As You Like It E-Book

William Shakespeare

• Herausgeber: Sheba Blake Publishing
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2019

Seitenzahl: 115

Beschreibung

As You Like It is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has been suggested as a possibility. As You Like It follows its heroine Rosalind as she flees persecution in her uncle's court, accompanied by her cousin Celia to find safety and, eventually, love, in the Forest of Arden. In the forest, they encounter a variety of memorable characters, notably the melancholy traveller Jaques who speaks many of Shakespeare's most famous speeches (such as "All the world's a stage", "too much of a good thing" and "A fool! A fool! I met a fool in the forest"). Jaques provides a sharp contrast to the other characters in the play, always observing and disputing the hardships of life in the country. Historically, critical response has varied, with some critics finding the work of lesser quality than other Shakespearean works and some finding the play a work of great merit. The play remains a favourite among audiences and has been adapted for radio, film, and musical theatre. The piece has been a favorite of famous actors on stage and screen, notably Vanessa Redgrave, Juliet Stevenson, Rebecca Hall, Helen Mirren, and Patti LuPone in the role of Rosalind and Alan Rickman, Stephen Spinella, Kevin Kline and Stephen Dillane in the role of Jacques.

Leseprobe

AS YOU LIKE IT

BY

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

Copyright © 2019 by William Shakespeare.

All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations em- bodied in critical articles or reviews.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organiza- tions, places, events and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

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Book and Cover design by Sheba Blake Publishing

First Edition: February 2019

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PERSONS REPRESENTED

ACT I.

SCENE I.

SCENE II.

SCENE III.

ACT II.

SCENE I.

SCENE II.

SCENE III.

SCENE IV.

SCENE V.

SCENE VI.

SCENE VII.

ACT III.

SCENE I.

SCENE II.

SCENE III.

SCENE IV.

SCENE V.

ACT IV.

SCENE I.

SCENE II.

SCENE III.

ACT V.

SCENE I.

SCENE II.

SCENE III.

SCENE IV.

EPILOGUE

PERSONS REPRESENTED

Duke, Living In Exile.

Frederick, Brother To The Duke, And Usurper Of His Dominions.

Amiens, Lord Attending On The Duke In His Banishment.

Jaques, Lord Attending On The Duke In His Banishment.

Le Beau, A Courtier Attending Upon Frederick.

Charles, His Wrestler.

Oliver, Son Of Sir Rowland De Bois.

Jaques, Son Of Sir Rowland De Bois.

Orlando, Son Of Sir Rowland De Bois.

Adam, Servant To Oliver.

Dennis, Servant To Oliver.

Touchstone, A Clown.

Sir Oliver Martext, A Vicar.

Corin, Shepherd.

Silvius, Shepherd.

William, A Country Fellow, In Love With Audrey.

A Person Representing Hymen.

Rosalind, Daughter To The Banished Duke.

Celia, Daughter To Frederick.

Phebe, A Shepherdess.

Audrey, A Country Wench.

Lords Belonging To The Two Dukes; Pages, Foresters, And Other Attendants.

ACT I.

SCENE I.

An Orchard near OLIVER'S house.

The SCENE lies first near OLIVER'S house; afterwards partly in the Usurper's court and partly in the Forest of Arden.

[Enter ORLANDO and ADAM.]

ORLANDO.As I remember, Adam, it was upon this fashion,--bequeathed me by will but poor a thousand crowns, and, as thou say'st, charged my brother, on his blessing, to breed me well: and there begins my sadness. My brother Jaques he keeps at school, and report speaks goldenly of his profit: for my part, he keeps me rustically at home, or, to speak more properly, stays me here at home unkept: for call you that keeping for a gentleman of my birth thatdiffers not from the stalling of an ox? His horses are bred better; for, besides that they are fair with their feeding, they are taught their manage, and to that end riders dearlyhired; but I, his brother, gain nothing under him but growth; for the which his animals on his dunghills are as much bound to him as I. Besides this nothing that he so plentifully gives me, the something that nature gave me, his countenance seems to take from me: he lets me feed with his hinds, bars me the place of a brother, and as much as in him lies, mines my gentility with my education. This is it, Adam, that grieves me; and the spirit of my father, which I think is within me, begins to mutinyagainst this servitude; I will no longer endure it, though yet I know no wise remedy how to avoid it.

ADAM.Yonder comes my master, your brother.

