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Historical Parallels and the Elizabethan Court of the 16th Century
During the time of William Shakespeare, Queen Elizabeth I ruled over England. The period of her reign became known as the Elizabethan era. This era is often considered a golden age in English history, and was the most prolific period for the English Renaissance, in which England thrived both artistically and economically; Queen Elizabeth was a patron and supporter of the arts, hosting various artists at court.
The Earl of Essex
The Earl of Essex was said to be one of Shakespeare’s closest associates, as well as a patron. He was often represented through various characters in Shakespeare’s plays. Though a favorite of Queen Elizabeth’s, he lost her favor as was sent to Ireland to quell a rebellion. The now disgraced Earl of Essex complained that this was an unofficial exile from the court, and proceeded to experience various military failures and frequently disregard orders given by the queen. He was executed in 1601 after going on trial. His “exile,” as well as the ambitions of the Elizabethan court at the time, share many similarities with the exile of Duke Senior and Duke Frederick’s “new court” in As You Like It. Though the Earl of Essex is not modeled within one specific character, various qualities of his, as well as the general atmosphere of Elizabethan court at the time, are emulated throughout the play.
Shrove Tuesday
There is much debate about when As You Like It was first performed as there is no record of it in the public theatre. However, it most likely took the stage between 1598-1600. A specific date of the first performance is said to be February 20 1599 on Shrove Tuesday. Shrove Tuesday is pancake day, the traditional feast day before Lent, however it’s known more for feasting and celebration than its religious associations. If performed on this date, As You Like It would’ve been acted in the Great Hall within Richmond Palace, while guests feasted on pancakes, meat, and wine. This specific Shrove Tuesday in 1599 marked the 40th year of Queen Elizabeth’s reign, therefore a pastoral drama like As You Like It would’ve been appropriate to perform in the Great Hall before the queen.
Pastoral Renaissance and Golden Age
As You Like It plays on the classic pastoral idea that the shepherd is the poet. It emphasizes the dream of the simple life, explored mainly through Corin and Touchstone’s debate about court versus shepherd life. The ambition and power struggle of court life is placed against the simplicity and kinship of the shepherds within Arden. The Golden Pastoral depicted in As You Like It is undercut by Jaques’s melancholy and cynicism towards the forest, and hunting, and highlights the fact that the world built by the Pastoral Renaissance and glorified rustic retreat to the simple life is one that lives within literature, but does not necessarily exist.
The Importance of Hunting
Within As You Like It, there are many references to hunting, paralleled with love and sexual desire. In the 16th and 17th centuries, hunting was a sport reserved for aristocrats, however in As You Like It hunting is not only aristocratic as the Forresters hunted as well. Hunting was hotly debated and criticized for its cruelty. These criticisms are cast onto love and sexual desire through the duality of language in As You Like It. Shakespeare’s use of both heart (metaphorically as a symbol for love, and anatomically) as well as hart (an adult male deer). This is further emphasized with his use of heartily (meaning in a emotionally wholesome manner, but also sounding like both “hart” and “heart”) and dearly (as in very much, but also sounding like “deer”). In As You Like It, the emphasis on pursuit of one's true love in the forest is described using various hunting terms, and often with sexual or lustful connotations.
Robin Hood and his Merry Men
Robin Hood and the freedom from court and aristocracy is mirrored in As You Like It via Duke Senior and his co-mates in exile. Undermining established social systems and revolting against court life are both themes carried over from Robin Hood into As You Like It. The Forest of Arden is painted as an escape from courtly life, and highlights Duke Senior’s inclination to speak of his exile as a liberation of sorts. This is furthered by the continued number of court members who end up in the Forest of Arden, both willingly and unwillingly.
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