As You Like It
"[T]he truest poetry is the most feigning . . . ."
Read | Questions | Resources | Links | Performance | Papers | Back
"[T]he truest poetry is the most feigning . . . ."
Read | Questions | Resources | Links | Performance | Papers | Back
Questions
(1) What is Shakespeare's attitude toward the pastoral? Is he idealistic, cynical, or both? (Consider the character of Jacques, who is Shakespeare's own creation.)
(2) How does Shakespeare mipulate the action in the play so that Jacques' cynical comments are offset by more optimistic activities or characters?
(3) What is the significance of Touchstone's name?
(4) Why is there no clock in the Forest of Arden?
(5) Do the traditional "two worlds" of comedy exist in this play? What are they? Is the movement between them symbolic, as it is in other plays?
(6) Are the final "conversions" of Oliver and Duke Frederick believable?
(7) What psychologically destructive forces exist in the world of the court?
(8) What bonds tie men together in the Forest of Arden?
(9) Who assumes the traditional role of the classical "intriguer" or maipulator in this play?
(10) What male characters in this play behave like Petrarchan lovers?
(11) What motivations lead the various couples in this play to marriage?
(12) Which characters in this play are melancholy? Why?
(13) What is the Duke's attitude toward adversity (II.i)? To what extent is it shared by others in the play?
(14) Where in the play is the name "Adam" mentioned? Is it significant?
(15) How would you describe "Nature" or the natural world in this play?
(16) What different kinds of "fools" appear in this play? Do they fit into the tradition of the "wise fool"? If so, how?
(17) What echoes of the traditional fairy story do you find in this play?
(18) What is the function of satire, according to Jacques (II.vii)?
(19) What is the relationship between love and friendship in this play?
(20) How would you describe the various family relationships in this play? What is the basis for family loyalty? What divides that loyalty?
(21) What variety of attitudes towards Fortune are expressed by people in this play?
(22) In what context does Jacques' famous "All the world's a stage" speech occur?
(23) Is there any truth to Touchstone's statement that "the truest poetry is the most feigning" (III.iii)?
(24) How do the different pairs of lovers in the play serve as foils to one another?
(25) With what typical "comic" events does the play end?
(26) Why is the play called one of Shakespeare's "festive comedies"?
Here are even more study questions from Prof. J. M. Massi!
Resources
Locket, Joseph. Instruction Versus Deception: from Rosalynde to As You Like It. [student paper]
Links