ORLANDO.Go apart, Adam, and thou shalt hear how he will shake me up.

[ADAM retires]

[Enter OLIVER.]

OLIVER.Now, sir! what make you here?

ORLANDO.Nothing: I am not taught to make anything.

OLIVER.What mar you then, sir?

ORLANDO.Marry, sir, I am helping you to mar that which God made, apoor unworthy brother of yours, with idleness.

OLIVER.Marry, sir, be better employed, and be naught awhile.

ORLANDO.Shall I keep your hogs, and eat husks with them? Whatprodigal portion have I spent that I should come to such penury?

OLIVER.Know you where you are, sir?

ORLANDO.O, sir, very well: here in your orchard.

OLIVER.Know you before whom, sir?

ORLANDO.Ay, better than him I am before knows me. I know you aremy eldest brother: and in the gentle condition of blood, you should so know me. The courtesy of nations allows you my better in that you are the first-born; but the same tradition takes not away my blood, were there twenty brothers betwixt us: I have as much of my father in me as you, albeit; I confess, your coming before me is nearer to his reverence.

OLIVER.What, boy!

ORLANDO.Come, come, elder brother, you are too young in this.

OLIVER.Wilt thou lay hands on me, villain?

ORLANDO.I am no villain: I am the youngest son of Sir Rowland deBois: he was my father; and he is thrice a villain that says such a father begot villains. Wert thou not my brother, I would not take this hand from thy throat till this other had pulled out thy tongue for saying so: thou has railed on thyself.

ADAM.[Coming forward] Sweet masters, be patient; for yourfather's remembrance, be at accord.

OLIVER.Let me go, I say.

ORLANDO.I will not, till I please: you shall hear me. My fathercharged you in his will to give me good education: you have trained me like a peasant, obscuring and hiding from me all gentleman-like qualities: the spirit of my father grows strong in me, and I will no longer endure it: therefore, allow me such exercises as may become a gentleman, or give me the poorallottery my father left me by testament; with that I will go buy my fortunes.

OLIVER.And what wilt thou do? beg, when that is spent? Well, sir,get you in; I will not long be troubled with you: you shall have some part of your will: I pray you leave me.

ORLANDO.I no further offend you than becomes me for my good.

OLIVER.Get you with him, you old dog.

ADAM.Is "old dog" my reward? Most true, I have lost my teeth inyour service.--God be with my old master! he would not have spoke such a word.

[Exeunt ORLANDO and ADAM.]

OLIVER.Is it even so? begin you to grow upon me? I will physicyour rankness, and yet give no thousand crowns neither.Holla, Dennis!

[Enter DENNIS.]

DENNIS.Calls your worship?

OLIVER.Was not Charles, the duke's wrestler, here to speak with me?

DENNIS.So please you, he is here at the door and importunes access to you.

OLIVER.Call him in.

[Exit DENNIS.]

--'Twill be a good way; and to-morrow the wrestling is.

[Enter CHARLES.]

CHARLES.Good morrow to your worship.

OLIVER.Good Monsieur Charles!--what's the new news at the new court?

CHARLES.There's no news at the court, sir, but the old news; thatis, the old duke is banished by his younger brother the new duke; and three or four loving lords have put themselves into voluntary exile with him, whose lands and revenues enrich the new duke; therefore he gives them good leave to wander.

OLIVER.Can you tell if Rosalind, the duke's daughter, be banishedwith her father?

CHARLES.O, no; for the duke's daughter, her cousin, so loves her,--being ever from their cradles bred together,--that she would have followed her exile, or have died to stay behind her. She is at the court, and no less beloved of her uncle than his owndaughter; and never two ladies loved as they do.

OLIVER.Where will the old duke live?

CHARLES.They say he is already in the Forest of Arden, and a manymerry 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.

OLIVER.What, you wrestle to-morrow before the new duke?

CHARLES.Marry, do I, sir; and I came to acquaint you with a matter. I am given, sir, secretly to understand that your younger brother, Orlando, hath a disposition to come in disguis'd against me to try a fall. To-morrow, sir, I wrestle for my credit;and he that escapes me without some broken limb shall acquit him well. Your brother is but young and tender; and, for your love, I would be loath to foil him, as I must, for my own honour, if he come in: therefore, out of my love to you, I came hither to acquaint you withal; that either you might stay him from his intendment, or brook such disgrace well as he shall run into; in that it is thing of his own search, and altogether against my will.

