StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Brideshead Revisited and As You Like It by Shakespeare Analysis - Book Report/Review Example

Cite this document
Summary
This book review "Brideshead Revisited and As You Like It by Shakespeare Analysis" discusses two literary works, Brideshead Revisited and As You Like It that have significant similarities as well as differences. Both texts revolve around similar themes of love, and banishment, and homoeroticism…
Download free paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER91.1% of users find it useful
Brideshead Revisited and As You Like It by Shakespeare Analysis
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Brideshead Revisited and As You Like It by Shakespeare Analysis"

Compare Brideshead Revisited and As You Like it by Shakespeare. The pastoral comedy As You Like It by William Shakespeare and the novel Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh depict various similarities and differences prevalent in both texts. As You Like focuses on the nature of desire and love, while in Brideshead Revisited, Waugh struggles to explain and understand love as the novel explores various love kinds, from the sexual relationship and “romantic” love between male characters to the sibling relationships and stilted marriages. Consequently, both texts exhibit the theme of Religion whereby in Brideshead, Catholicism plays a vital role in expressing the Roman religion in literary form. Thus, the texts have similar themes of love, exile, religion, and homoeroticism, but Brideshead Revisited celebrate the failure of love while Shakespeare revels in love. The writing styles in both texts demonstrate a distinction between the two writers. As You Like is atypical of Shakespeare’s writing style where the characters indulge in problematic scenarios but with their own abilities find ways to resolve the problems they encounter. However, it is imperative to argue that Waugh’s characters adopt differing strategies for survival and succeed in resuming their individual lives. Even though the theme of love is prevalent in both texts, the play and the play present love at differing levels. As You Like It mocks the conventional literature and poetry associated with love whereby it is a disease that leads to torment and suffering to the lover, or portray the male lover as the slave of his mistress. As these ideas typify aspects of the courtly love custom of Shakespeare’s time, the play laments the suffering associated with love, but this is conducted in a ridiculous and unconvincing way. Love is a vital them in the play as it is manifested in story of Rosalind and Orlando, Ganymede and Phoebe, as well as Oliver and Celia. Consequently, the love story of Touchstone and Audrey tends to mock romantic love, while the relationship between Celia and Rosalind is a form of love tied by a deep bond. Shakespeare demonstrates the hypocrisy of “courtly” romance and elaborates the silliness of the male lover. The novel, Brideshead Revisited struggles in defining love as it demonstrates differing kinds of love including stilted marriages, and sexual relationship typifying men. Under the shades of love, the texts illustrate the theme of homoeroticism. Similar to numerous Shakespeare’s plays, As You Like It, focuses love on differing levels between individuals of the same sex. Even though, Rosalind and Celia seem close friends, their profound intimacy supersedes that of ordinary friends. In Act I, Celia’s words represent the protests of lovers. The play also depicts homoeroticism in Rosalind’s cross-dressing. Being confined and forced to live in a palace, Rosalind finds few chances to go out. Her close friend and cousin Celia is the sole reason behind her stay in the palace. When she is driven out of the palace, she chooses to dress up as a young boy in order to prevent herself from getting into danger. As a boy, she calls herself Ganymede. Thus, this is the first connotation of homosexuality. Consequently, in the Ganymede mythology, the name traditionally belongs to a beautiful boy who turns to Jove’s lover, and thus the name explicitly carries the connotation of homosexuality. Everyone from both sexes tends to love Ganymede, the boy who resembles a woman. Even though, the character Orlando should be in love with Rosalind, he enjoys the ideas of dramatizing his romance with Ganymede, the beautiful young boy. This demonstrates that the boy who resembles his lover is more pleasing than Rosalind. Phoebe is also pleased with the feminine Ganymede than Silvius. The pastoral tradition tends to influence homoerotism in the play as the culture incorporates aspects of the same-sex love. In Brideshead Revisited, the nature of friendship between characters is a topic a debate as the relationship between Sebastian and Charles portrays homoerotic implications. The reason Charles gives for falling in love with Sebastian’s sister is her close resemblance with her brother. The novel revels about the characters initial encounter, their eventual estrangement as well as blossoming friendship. Sexual connotations are prevalent in various ways. Charles makes overtly homosexual references in lines such as Charles was “in search of love in those days” when he encountered Sebastian. The line by one of the characters, “our naughtiness high on the catalogue of grave sins” might depict the nature of their relationship as typified by elements of homosexuality, because the act is a grave mistake in reference to the Catholic dogma. Consequently, reference is made in the manner in which Charles impatiently awaits letters from Sebastian. More often than not, Cara, Lord Marchmain’s mistress, refers to their