Shakespeare's As You Like It--Discussion and Summary

The chillest Shakespeare play.
See below for links to other Shakespeare discussions:
Twelfth Night: January 2-8 • Shakespeare's Twelfth ... ​
Henry VI Part 1: January 10-16 • Shakespeare's Henry VI... ​
Henry VI Part 2: January 18-25 • Shakespeare's Henry VI... ​
Henry VI Part 3: January 27-February 2 • Shakespeare's Henry VI... ​
Comedy of Errors: February 4-8 • Shakespeare's Comedy o... ​
Taming of the Shrew: February 10-15 • Shakespeare's Taming o... ​
Titus Andronicus: February 17-22 • Shakespeare's Titus An... ​
Romeo and Juliet: February 24-March 2 • Shakespeare's Romeo & ... ​
• Shakespeare's Romeo & ... ​
Richard III: March 4-12
Julius Caesar: March 14-19 • Shakespeare's Julius C... ​
Two Gentlemen of Verona: March 21-25 • Shakespeare's Two Gent... ​
King John: March 27-April 1 • Shakespeare's King Joh... ​
Richard II: April 3-9 • Shakespeare's Richard ... ​
Venus and Adonis: April 13-17 • Shakespeare's "Venus a... ​
Hamlet: April 19-28 • Shakespeare's Hamlet: ... ​
The Rape of Lucrece: April 30-May 4 • Shakespeare's "Lucrece... ​
Sonnets 1-80: May 6-8 • Shakespeare's Sonnets ​
Bonus Episode! Sir Thomas More: • Shakespeare's Sir Thom... ​
Othello: May 11-18 • Shakespeare's Othello-... ​
Sonnets 81-154: May 20-22 • Shakespeare's Sonnets ​
Love’s Labour’s Lost: May 26-June 2 • Shakespeare's Love's L... ​
Pericles: June 4-9 • Shakespeare's Pericles... ​
Cymbeline: June 11-18 • Shakespeare's Cymbelin... ​
King Lear: June 22-30 • Shakespeare's King Lea... ​
A Lover’s Complaint: July 2 • Shakespeare's "A Lover... ​
The Passionate Pilgrim: July 3 • Shakespeare's The Pass... ​
A Midsummer Night’s Dream: July 6-10 • Shakespeare's A Midsum... ​
The Merchant of Venice: July 12-16 • Shakespeare's Merchant... ​
Bonus Episode! Love's Labour's Won: • Shakespeare's Love's L... ​
Much Ado About Nothing: July 20-26 • Shakespeare's Much Ado... ​
As You Like It: July 28-August 3 • Shakespeare's As You L... ​
Macbeth: August 5-10 • Shakespeare's MacBeth-... ​
Troilus and Cressida: August 12-20 • Shakespeare's Troilus ... ​
Antony and Cleopatra: August 22-29 • Shakespeare's Antony a...
Coriolanus: August 31-September 10
All’s Well That Ends Well: September 12-19
Measure for Measure: September 21-27 • Shakespeare's Measure ...
Henry IV Part 1: September 29-October 5
The Merry Wives of Windsor: October 7-13
Henry IV Part 2: October 15-22
Henry V: October 24-31
Henry VIII: November 2-9
Edward III: November 11-17
Timon of Athens: November 19-24
The Winter’s Tale: December 1-7 • Shakespeare's The Wint...
• Shakespeare's The Wint...
The Tempest: December 9-14 • Shakespeare's The Temp... ​
The Two Noble Kinsmen: December 16-23
The Phoenix and Turtle: December 27 • Shakespeare's "The Pho...

[@jackatherton0111]

Captures the tone wonderfully. To think gloomy Jacques in the jolly forest of Arden (Shakespeare’s mother’s family) was a counterpart to Hamlet in rotten Denmark is mind-blowing. Talk about a multi-verse genius!

[@grantmichaelpalmer1282]

I love that there's a copy of "Stronger Abs and Back" on the bookshelf mixed in with all the high literature, lol

[@Nancenotes]

Ha, ha! It’s very popular among athletes during free reading. I have no idea how it got in my library.

[@LineByLineShakespeare]

An accessible and friendly analysis! Extra bonus: Looking at the spines in the background (I really like Tim O' Brien's book of short stories too).

[@haleyhomeschool3450]

I watched a seven person troupe do this tonight, and I enjoyed listening to your comments on the ride to the play. Thanks for everyone you can help and entertain with videos that you do! Hi from Odessa, Texas, where we have our own little Globe Theater. Shakespeare is for all of us everywhere!!!

[@Nancenotes]

How fun! Thank you!

[@h29452]

Hello! I'm studying this at university and was having difficulty with understanding its themes. Thank you so much for breaking it down and explaining it. Love from Scotland

[@Nancenotes]

Hello, Scotland! Thanks for watching!

[@marilynsitaker4198]

Wonderful overview of he play that emphasizes its unique playfulness. I stitched costumes for a production during my college days; Rosalind was played by 2 actors--a female (Rosalind) and male (Ganymede) who applied their stage make up side by side to effect a resemblance.

[@Nancenotes]

That’s interesting. I’ve never seen it done that way. The comedies are always the chance for the female characters to shine, so I’m surprised. (Also, though I’m not amazing at it, suing costumes is super fun.)

[@thejokerofweekends2910]

Just found your channel while studying about poetry. You are doing an Amazing job. Thank you. Greetings from Brazil!🇧🇷

[@Nancenotes]

Hello to Brazil! You have my second favorite soccer team! Thank you for watching!

