global shakespeare project

8/11/2019 Global Shakespeare Project

1/4


2/4

subscribes to the latter-most opinion, which supports the Forests seemingly magical abilities to protect

its residents from harm while taming those who enter it with evil intent.

Throughout Shakespeares works, readers can ascertain distinct thematic threads; in these, the idea of

the redeemed sinner is very prevalent. As You Like It s foremost prodigal son is, unsurprisingly, the

works main antagonist - the Duke Frederick, followed closely by Sir Oliver . To make Duke Fredericks

villainy transparently obvious, Branagh chose to take artistic liberty with the addition of an introductory

scene in which the Duke Frederick deposes his elder brother, the Duke Senior. This scene, where

location is first seen as a major influence on character, plays a key role in establishing a strong

comparison between the two. The violent savagery of Duke Fredericks usurpation (and character, as we

later learn) is motivated primarily by greed, induced because of the wealth of the outpost where the

deposition occurs. Through the same scene, the audience learns that the more mild-mannered andcivilized Duke Senior retreats to the Forest of Arden, where he embraces a rustic lifestyle that is heavily

influenced by his location as well. In a similar sequence of events, Sir Oliver condemns his brother

Orlando to a fiery death by plotting to burn the stable in which he (Orlando) made his home at the

outpost. Like the Duke Senior, Orlando escapes with little to spare and also flees to Arden with naught

but a faithful servant of his house, named Adam. The viewers begin to discern an obvious trend of

malice centered around the outpost contrasted by the notion of the Forest as a sanctuary.

After this initial exposition, both Shakespeare and Branagh take the audience back and forth between

the outpost and Arden with the obvious intent of solidifying the semi-established climate of the two

settings. The cinematography of the film As You Like It makes the distinctions between the two

abundantly clear. In the outpost, secrets are swapped, shadows move behind Japanese silk screens, and

an overall feeling of fearful tension lingers beneath the relentless glares of the Duke Fredericks masked

samurai warriors. Arden, on the other hand, is a warmly sunlit, open, and tranquil haven for the Duke

Senior and his followers- the very embodiment of pastoral atmosphere Shakespeare would have striven

to create on his stage. The dark toned outpost reflects the motives of the villain(s) lodged there whereas

the pastoral Arden indicates the fundamental goodness of those who reside, or are forced to reside

there.

The climax of the plot occurs when the Duke Frederick leaves his stolen residence and travels with

murderous intent toward the Forest of Arden, while also unwittingly on his way toward a conversion of


3/4

heart. Upon entering the forest, his encounter with a holy man reduces him to a state of repentance and

the desire to right his wronged brother, which he does through the return of the outpost to the Duke

Senior. Correspondingly, Sir Oliver is assailed by a typical romance convention of the time, a lion. After

being rescued by Orlando, whose virtuous nature overrode the convenience of allowing his wrongdoing

brother to die, Sir Oliver also undergoes a rapid transformation nearly identical to that of Duke

Frederick. The import of setting could not be clearer than is displayed in these adjacent instances. Upon

entrance of the Forest, both the Duke Frederick and Sir Oliver undergo a fundamental transformation of

charac ter, completing the image of the redeemed sinner so ubiquitous in Shakespeares works. The

biblical influences of this theme are distinctly radiated by the use of pastoral convention and setting,

which loudly echoes imagery of a lost sheep returned to the fold.

The Forest of Arden serves as an image of rebirth

Two sides to the same person/coin

To the critical eye

PASTORAL ALLUDES TO BIBLICAL IMAGERY OF LOST SHEEP RETURING (REDEEMED SINNER-PRESENT

THROUGHOUT SHAKESPEARE- THEME TRANSFORMATION)

REBIRTH

The film has two primary settings- the settled, rather wealthy outpost (comparable to the court in the

original text), and the serene, idyllic Forest of Arden (almost identical to the original text). The Forest of

Arden is particularly important to the work, mostly because of its bucolic atmosphere that

The distinction of settings coupled with the fact that each main character begins at the outpost and

travels to the forest, where they undergo some sort of fundamental change, allows the audience to

characterize the work as a pastoral romance. This harsh duality of setting works as the primary stimulus

for the changes seen in each of the plays antagonists, the Duke Frederick and Sir Oliver De Bois. The use


4/4

global shakespeare project

Documents