Shakespeare’s Use of Wit and Humor in As You Like It.

Answer

Comment on Shakespeare’s use of wit and humor in “As You Like It”.

Or, bring out comic elements in “As You Like It.”

“As You Like It” (1623) is one of Shakespeare’s (1564-1616) most celebrated tragi-comedies. The play is full of wit and humor. Shakespeare uses clever dialogues and funny situations to entertain us. The humor is both simple and deep. It comes from the characters, their words, and their actions. Here are ways Shakespeare adds humor and cleverness to this play:

Wordplay (Linguistic Cleverness) and Wit: One of the key sources of humor in “As You Like It” is Shakespeare’s clever use of wordplay and wit. Characters like Rosalind, Touchstone, and Jaques are masters of language. Rosalind, in particular, is known for her sharp and playful wit. She enjoys teasing others, especially Orlando when she is disguised as Ganymede. Rosalind playfully mocks Orlando’s love for her by saying,

“Men have died from time to time, and worms have eaten them, but not for love.”

This humorous remark is Rosalind’s way of showing love. Touchstone, the fool, also brings a lot of humor through his clever jokes and observations. Again, Jaques makes this humorous remark to Orlando:

“By my troth, I was seeking for a fool when I found you.”

False Identities and Disguises: Another comic element in the play comes from false identities and disguises. Rosalind’s disguise as Ganymede creates several funny situations. Disguised as a man, she interacts with Orlando. This leads to many playful moments as Rosalind, pretending to be a man, teaches Orlando how to woo her. The disguise also creates a humorous situation with Phoebe, who falls in love with Ganymede, not knowing it is Rosalind in disguise. Rosalind humorously warns Phoebe,

“I pray you, do not fall in love with me.”

Foolishness of Love: Shakespeare often uses humor to highlight the foolishness of love. The characters in “As You Like It” fall in and out of love quickly and sometimes for silly