1. If music be the food of love, play on! (Twelfth Night)
As You Like It
If music be the food of love, play on! (Twelfth Night)

2. Today’s Quiz
What was Rosalind’s primary motivation in this portion of the reading?

3. Act 2, Scene 2
Duke Frederick discovers that Celia, Rosalind, Touchstone, and Orlando are all absent from the court
This scene can be compared to the one before—we see both Dukes in action, both involved in a type of hunt
Notice the lack of freedom at court (network of spies, paranoia)
Brian Blessed as Duke Frederick, 2006 Branagh film

4. Act 2, Scene 3 On what does Adam base his loyalty to Orlando?
What options does Orlando have after learning of his brother’s designs on his life?
Adam is viewed as an anomaly—his loyalty to the family he serves is not based on “meed” but on duty
Is their entry into Arden a suggestion that faithful service is respected and rewarded only beyond the court?
Richard Briers (Adam) and David Oyelowo (Orlando) in Branagh’s film (2006)

5. Act 2, Scene 4
Rosalind here recognizes the disparity between her outward appearance and her inner feelings: “I could find in my heart to disgrace my man’s apparel and to cry like a woman; but I must comfort the weaker vessel, as doublet and hose out to show itself courageous to petticoat” ( )
How would you compare this discrepancy to that staged by Richard III?
Does Rosalind’s act alter her identity in the long term?

6. Theories of Rosalind’s Male Attire
Katherine Hepburn as Rosalind, 1950
Critics have suggested two different ways to interpret Rosalind’s gender play:
She is usurping male power and identity
She is denaturalizing gender identity (showing the flaws of gender stereotypes)
Which do you think is a more accurate assessment?

7. The Lovelorn Shepherd, Silvius
The shepherd in love is a stock figure of Elizabethan England
What are the signs of Silvius’ love?
Silvius’ desire for the shepherdess Phebe is assessed in a number of different ways by the other characters:
Silvius himself notes that love has made him mad
Rosalind reacts sympathetically, remembering her own passion for Orlando

8. Questioning the Pastoral
In the end of Act 2, scene 4, does Shakespeare tear down the idyllic notions of the pastoral?
What does Corin contend with as a shepherd?
How do Celia and Rosalind fix matters for him?
What does this tell us about the space of the forest?

9. Shakespeare and Music
As You Like It contains more songs than any other Shakespeare play, including “Under the Greenwood Tree” from Act 2, scene 5
Thomas Morley, a contemporary of Shakespeare originally composed music for the plays
The type of music that Shakespeare would have known included the madrigals played at the houses of the wealthy, the church masses, folk music from the streets of London
The musicians’ gallery was above the stage, but music could be performed above, below (for an eerie impact), or on the stage

10. Musical Instruments in Shakespeare’s Time
The lute (pictured here)
The viol (early modern type of fiddle)
The recorder
Here are two different musical versions of songs from the plays; which do you prefer? Why?

11. Thomas Morley’s 16th century rendition of "It was a Lover and his Lass," performed by Christoph Genz

12. “Under the Greenwood Tree” by Laura Marling (2013 RSC Production)

13. Act 2, Scenes 5-7
Jaques and Amiens provide entertainment to the Duke’s forest court
Notice that Orlando’s journey into the forest mirrors Rosalind’s; both Celia and Adam complain of hunger and tiredness
Orlando’s initial treatment of the Duke is rude and forceful, but he redeems himself by telling of his care for Adam (whom he refers to as a fawn)
How do Orlando and Duke Senior compare the forest to the court? What have they lost? What have they gained?

14. “All the World’s A Stage”
What are the seven ages of man described by Jaques in his speech? Is this description still relevant or how else should the stages of life be described?
Jaques is a melancholic, another stock figure for the Elizabethans
Early modern psychology was based on the assumption that the world was composed of four elements (earth, air, fire, and water) and that these fluids were combined in the human body; if the humors were not properly aligned, the individual exhibited specific characteristics of the predominant humor

15. Act 3, Scene 2: Chivalric Ideals, Common Wisdom
The start of this scene is an analysis of different ideologies; Corin represents the idealized country man, Touchstone reflects courtly values
The scene brings up a number of questions for audiences: country swains discuss philosophy, courtly characters question the corruption of the court and what separates men from animals
How do you interpret Corin in this scene? Is he an innocent who is all seriousness in his "wisdom," or is he a "smart alec" who is trying to outdo Touchstone?

16. Orlando’s Expressions of Love
Orlando plays on the themes of medieval romance:
He is a love-struck wooer, hanging and carving his poems on trees
He dresses as a hunter (Petrarch’s famous poems)
He poses dramatically by a tree
Yet, Rosalind states that “there is none of my uncle’s marks [of love] upon you” ( ); what is she stating?
When Rosalind tells Orlando that he does not look like a lover, he says he wants to make her believe he is really in love. Is this why he agrees to pretend she is Rosalind and woo her even though he thinks she is a man? Are there any other possible reasons?
Portrait miniature of A Young Man Leaning Against a Tree Amongst Roses,
by Nicholas Hilliard, c. 1590