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Description:

We're not sure if good ol' Shakespeare would endorse The Bachelor and The Bachelorette , but that's not going to stop us from hosting themed viewing parties every season. The proposals just melt you heart.

Author:

Author / Shakespeare - William Shakespeare

Language:

English Language

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Transcript

00:04
As You Like It, a la Shmoop. Being a bride isn't just about showing off
00:09
the ring and receiving gifts with a gracious smile.
00:12
Oh, no. The bride has to pull a wedding together in which everyone has fun, no one gets insulted,
00:19
and the event stays at or under budget.
00:26
And while the end result may be the most awesome celebration ever...

00:30
...you may find yourself wondering if as much thought went into the newlywed couple's decision
00:35
to marry as into the decision to have the bridesmaids wear tangerine-colored dresses.
00:41
William Shakespeare put his thoughts about marriage into his comedic play, As You Like
00:42
It.
00:42
Rosalind and Celia are forced to flee from the usurper Frederick into the Forest of Arden.
00:48
Because Rosalind is disguised as a boy, she has to fight off the attentions of another
00:52
woman while continuing to engage the affection of the man she loves, Orlando.
00:58
Everything turns out fine: everyone marries who they're supposed to and all the villains
01:03
repent of their naughtiness.
01:04
But...what does As You Like It really have to say about marriage?
01:08
At first, it seems as if the play is all in favor of the practice.
01:13
Rosalind and Orlando, Celia and Oliver, Phoebe and Silvius, and Audrey and Touchstone all
01:19
get hitched in the end, presumably to live happily ever after...
01:23
...although given how Shakespeare treats some of the characters in his other plays, that's
01:27
never a safe bet. The problem is that love makes these characters
01:33
act like...idiots.
01:35
You have Rosalind, dressed as a guy, who tries to convince Orlando to let him/her take Rosalind's
01:41
place so he/she and Orlando can act out the relationship Orlando would like to have with
01:46
Rosalind. Awkward.
01:48
You have the shepherdess Phoebe, who's fallen for Rosalind-dressed-as-a-guy, and you'd think
01:54
Phoebe would sense something amiss there, but apparently not.
01:58
You end up with a massive argument in which everyone fights over who's going to marry
02:03
who.
02:04
And let's not forget that As You Like It is rife with jokes about wives cheating on their
02:08
husbands.
02:09
Either Shakespeare was a bit one-note on his humor in this play, or he didn't think much
02:14
of marriage. But maybe what Shakespeare really wants is
02:17
for us to take an honest look at marriage and the person we're going to vow to love
02:21
and cherish for the rest of our lives.
02:24
There's a great deal of disguise and deceit in As You Like It; many of the characters
02:29
are not who they present themselves to be.
02:32
Today's dating world is very much like Shakespeare's play: people will say anything to get a hot
02:37
date.
02:37
Perhaps Shakespeare is encouraging us to truly get to know the people we're attracted to and to understand what
02:48
making a lifelong commitment means so that...
02:51
...if we decide to take that big step and spend thousands of dollars on a beach wedding in
02:56
Cancun, we won't be regretting the expenditure six months later.
03:00
So, what do you think Shakespeare was trying to say about marriage?
03:03
Did he think that wedding vows were a waste of time?
03:06
Or was he pro...putting a ring on it? Shmoop amongst yourselves.
Full Transcript