Analysis of the Portrayal of the Female Protagonist in William Shakespeare’s As You Like It.

ABSTRACT

Dalam Tugas Akhir ini saya menganalisis elemen penokohan dari tokoh
utama wanita dalam drama karya William Shakespeare yang berjudul As You Like
It. Di dalam drama ini, saya menemukan bahwa tokoh utamanya, yaitu Rosalind,
memiliki beberapa karakteristik yang membuat drama komedi ini menjadi lebih
menarik dan menghibur. Rosalind digambarkan sebagai seorang wanita cantik
yang pintar (smart), berbicara secara terang-terangan (outspoken), persuasif
(persuasive) dan mandiri (independent). Dengan idenya yang cerdas untuk
merubah penampilannya sebagai pria, gaya bicaranya yang terang-terangan dan
caranya untuk membuat orang lain mempercayainya, membuat drama ini berhasil
untuk menghibur penontonnya. Saya menemukan bahwa karakteristik yang
dimiliki oleh Rosalind ini termasuk unik mengingat bahwa drama ini ditulis pada
zaman Shakespeare, ketika wanita dianggap lebih rendah dari pria. Tetapi karakter
Rosalind dalam drama ini menunjukkan bahwa seorang wanita juga dapat
memberikan pengaruh yang besar bagi lingkungannya dan mampu untuk
mengontrol kehidupannya sendiri. Oleh sebab itu, karakteristik wanita seperti ini
muncul dalam drama komedi untuk menghindari kontroversi dalam masyarakat
patriarki. Masyarakat pada zaman itu hanya akan menganggap karakteristik
seorang wanita seperti ini sebagai hal yang lucu karena berbeda dengan keadaan
pada zaman tersebut. Melalui penokohan Rosalind, drama komedi ini menjadi

lebih hidup dan menarik.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS....................................................................................i
ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................... ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS..................................................................................... iii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study ......................................................................................1
Statement of the Problem .....................................................................................3
Purpose of the Study.............................................................................................3
Method of Research ..............................................................................................4
Organization of the Thesis....................................................................................4
CHAPTER TWO: ANALYSIS OF THE PORTRAYAL OF THE FEMALE
PROTAGONIST IN WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S AS YOU LIKE
IT ..................................................................................................................5
CHAPTER THREE: CONCLUSION ................................................................18
BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................21

APPENDICES:
Synopsis of As You Like It ..................................................................................23
Biography of William Shakespeare ....................................................................24

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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of Study
In this thesis, I analyse As You Like It, a comedy by William Shakespeare,
a renowned English playwright and poet whose works are considered to be the
greatest works in history of English literature (“William Shakespeare”). He was
also an official playwright to King James I, the King of England at that time.
Shakespeare also made such an important contribution to the world of literature as
he had
. . . an influence on a large number of writers in succeeding
centuries, including Herman Melville, Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy,

and William Faulkner. Shakespearean quotations appear throughout
Dickens' writings and many of Dickens' titles are drawn from Shakespeare.
Melville frequently used Shakespearean devices, including formal stage
directions and extended soliloquies, in Moby Dick. . . . (“Shakespeare’s
Influence”)
Shakespeare also made an important contribution to the English language
because he coined many English words and phrases. Shakespeare invented over

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1700 of our common words by changing nouns into verbs, changing verbs into
adjectives, connecting words never before used together, adding prefixes and
suffixes, and devising words wholly original. Some examples of words coined by
Shakespeare are accused, birthplace, courtship, countless, torture, laughable
(Mabillard). Examples of phrases that Shakespeare coined are “All of a sudden,
For ever and a day, Good riddance, Hot-blooded, In the twinkling of an eye, Love
is blind” (“Phrases Coined by William Shakespeare”).
As You Like It is one of Shakespeare’s greatest comedies. The female
protagonist, Rosalind, has a double role, as Rosalind herself and as a young man

