Dwight H. Inge
In ACT II, iv & v, the shepherds Corin and Silvius will be introduced: Corin, an old, kind shepherd: Silvius, a shepherd who is in love with Phoebe. Students will be assigned parts and will be coached on the presentation of the lines in order to convey accurate meanings.
Students will discuss “love.” Silvius says, in ACT II,iv,1.34, “If thou rememb’rest not the slightest folly/That ever love did make thee run into,/Thou hast not lov’d:”
Vocabulary words:
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1. folly
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2. succour
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3. churlish
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4. melancholy
Students will be made aware that Celia and Rosalind have attempted to purchase a farm to set up residence in the forest regions.
Students will read ACT II,vi silently, and will decipher the information that Orlando presents to Adam. Here Orlando is going to seek food and asks Adam to hold on to life until he returns.
From reading ACT II,vi & vii, students will discuss the role of the fool or clown (Touchstone):
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1. What is his purpose?
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2. Why are fools allowed to say whatever they want?
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3. Is this fool intelligent?
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4. What is the fool trying to say about time?
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5. Compare the professional fools (comedians) of today with inner-city environmental elements such as loquacious alcoholics, the mentally disturbed, drug abusers, etc.
Students will discuss Orlando’s behavior when he confronts the duke when dining. For homework students will write an analysis of the following speech by Jaques: ACT II,vii,11.141-161
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All the world’s a stage,
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And all the men and women merely players:
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They have their exits and their entrances;
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And one man in his time plays many, parts,
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His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,
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Mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms.
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And then the shining school-boy, with his stachel
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And shining morning face, creeping like snail
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Unwillingly to school. And then the lover
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Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
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Made to his mistress’ eyebrow. Then a soldier,
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Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard,
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Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,
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____
etc., etc.
Students should be aware that man goes through different stages of life. Certain changes are inevitable, within and without. Discussion on how to deal with certain unwanted but inevitable changes, e.g., aging and death in the immediate family, i.e., parent or sibling. Also, discussion of sterotypes of different stages, e.g., all teenagers are careless and disrespectful: all old people are bad drivers. Discuss the whole idea of identifying ’‘age.‘’