relationship as a “romantic friendship.” Thus, both texts have homoerotic connotations, however, in the end the authors set the characters in the right direction as Rosalind marries Orlando and phoebe marries Salvius. In Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh demonstrates the death of love when Julia, under religious obligation, refuses to marry Charles. The themes of exile and banishment characterize both texts. As You Like It thrives in banishment as various characters have been threatened or forcibly removed from their residence. This includes Rosalind, Duke Senior, and Orlando. Some of them have voluntarily deserted their positions due to a sense of aptness including Adam, the noble servant and Celia. As Rosalind is forced to leave the palace, Orlando leaves his house because his brother persecutes him. It is then notable that the play winds up with a ceremony of four marriages that tends to unite individuals an ushers the couples into the society. The community at the end of Act V is the same that returns to the dukedom to be ruled and also exercise authority. Thus, the ceremony, which incorporates the poor and royalty, demonstrates a utopian society where a just world exists. Consequently, In Brideshead Revisited, Sebastian leaves the house in search of freedom while on the other hand Lord Marchmain has also abandoned his residence. Thus, the characters in both texts suffer the hardships of exile but the main difference is that Lord Marchmain and Sebastian suffer from self-induced exile. Religion is a vital them in Brideshead Revisited as Waugh attempts to explore various elements of Catholicism. From pre-wedding to dinner-date conversations, religious aspects dominate the novel. In one way, the characters tend to struggle with religion, including the atheist protagonist. The single-most concept that individuals in the novel tend to agree with is that being holy entails suffering. In reference to the principal, the religious characters decide to suffer in order to be closer to the Supreme Being. According to the authors, his intent was for every individual to accept and define divine grace in their own way. Through the nonbeliever Charles Ryder, the readers meet the deeply but severely flawed Catholic family of Marchmain. The themes of reconciliation and divine grace are prevalent throughout the story as many of the characters experience a conversion in differing ways. For instance, Lord Marchmain, who converted to Catholicism form Anglicanism, lived in adultery, reconciled with the Catholic Church before his death. Julia who marries Rex Mottram, a matrimony that is regarded invalid with the church, while she is also involved with Charles in an extramarital affair. She later comes to view her relationship with Charles as immoral and decides to part with him despite the attachment they shared. The flamboyant alcoholic, Sebastian, ends up in a monastery as he fights with his alcohol problem. The most significance conversion in the book revolves around the protagonist, Charles, which is demonstrated cunningly at the end of the novel, when he kneels down at Brideshead chapel’s tabernacle to pray. Although As You Like It does not include spiritual conversations similar to Brideshead Revisited, the Christian designation fails to entail the religion itself, instead it signifies the regeneration and restoration of the society through the declaration of various values of the Christian doctrine. These Christian values include marital love, tolerance for differing perspectives or viewpoints, optimism about life and brotherly love. Despite the injustice shown to individuals throughout the story, the play ends in happiness. The play focuses on the theme of injustice and usurpation on other individual’s property. Duke Frederick seizes the authority of Duke Senior, his older brother, while Oliver does the same by mistreating Orlando by forcing him to seek his fortunes in another place. Both Orlando and Duke Senior seek asylum in the forest, where through nature justice is restored. However, reconciliation and forgiveness form an imperative part of the ending in relation to Christian values, as a Hermit converts Duke Frederick and restores dukedom to the older brother, Duke Senior. Conversely, Oliver undergoes a transformation as he learns to love his brother, Orlando. Hence, it is imperative to argue that the two literary works, Brideshead Revisited and As You Like It have significant similarities as well as differences. Both texts revolve around similar themes of love, religion, exile and banishment, and homoeroticism. Even though both writers were distinguished by their own writing styles that enable their characters to resolve the problems they encounter. Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Compare Brideshead Revisited and As you like it by Shakespeare Book Report/Review”, n.d.)
Compare Brideshead Revisited and As you like it by Shakespeare Book Report/Review. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/literature/1688295-compare-brideshead-revisited-and-as-you-like-it-by-shakespeare
(Compare Brideshead Revisited and As You Like It by Shakespeare Book Report/Review)
Compare Brideshead Revisited and As You Like It by Shakespeare Book Report/Review. https://studentshare.org/literature/1688295-compare-brideshead-revisited-and-as-you-like-it-by-shakespeare.
“Compare Brideshead Revisited and As You Like It by Shakespeare Book Report/Review”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/literature/1688295-compare-brideshead-revisited-and-as-you-like-it-by-shakespeare.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Brideshead Revisited and As You Like It by Shakespeare Analysis

