Thursday, September 8, 2011

Antagonist

           An antagonist is a "person who is opposed to, struggles against, or competes with another." (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/antagonist) Jaques as an antagonist is an interesting idea because there are who of them. However, Jaques of the court is a very good candidate for antagonist because he is the opposite of everyone in the plat. Jaques's actions and comments all contradict those of the other characters in the play.
            Jaques's melancholy actions and comments often show the opposite of those around him whoa re all in love or happy with their life at the current time.
                    "Jaques: What statues is she of?
                     Orlando: Just as high as my heart.
                     Jaques: You are full of pretty answers. Have you not been acquainted with goldsmiths' wives, and conned them out of rings?
                     ...
                     Jaques: I'll tarry no longer with you. Farewell, good Signior Love.
                     Orlando: I am glad of your departure. Adieu, good Monsieur Melancholy." (Act 3 Scene 2, Lines 249-253 and 270-273)

His mocking of love shows the ridiculousness of both sides; that the love at first sight attitude is extreme as is the complete rejection of love. In the discussion with the producers Dominic Cooke and Michael Boyd, Dominic Cooke thinks that "Jaques is the cynic who was once the lover. He was once the Orlando figure, and that;s why he despises Orlando so much: because Orlando represents something that he has crushed within himself-- the loving, open-hearted, vulnerable young man who will, in Jaques' eyes, inevitably get hurt."(As You Like It, In performance: The RSC and Beyond) I think that with the limited knowledge of Jaques background this could very well be true after seeing his actions around people in love or those who are joyous.
            Jaques's actions that are not relating to those character in love also portray Jaques's opposite reactions to things compared to the others around him.
                     "First Lord: ...His weeping into the needless stream;
                                      'poor deer,' quoth he,'thous mak'st a testament
                                      As worldlings do, giving thy sum of more
To that which had too much.'"  (Act 2 Scene 1, Lines 21 and 37-44)
  Jaques's reaction to the deer displays him as the opposite to every body  because they all see it as necessary to survive in the forest in which they have been banished while Jaques is sad and depressed about the loss of life in the deer.       

1 comment:

  1. Your reference to the interview is a good one, but what evidence does Shakespeare supply that might support the notion? What is the difference between a foil and an antagonist? Does one fit better than the other? Ms. M

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