named Ganymede. Other comedies by Shakespeare include Much Ado About
Nothing (1623), The Winter’s Tale (1623), Merchant of Venice (1600). I have
chosen this play because I am interested in the unique portrayal of Rosalind. As
You Like It remains one of the most frequently performed comedies. It is stated in
a website article in Hudson Shakespeare Company that “Considered one of
Shakespeare's mature comedies, As You Like It, has remained extremely popular
with modern audiences and is one of the most frequently produced works” (“As
You Like It”).
When reading As You Like It, I found that the most prominent aspect is the
portrayal of the female character, Rosalind. The definition of character and
characterization are: “Character - representation of a person, place, or thing
performing traditionally human activities or functions in a work of fiction. . . .
Characterization - The choices an author makes to reveal a character’s personality,
such as appearance, actions, dialogue, and motivations” (“Literary analysis: Using
Element of Literature”). While characteristic is “a special quality or trait that

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makes a person, thing, or group different from others” (“characteristic”). I have

chosen to analyse the portrayal of the female protagonist as the subject of my
thesis, as Barton, an American-English scholar and Shakespearean critic, argues
that “Rosalind is extraordinarily important in As You Like It, as central and
dominating figure in her fashion . . ." ("Rosalind (Ganymede) in As You Like
It").
In analysing the portrayal of the female protagonist, I use formalism
approach because all the information that I need to analyse this subject can be
found in the play. Formalist Criticism is an approach which regards literature as a
unique form of human knowledge that needs to be examined on its own terms. All
the elements necessary for understanding the work are contained within the work
itself, which means all the elements can be found within the text. A primary goal
for formalist critics is to determine how such elements work together with the
text’s content to shape its effects upon readers (“Critical Approaches to
Literature”).

Statement of the Problem
The problems I am going to discuss are:
1. How is the female protagonist portrayed in the play?
2. What is the purpose of the author in portraying such a character?


Purpose of the Study
The purposes of the study are:
1. To show how the female protagonist is portrayed
2. To show the purpose of the author in portraying such a character

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Method of research
I am using library research for my thesis. First, I read the play. After
reading the play, I search and collect a number of references from books and
internet websites to support my analysis. Lastly, I draw a conclusion.

Organization of the Thesis
This thesis is divided into three parts, preceded by the Acknowledgments,
the Abstract and the Table of Contents. Chapter One is the Introduction, which
consists of the Background of the Study, the Statement of the Problem, the
Purpose of the Study, the Method of Research and the Organization of the Thesis.
Chapter Two is The Analysis of the Portrayal of the Female Protagonist in
William Shakespeare’s As You Like It. Chapter Three is the Conclusion. The

thesis ends with Bibliography and Appendices, which contain the Synopsis of
Shakespeare’s As You Like It and the Biography of William Shakespeare.

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CHAPTER THREE

CONCLUSION

After analysing the portrayal of the female protagonist of Shakespeare’s
As You Like It, I conclude that Rosalind is portrayed as a smart young woman who
knows how to deal with her situation. She has an ability to take control over her
own life as she resourcefully uses her trip to the Forest of Arden and gets what she
wants. She knows how to take opportunities as she is able to make people fooled
by her false appearance and she is able to make her plan work out perfectly. Her
smartness makes her more attractive and her smart idea to disguise herself as a
young man is brilliant and becomes the play’s main interest.
Besides being smart, she is portrayed as an outspoken person. She
expresses her opinions to other people in a free and honest way, even though it