England's National Poet: W.Shakespeare

In the turn of the century he wrote romantic comedies such as “Much Ado About Nothing” and “as you like it, Twelfth Night.... Biography of William shakespeare 1 2.... Contribution and Influence 3 References 6 William shakespeare: England's National Poet 1.... Biography of William shakespeare Mary Arden gave birth to William shakespeare on April 1564 in Stratford-on-Avon.... William shakespeare grew up in a prominent family....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Luhrmann's William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet Being a Major Departure from Shakespeare's Original Work

[Name] [Professor] [Class/Course] [Date] Luhrmann's “William shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet”, being a major departure from shakespeare's original work, marked the start of the teen shakespeare trend.... Writer/Director Baz Luhrmann's 1996 ‘William shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet' which stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes is a captivating modernized version of the most romantic tragedy written in the 16th century.... Luhrmann's work is a major departure from shakespeare's original; however, it marked the start of the teen shakespeare trend and heralded the most daring approaches to the renaissance with the infusion of hip-hop language, music-video scenes, and hooligan violence....
4 Pages (1000 words) Movie Review

Shakespeares: As you like it

This essay "Shakespeare's as you like it' provides an analysis of some of the settings and symbolisms used in this play, so as provide an understanding of how stylistic devices are used in writing plays.... as you like it is one of Shakespeare's earlier works that was first published between 1598 and 1599.... In addition, there was also a 'Forest of Aden' near Shakespeare's home town of Warwickshire, and this might have also facilitated the audience to liken the forest in as you like it with good old England....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Analysis of Shakespeares Sonnet 29

This ability to emerge from difficulties for the lover has been seen by some as a reference to the difficulties that were encountered by shakespeare during the days when the theatres of London had shut down due to the plague (Mabillard).... analysis of Shakespeare's Sonnet 29 Your Name Student Number Course Number Due Date analysis of Shakespeare's Sonnet 29 William Shakespeare's Sonnet 29 is one of the most analyzed and famous of his poems.... Such biographical interpretations only serve to localize the focus of the analysis, thus reducing the depth of the analysis....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

To the Lighthouse and Brideshead Revisited

Name and Number of the Course Date To the Lighthouse and brideshead revisited Introduction To the Lighthouse is Virginia Woolf's fifth novel first published in 1927.... The novel brideshead revisited traces the struggles of an upper class Catholic family, the Marchmains, who attempt to “overcome personal weaknesses and social challenges” (O'Neil 1599), to achieve a transcendent meaning to their lives in the end.... Thesis Statement: The purpose of this paper is to determine how Virginia Woolf's To the Lighthouse and Evelyn Waugh's brideshead revisited engage the relationship between time and place, particularly due to its impact on the individual's sense of identity and belonging....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

William Shakespeare: A Question of Authorship

Name: Tutor: Course: Date: William Shakespeare: A Question of Authorship Many scholars believe that Shakespeare's plays and poems are not written by shakespeare himself; rather someone else has written and published those unparallel popular literary works in Shakespeare's name.... Standing on this ground, the anti-Stratfordians claim that the intellect that commonly depict the commoners as unruly mobs cannot be nourished by shakespeare's background, as Seletesky et al notes, “The work attributed to Shakespeare shows a knowledge of geography, foreign lanugage, politics, and an immense vocabulary that many find inconsistent with what's known about about Shakespeare's education....
5 Pages (1250 words) Research Paper

Shakespeare's life

The following essay dwells upon the description of William shakespeare's life.... It is mentioned in the text that William shakespeare was an important cultural person contributed a lot to the Great Britain literature and theatric professional.... The author of the text aims to examine the life path of William shakespeare.... According to the essay, shakespeare 's life path was marked by his professional skills in the playwriting and composing of the complicated poetry pieces like sonnets, etc....
6 Pages (1500 words) Research Paper

Comparison of Brideshead Revisited and As You Like It

This book review "Comparison of brideshead revisited and as you like it" presents bridges between these two literary creations.... 'as you like it' by William Shakespeare is a pastoral comedy.... Both the texts have the themes of love and exile in common but 'Brideshead Revisited' celebrates the death of love while love finds its way to the union in 'as you like it.... 'as you like it' was published in 1623(written in 1599 or 1600) and 'Brideshead Revisited' was published in 1944....
7 Pages (1750 words) Book Report/Review
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us