[@alanrobinson8518]

Outstanding and entertaining commentary. Thank you.

[@GracieBelleCollins]

Thanks so much for this video. Shakespeare is hard for me to understand and this gave me a good summary of the story.

[@jenelle11234]

thank you, it helped me get ready for class, cause I honestly couldn't interpret it better than this.

[@goodlookinouthomie1757]

What makes me laugh at this is when Rosalind/Ganymede comes along and treats Phoebe like absolute crap, and Phoebe falls in love with her/him. Meanwhile there is poor old Silvius who adores Phoebe, but is a complete cloying simp and she's repulsed by him as a result 😂 Take note, gentlemen.

[@Red-logan]

You might not expect comments from Pakistan, but your great work made it reach here.

[@Nancenotes]

Thanks!

[@user-xb4zb5hf4t]

Great content!! helped a lot in my studies!

[@djmutt2000]

the virgin Romeo and Juliet vs the chad As You Like It

[@MehediHasan-td7vt]

Hello! now, i have got this.Thank you,Mr....

[@TomJones-cq7ri]

Loved the video from Bangladesh🇧🇩 Hope see you Again with another interesting video.

[@SindreGaaserod]

Great video! 😊

[@jossbracero9158]

Slay, thanks for being you

[@englishliterature6056]

Cheerful discussion

[@marsy2071]

Jacques just like me fr

[@reedr7142]

I learned that it was pronounced “JAY-kweez”

[@user-gj9hk7gx2b]

I don't get why duke senior didn't recognize Rosalind as his daughter; Rosalind must have a fake mustache under her nose, but still she is his only daughter!

[@Nancenotes]

Ha! Yeah. When people put on disguises in Shakespeare, it’s just a rule that they’re impossible to recognize even though we in the audience can clearly see who they are.

[@user-gj9hk7gx2b]

@@Nancenotes Yes haha!

[@mikelheron20]

Jaques is pronounced Jaykwees.

[@user-ep1vr6kv5i]

Hello Tim, Do you mind making videos on Emily Dickinson?

[@Nancenotes]

I would love to. I have several videos I’m in the middle of right now, but I’ll try to get to her when I can. Do you want to see any particular poems, or just Emily Dickinson’s work in general?

[@user-ep1vr6kv5i]

@@Nancenotes I have a bunch of her poems in my syllabus. But her poetic style is very hard to understand. I've never seen such pattern, like the frequent use of "-" and capitalising words all of a sudden. So, I would love a video on this issue. Thank you in advance ❤️

[@Nancenotes]

Let me see what I can do.

[@matthewkramer5702]

I enjoy your videos, even though I write on Shakespeare at an advanced level. I should note that the first name of the father of Orlando and Oliver was "Rowland" rather than "Richard."

[@Nancenotes]

Bummer. Probably a Freudian slip. These are all very amateur and for fun. Thanks for watching and for the correction!

[@colinellesmere]

I get the themes but I cant help it but a story needs a better plot. Shakespeare often does not flesh out his secondary characters. Rosalind and Orlando was fine. But from nowhere Oliver and Celia fall in love, yet Oliver is portrayed as a manipulating and vengeful man in act 1. Touchstone and Audrey too is a match that makes no sense and is just presented to us. And to end we have Ferdando, the usurper, on route to kill the banished Duke's family converting. All this I find jarring, and it is common in Shakespeare plays. I love so much of Shakespeare but critics seem to go do lightly with his weaknesses. Sorry. I did not find the play funny at all.

[@Nancenotes]

Yes, it definitely has glaring plot holes. The first time I read it, I was confused and didn’t like it. The second time it happened to come at a time when I was ready to enjoy it. But I think it just comes down to whether you love its strengths enough to forgive its ridiculous plot holes. I love the music and whimsy of it, and I love that for once the violence does not follow them into the woods, but just lets them all chill and create bad art. It felt especially meaningful in the last few years to me in a society that seems so much more full of chaos and anger.

[@colinellesmere]

Certainly needs another viewing as it does have merit and is generally well recieved. The exploration of binary themes is very good. Rarely with good literature is a once over enough. By the way. I love your channel and your enthusiasm. Those reading literature today are very fortunate to have so many good resources like yours to draw from. Mind you people did manage in the past, but knowledge of the classics is on the wain. Check out the classics section in Waterstones. Its a single shelf. But its not a paradox. Maybe the real difference is people will not put in the effort. Too many other easier distractions.

[@Nancenotes]

@colinellesmere Yes, and the state of things saddens me sometimes. I see a lack of patience and a distractible nature in most of my students; getting them to read a book once is a challenge, much less teaching them to savor and reread to find the real good. I try my best to pass on a love of the old and beautiful for anyone who still wants to enjoy it with me, and I hope my enthusiasm at least peaks their curiosity. Have you read Ken Ludwig’s How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare? It’s a delightful book that in part demonstrates the importance of savoring Shakespeare. Check it out if you’re interested, whether or not you intend to teach children the classics. Also, Moonwalking with Einstein is an interesting book about memory and the art of memorization, which has a chapter about how the invention of the printing press and accessibility to knowledge made memorization “obsolete,” and with each new jump in technology, we had less reason to use our brains to engage with texts, finally culminating in the smartphone generation. A very eye opening explanation of the indifference to learning.

[@reedr7142]

As much as I love Shakes, those are tough to ignore. I just can’t accept Touchstone stealing Audrey from William-and so threateningly.