may be unpleasant for those whom she criticizes. However, those traits make her
unique. She does not speak to please people around her. When she speaks out her
mind, she just wants to be honest about what she considers right, for example,
when she speaks about Phoebe and Silvius. Her outspoken comments somehow
make her dialogue with people become intriguing and funny for the audience or
the readers. Moreover, it also opens up people’s way of thinking.
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Rosalind is also portrayed as a persuasive person as she is able to persuade
people to do or believe what she says. Becoming such a persuasive person is part
of her smartness. Because she is smart enough to plan something, she certainly
knows that things will happen according to her plan. Thus, it is easier for her to
persuade people since she is the one who controls the situation, for instance, when
she (as Ganymede) persuades Orlando that he will marry Rosalind. Her smart
speeches and ideas also make her become more persuasive. Even though not all
her words are necessarily true, people believe her and her unique traits also make
this play become comical.
The last characteristic that I find in Rosalind is independent. Throughout
the play, we can see that Rosalind is an independent person because she is able to

decide on her own what she will do, where she wants to go and with whom she
wants to be. In other words, she is free from outside control. She is able to take
control of her own life and chooses her own destiny. Such an independent and
smart woman like Rosalind may not have an opportunity to stand out during
Shakespeare’s time, considering that women in that era had very limited freedom
of expression compared to men. It is therefore such a character like Rosalind
appears only in Shakespeare’s comedy, in order to avoid controversy within a
patriarchal society. As a comedy, the audience at that time will considered her
manners funny but at the same time it will make them realised that it is possible
for a woman to be as independent as Rosalind.
I find that all the four characteristics of Rosalind support her to be a great
influence to people around her. All her qualities enable her to control her own life
and help her to get what she wants. Through Rosalind’s characteristics,

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Shakespeare makes this play become funny and interesting. In addition, in
Shakespeare’s time, it is considered as a funny thing for a woman to have traits
like Rosalind. It is obvious that through such a character like Rosalind,

Shakespeare wants to make his audience laugh. Moreover, as this is a comedy
play, it has to be funny in order to entertain the audience. However, through
Rosalind’s characteristics, we can see that a woman is able to give a huge
influence to her surroundings. But Shakespeare made a character like this in a
comedy play to avoid the controversy within patriarchal society. That is why such
a character like Rosalind appears in Shakespeare’s comedy.
In conclusion, I think Shakespeare succeeds to entertain his audience in
this play through the character like Rosalind and he also succeeds to deliver the
message that women are capable of controlling their own lives and they cannot be
underestimated. Rosalind’s smartness to disguise herself as a young man, her
outspoken nature, the way she persuades people and her independence which
considered funny at that time, make this play become entertaining and able to
open up people’s mind at that time about women. In my opinion, this comedy play
is worth analysing.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY


Primary Text
Shakespeare, William. As You Like It. Ed. John Crowther. New York: Spark
Notes, 2004. Print.

References
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“Characteristic.” Merriam-Webster. 2015. Web. 23 Apr. 2015.
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Apr. 2015.
"Globe Theatre Female Roles." Globe Theatre. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May. 2016.
“Independent.” Oxford Dictionaries. 2015. Web. 4 Dec. 2015.
"Literary Analysis: Using Elements of Literature." Roane State Community
College. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Aug. 2015.
Mabillard, Amanda. Words Shakespeare Invented : Shakespeare Online. 20 Aug.
2000. Web. 26 Aug. 2015.
“More information about: William Shakespeare.” BBC. 2015. Web. 16 Apr.
2015.
“Outspoken.” Merriam-Webster. 2015. Web. 2 Dec. 2015.

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"Persuasive" Oxford Dictionaries. 2016. Web. 16 May. 2016.
"Phrases Coined by William Shakespeare." The Meanings and Origins of English
Phrases, Sayings and Proverbs. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Aug. 2015.
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“Shakespeare Biography.” Absolute SHAKESPEARE. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr.
2015.
"Shakespeare's Influence." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia
Foundation, Inc, n.d. Web. 19 May. 2016.
“Smart.” Oxford Dictionaries. 2016. Web. 3 Mar. 2016.
Smith, Tom. Cliffs Notes on Shakespeare’s As You Like It. Lincoln: Cliffs Notes,
Inc. 1981. Print.
“Static Character.” dictionary.reference.com. 2015. Web. 21 Aug. 2015.
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