We still have slept together,
Rose at an instant, learned, played, eat together,
And, wheresoe'er we went, like Juno’s swans
Still we went coupled and inseparable.

In this quote, "we" means Celia and Rosalind. Although it was Venus who had swans pulling her chariot (Shakespeare must have been confused), these two swans were nevertheless always together. Rosalind and Celia are a lot like this; they are always found with each other. Together, they watch the wrestling match, meet Orlando, escape to the Forest of Arden, see Silvius' declaration of love, read Orlando's love poems, spy on Phoebe and Silvius, hear Jacques' explanation of the cause of his melancholy, test Orlando's love for Rosalind, hear the heroic story of Orlando told by Oliver, and so on and so forth.Carefully looking through the book will show that, except for Act 5 Scene 2, all scenes containing Rosalind also contain Celia, and vice versa. This proves that Celia and Rosalind are always united.
Venus'/Juno's swans also loved each other; this is shown between the two girls in As You Like It when it is mentioned that Duke Frederick kept Rosalind at court only for Celia's sake.
These two swans were also loyal to each other. The same can be said for Rosalind and Celia. When Duke Frederick banishes Rosalind from the court, Celia abandons her title, father, and belongings to stay with Rosalind.
All in all, when Celia alludes to Juno's (or Venus') swans, she is describing the deepness of her love and loyalty to Rosalind.

Allusion #10 - Atlanta

As You Like It Act 2 Scene 3

JAQUES You have a nimble wit. I think 'twas made of Atalanta's heels. Will you sit down with me? And we two will rail against our mistress the world and all our misery.

Here Jaques, one of Duke Senior's lords, is referring to the Greek myth of Atlanta, a Spartan huntress. A few lines ago, Jaques and Orlando were talking about Rosalind, the woman Orlando is in love with. At this time Rosalind is disguised as a male with the name of Ganymede.
The subject of Rosalind ties in with the mentioning of Atlanta. As a Spartan woman, she would have had quite a different life that that of, say, an Athenian woman at the time. Women in Sparta were treated as more of equals of men rather than a trivial lesser being. For example, they could own land. However, women usually managed domestic affairs and usually did not work outside the home. Atlanta was different. Abandoned by her father the king as a baby, she was said to be raised by a she-bear and grew up to become a huntress.
But what does this all have to do with Rosalind, or, as she is currently in disguise, Ganymede?
Both Rosalind and Atlanta were, in a way, thrown out by their rulers. Rosalind was exiled; Atlanta's father the king didn't want her so he left her on a mountaintop. They also are somewhat more of a man than a woman: Atlanta hunts alongside men, and Rosalind is pretending to be a man. Another way they are similar is their connection to the forest. Atlanta believes that she has freedom in the woods, which is where she is happy hunting and all is good. This is rather like the Green World in As You Like It, where Rosalind currently is. Also, as I said earlier, Spartan women had more power when compared to others of their sex. Shakespearean women were much the same. Instead of being frivolous, Rosalind is smart enough to utilize her lanky build and to see the advantage of Orlando seeing her in disguise. Finally, Rosalind and Atlanta are supposedly beautiful.
Jaques, who is not as smart as he thinks, may not have intended for Atalanta to be so similar to Rosalind. However, he could not have picked a better example.

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Conclusion

At a glance, the allusions explained in this website don't seem like something special, but with further research, they are found to have deeper meanings than expected.