OLIVER.Charles, I thank thee for thy love to me, which thou shaltfind I will most kindly requite. I had myself notice of mybrother's purpose herein, and have by underhand means laboured to dissuade him from it; but he is resolute. I'll tell thee,Charles, it is the stubbornest young fellow of France; full of ambition, an envious emulator of every man's good parts, a secret and villainous contriver against me his natural brother:therefore use thy discretion: I had as lief thou didst break his neck as his finger. And thou wert best look to't; for if thou dost him any slight disgrace, or if he do not mightily grace himself on thee, he will practise against thee by poison, entrap thee by some treacherous device, and never leave thee till he hath ta'en thy life by some indirect means or other: for, I assure thee, and almost with tears I speak it, there is not one so young and so villainous this day living. I speak but brotherly of him; but should I anatomize him to thee as he is, I must blush and weep, and thou must look pale and wonder.

CHARLES.I am heartily glad I came hither to you. If he cometo-morrow I'll give him his payment. If ever he go alone again I'll never wrestle for prize more: and so, God keep your worship!

[Exit.]

OLIVER.Farewell, good Charles.--Now will I stir this gamester: Ihope I shall see an end of him: for my soul, yet I know not why, hates nothing more than he. Yet he's gentle; never schooled and yet learned; full of noble device; of all sorts enchantingly beloved; and, indeed, so much in the heart of the world, and especially of my own people, who best know him, that I amaltogether misprised: but it shall not be so long; thiswrestler shall clear all: nothing remains but that I kindle the boy thither, which now I'll go about.

[Exit.]

SCENE II.

A Lawn before the DUKE'S Palace.

[Enter ROSALIND and CELIA.]

CELIA.I pray thee, Rosalind, sweet my coz, be merry.

ROSALIND.Dear Celia, I show more mirth than I am mistress of; and would you yet I were merrier? Unless you could teach me to forget a banished father, you must not learn me how to remember anyextraordinary pleasure.

CELIA.Herein I see thou lov'st me not with the full weight that I love thee; if my uncle, thy banished father, had banished thy uncle, the duke my father, so thou hadst been still with me, I could have taught my love to take thy father for mine; so wouldst thou, if the truth of thy love to me were so righteously tempered as mine is to thee.

ROSALIND.Well, I will forget the condition of my estate, to rejoice in yours.

CELIA.You know my father hath no child but I, nor none is like to have; and, truly, when he dies thou shalt be his heir: for what he hath taken away from thy father perforce, I will render thee again in affection: by mine honour, I will; and when I break that oath, let me turn monster; therefore, my sweet Rose, my dear Rose, be merry.

ROSALIND.From henceforth I will, coz, and devise sports: let me see; what think you of falling in love?

CELIA.Marry, I pr'ythee, do, to make sport withal: but love no man in good earnest, nor no further in sport neither than withsafety of a pure blush thou mayst in honour come off again.

ROSALIND.What shall be our sport, then?

CELIA.Let us sit and mock the good housewife Fortune from herwheel, that her gifts may henceforth be bestowed equally.

ROSALIND.I would we could do so; for her benefits are mightilymisplaced: and the bountiful blind woman doth most mistake in her gifts to women.

CELIA.'Tis true; for those that she makes fair she scarce makeshonest; and those that she makes honest she makes veryill-favouredly.

ROSALIND.Nay; now thou goest from Fortune's office to Nature's: Fortune reigns in gifts of the world, not in the lineaments of Nature.

CELIA.No; when Nature hath made a fair creature, may she not byFortune fall into the fire?--Though Nature hath given us wit to flout at Fortune, hath not Fortune sent in this fool to cut off the argument?

[Enter TOUCHSTONE.]

ROSALIND.Indeed, there is Fortune too hard for Nature, whenFortune makes Nature's natural the cutter-off of Nature's wit.

CELIA.Peradventure this is not Fortune's work neither, butNature's, who perceiveth our natural wits too dull to reason of such goddesses, and hath sent this natural for our whetstone: for always the dullness of the fool is the whetstone of the wits.-- How now, wit? whither wander you?

TOUCHSTONE.Mistress, you must come away to your father.

CELIA.Were you made the messenger?

TOUCHSTONE.No, by mine honour; but I was bid to come for you.

ROSALIND.