Monthly Archives: September 2011
Jacques The Antagonist?
In any form of literature, the antagonist is a person who actively opposes or is hostile to someone or something. Jacques is considered a stock figure, which is a fictional character based on a common literary or social stereotype; in the case of Shakespeare’s play As You Like It, Jacques’ social stereotype is a hopeless melancholy man. Jacques prefers to observe and criticize others, illustrating his open opposition towards other characters in the play. In Act IV Scene I, Jacques empathizes with the deer that has been killed in the Forest of Arden, moaning and weeping for its death. While the others in Duke Senior’s band find Jacques behavior to be hilarious, Jacques is disturbed and irritated by the deer’s death.
Jacques is constantly a “sour apple” throughout the entire play, and a truly pessimistic individual. At the wedding festivities during the climax of the play, while everyone is participating in the festivities, Jacques announces that he plans to return to Duke Senior’s “abandoned cave” (Act V, Scene I, Line 11). However, there is a clear distinction between being a pessimistic character, and an antagonist. Although it is true that Jacques has a well-deserved reputation of being a melancholy individual, he does openly display hostility towards any of the protagonists such as Rosalind or Orlando, at least in the common manner of an antagonist. From my interpretation of As You Like It, I agree that Jacques is a somber, grumpy, and desolate character; however, he is more of a cynic than a typical antagonist. The characters don’t take much notice of him not because they view him as the “bad guy”, but rather because they do not want to be involved with his persistent pessimism.
Despite his constant melancholic attitude, Jacques is quite insightful. Jacques most famous phrase from As You Like It is possibly one of Shakespeare’s more memorable quotes: “All the world’s a stage/And all the men and women merely players/ They have their exits and their entrances/ And one man in his time plays many parts/ His acts being seven ages” (Act II, Scene VII, Lines 142-147). His statement signifies that life itself is like a theatre performance. In fact, Jacques wishes to be like Touchstone, the court jester, demonstrating that Jacques does have a potential lighter side: “O worthy fool! One that hath been a courtier…O that I were a fool! I am ambitious for a motley coat” (Act II, Scene VII, Lines 36-43).
Jacques is a harmless character, but nevertheless plays an important role. He is not a participating member of the final celebrations and decides to remain in the Forest of Arden to assume a solitary life rather than follow Duke Senior’s return to the court. Yet, his presence in the play serves to highlight the difference between love and depression. Essentially, Jacques is a foil because he brings out certain characteristics in other characters which the audience would not observed had it not been for his presence in the play. As As You Like It is a pastoral comedy that portrays the situation of love in a rustic setting, we as the audience must recognize the love that Rosalind and Orlando share for one another, and an effective way to highlight one element in a piece of literature is to simultaneously portray the exact opposite to bring to light the contrast.
The Question of Authenticity – “The Director’s Cut: Interviews with Dominic Cooke and Michael Boyd”
As someone not very familiar with drama and theatre productions, I had no idea how complex and varied play interpretations could be. There is a lot of room for error, and it’s therefore important for directors such as Dominic Cooke and Michael Boyd to interpret ensure that the elements of the original As You Like It production are conveyed through their own interpretation of Shakespeare’s script. It’s funny to see the extent at which Directors go in order to make their play more authentic. When Cooke was asked what devices he used for the cross-dressing of Rosalind, he replied, “Lia had padding between her legs which helped her stand, move, and feel like a male”.
Regarding the content of the play, I agree with what Cooke had to say about Orlando’s perception of Rosalind. He states that “the idea that Orlando knows that Ganymede is Rosalind as he goes into the final scene”. While I read the play, I also felt that Orlando was aware that Rosalind was actually Ganymede, especially heading into scene 5. Following Oliver’s interaction with Ganymede and his sharing of Orlando’s bloody handkerchief, Oliver saw Ganymede swoon and also made physical contact with Orlando, during which he most likely realized that Ganymede was actually Rosalind.
However, after reading this, I began to wonder if any particular production could be the “right” production of a Shakespeare play. After all, no director will ever understand how to recreate Shakespeare’s production perfectly or even slightly as Shakespeare had intended it as there is no visual documentation. Furthermore, Shakespeare plays merely state the lines, they don’t direct the reader about how to enact a particular scene, as that is left up to the director and actor or actress. I had trouble understanding the some of the questions asked in “The Directors Cut: Interviews with Dominic Cooke and Michael Boyd” because they seemed to ask whether the two directors felt as if their play was as similar to Shakespare’s original production; for example, “In what ways was Touchstone a touchstone in your production?” or “Did your Rosalind become more herself when she was Ganymede”. Overall, I believe that we should not compare adaptations to the original Shakespeare production, because they lack the latter’s authenticity simply because no visual documentation or interpretation from Shakespeare’s era exists.
gautamkapur 