SHAKESPEARE'S MANIPULATION OF HIS

SOURCES IN 'AS YOU LIKE IT'1

NOTHING is more characteristic of Shakespeare than his ability to discern the dramatic possibilities of a story or a portion of history, and his skill in transforming such material into a fully developed, unified, thrilling drama. Says Professor ten Brink:

Seldom or never can the literary artist use his material in just the form in which it presents itself to him; for almost never does it correspond completely to the idea which he either recognizes in it or imparts to it. Therefore the Poet exercises his right to transform the fable in accordance with his purpose, that is, into agreement with his own idea. The deeper, the clearer, the more powerful and complete the nature, the personality of the poet is, so much more successful will be the gradual shaping, the refashioning of his fable. An unrivalled master in this field, far more than in the field of composition, is Shakespeare; his greatness displays itself most of all in the infallible intuition with which he feels his way to the tragic [dramatic] elements of a story and brings these forth to complete dramatic expression.

An excellent illustration of Shakespeare's manipulation of a borrowed story is offered if we compare the comedy "As You Like It" with its principal source, the euphuistic pastoral romance of Thomas Lodge, "Rosalynde,” which

1Reprinted with additions from Modern Language Notes, xxxvii (1922), 65-76.

Translated from a pamphlet, Über die Aufgabe der Litteraturgeschichte, Strassburg, 1891, pp. 18-19.

appeared in 1590. The very closeness with which the dramatist follows his original, forces upon our attention the great value of his changes, even when they are but slight. At every turn, rejoicing over some small addition, some slight omission, or some minor change, we find ourselves saying with Browning:

Oh, the little more, and how much it is!

And the little less, and what worlds away!

Since a detailed comparison of the play and Lodge's story has been made by others,1 I shall call attention only to the larger features. In some cases I shall use only Shakespeare's names for the characters.

All the important lines of action in the play are taken from Lodge. The enmity between the Dukes, the quarrel between Orlando and Oliver, the love-affairs of Orlando and Rosalind, of Oliver and Celia, of Silvius and Phebe, are all borrowed.

Let us glance at a few striking differences between the source and the play. Shakespeare cuts off years of time at the outset of the story, beginning with the quarrel between Orlando and his brother. He presents a single, definite quarrel and its results, while in Lodge there are three outbreaks of hostility between the brothers, the first two being followed by feigned reconciliations. In Lodge, Rosader (Orlando), though the younger son, is his father's favorite, and receives a larger share of the property than either of his brothers. Shakespeare suppresses this partial

1 Delius, N. "Lodge's Rosalynde und Shakspere's As You Like It," Jahrbuch der deutschen Shakespeare-Gesellschaft, vI (1871), 226-49.

Stone, W. G. "Shakspere's As You Like It and Lodge's Rosalynde Compared," Transactions New Shakspere Soc., 1880-85, Part II, 277-93, 25*, 31*.

justification for the envy of Oliver. In Shakespeare, Duke Frederick and the banished Duke Senior are brothers. The corresponding characters in Lodge are nowhere said to be brothers, and we do not see how the intimacy between Rosalind and Alinda (Celia) was brought about.

In Lodge, the usurping King banishes Rosalynde, and then in a fit of anger because his daughter defends Rosalynde against his unjust accusations, banishes his daughter also. In Shakespeare, Celia's unselfish devotion to Rosalind and her voluntary decision to go into banishment with her cousin, are attractive elements in the story, and the search for the missing Celia is used to advance the plot. Because of a suspicion that Orlando has helped to spirit off the missing girls, a demand is made upon Oliver that he produce his brother. Thus Oliver finds his own fate bound up with that of Orlando.

Orlando decides for himself to wrestle with Charles. In Lodge, much less effectively, Saladyne (Oliver) suggests to his brother that he take part either in the tournament at court or in the wrestling match. The attempt of Rosalind and Celia to dissuade Orlando from the wrestling is new to Shakespeare. This shows them in a pleasing way, and gives a natural opportunity for Rosalind and Orlando to see something of each other. The new feature that Orlando's father when living was a warm friend of Rosalind's father, and that Duke Frederick is unfriendly to Orlando for this reason, makes Rosalind's kindness to the young wrestler natural and maidenly. She is somewhat bold at this point in Lodge's story.

The play shows good taste in giving Rosalind as Ganymede the rôle of brother to Aliena; in the story she is Aliena's page. In Lodge, Rosader (Orlando), when lost

in the forest of Arden, becomes faint and discouraged, but is cheered and roused up by the aged Adam. Shakespeare makes Orlando play the man throughout.

In the story, Rosader (Orlando) lets the banished girls wander off to Arden and makes no attempt to serve them. When he himself reaches Arden and meets Gerismond (Duke Senior), he informs that exiled monarch that his daughter and her dear friend Alinda (Celia) have been banished from court. This fact makes frankly incredible the failure afterward of both Rosader and Gerismond to recognize Rosalynde, The absence of recognition is difficult enough in the play, but at least Orlando and Duke Senior know nothing of the banishment of the girls, and never dream that they can be in Arden.

I shall not compare in detail the story and the play. Delius and Stone have done this with thoroughness and discrimination. My special purpose at this point is to ask whether any of Shakespeare's departures from Lodge's form of the story, or omissions of material there found, are of doubtful value or even unwise. This question has not been frankly considered. It is easier to endorse and praise the great dramatist. But Shakespeare does not greatly need our endorsement.

In Lodge, just after Rosader (Orlando) has read his elaborate poem describing the beauty of Rosalind, we have the following bright bit of fencing of which the play makes no use:

"Believe me," quoth Ganymede, "either the forester is an exquisite painter, or Rosalynde far above wonder; so it makes me blush to hear how women should be so excellent, and pages so unperfect."

Rosader beholding her earnestly, answered thus:

"Truly, gentle page, thou hast cause to complain thee wert thou

the substance, but resembling the shadow content thyself; for it is excellence enough to be like the excellence of nature."

"He hath answered you, Ganymede," quoth Aliena, "it is enough for pages to wait on beautiful ladies, and not to be beautiful themselves."

"O mistress," quoth Ganymede, "hold your peace, for you are partial. Who knows not but that all women have desire to tie sovereignty to their petticoats, and ascribe beauty to themselves, where, if boys might put on their garments, perhaps they would prove as comely; if not as comely, it may be more courteous." 1

Rosalynde-Ganymede plays with reality here in a fascinating way. It seems as if Shakespeare might well have borrowed some of this daring irony.

Having determined that everything in this play shall be "as you like it," Shakespeare cannot follow Lodge in making the usurping King meet death in battle, fighting to retain his ill-gotten dominion. Instead of this, the usurper in Shakespeare, coming at the head of a troop to put his good brother to the sword, meets "an old religious man," and "after some question with him" is converted "both from his enterprise and from the world." He becomes a religious recluse and bequeaths the crown "to his banished brother." There has been no adequate preparation for this easy solution. This turn of affairs is almost absurd, the high-water mark of extravagant romance in the entire play.

Does not Shakespeare make a decided mistake in dropping Adam out of the play as soon as Orlando and he are welcomed to the forest by Duke Senior? In Lodge, Adam rejoices at the later reconciliation between the estranged brothers Rosader and Saladyne (Orlando and Oliver), and his rejoicing would have added a pleasing element to the play. In the romance, Adam is also 1 Baldwin's ed. of Rosalynde, Ginn, pp. 56-57; Furness' ed. of As You Like It, pp. 348-49.