Critical Essay on As You Like It: A Forest of Comedy & Conflict

Introduction

As You Like It was one of the best comedies of its time, it is a pastoral play. The setting of the lay is based on a French duchy; however, most of the scenes take place in a forest of Arden. This forest serves as a place of exile for some of the characters who then find a home in this place and continues to evolve under new territory without any restrictions as it was in the courts. The play is driven by the two major plots: the conflict between two brothers; Oliver and Orlando. Oliver, the eldest's brother to Orlando plots to kill his brother, this scene opens up Orlando's mind, and he realizes about the attitude of his bother more he knew. Orlando, therefore, is one of the main characters in the play that this paper will focus on. Orlando is self-determined, and a fictional character and one of the male leads throughout the paly. He is young the younger son of Rowland de Boys. He is modest, brave, chivalrous, strong and handsome. Throughout the play Orlando resents severe treatment from his brother Oliver before they reconcile towards the end of the play. As result of this treatment, Orlando evolves differently from another male character in the play. The negative attitude and harsh treat that he receives from his brother offers a new beginning in his life. he realizes his strengths and usefulness of his bravery. In some cases, Orlando feels downhearted as he tries to overcome threats and challenges posed by his brother; he even thinks that Oliver is keeping like domesticated animals. Nevertheless, as Oliver evolves into being here of his own, he is hard on expressing his feelings on Rosalind. He falls in love with Rosalind before is leaves for the forest. However, it becomes his luck when Rosalind is banished into the forest where they meet and gets married to Rosalind. This paper, therefore, analyses evolvement of Orlando through the play.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Quotations

1. Orlando's first speech express his feelings to his brother Oliver, his brother, who refuses to give supports forms education. Orlando compares himself with his. However, Oliver treats him like livestock. He asks his brother if he should be keeping animals and eat husks. However, Oliver replies with negativity and hate, and he even calls him a little boy. Oliver asks Charles to ensure that Orlando is wounded during the wrestling match and Charles promises to harm Orlando that he can never walk. Orlando later meets with Rosalind at the rustling march, and she asks him if he had challenged Charles. They both address each other him informally or in an impolite despite sharing a common back round of noble class. Orlando expresses his hopes of winning the match and Rosalind praises and wishes him good luck. Duke Fredrick enters and attempts to dissuade Orlando from another victim of Charles, the wrestler with great skill (Shakespeare William, Pamela Brown, and Jean Howard, 14)

2. As Orlando arrives, Adam tells him that Oliver is planning for his assassination and therefore he should leave for a hideout immediately. Adam addresses Orlando as his younger, gentle, and sweet master, a reflection of his father, Sir Rowland. He asks why Orlando is being loved by many. Adam praises Orlando for being strong and vigilant. Adam and Orlando agree to pack their things and depart to the forest of Ardennes. Adam promises to follow him until the last gasp with loyalty and truth. Adam feels tired as they arrive at the forest, he announces that he cannot walk any longer. Orlando leaves and goes search for food where he meets with Duke senior. Orlando asks Duke senor not eat the meat from the woods, and he politely asks Duke to stop eating the flesh. In reply, the Duke asks him to join them because hunting was the only means of survival. He then rushes to fetch Adam. He is forced to carry him on the back. Orlando gives thanks to the Duke (Shakespeare William, Pamela Brown, and Jean Howard, 17)

3. Orlando writes a poem in the forest about Rosalind. He wrote about his love and a queen who has been crowned thrice at night who has a chaste eye with a sphere above it. He speaks of Rosalind, telling her that the trees in the woods shall be his books and his thoughts shall be grounded on their barks. His virtue shall be seen everywhere in the forest. He asks himself to and curves all the woods. Rosalind comes across some of his writings and understands s feelings. Touchstone who also finds the writings crises the style of the poem while Rosalind embraces Orlando's work. As Rosalind arrives with Cilia in the forest they meet with Orlando. Rosalind promises Orlando to provide cure for his love. Oliver is ordered to go search for his bother where they met in the forests. Oliver arrives with blood on his handkerchief scaring the rest. Orlando in response saves his bother by telling that Oliver was sleeping the time he met and a snake was about to get into his when he scared it off. In the process a lion emerged, and Orlando killed, and he was wounded. Oliver reconciles with him as he realizes that he is good (Shakespeare William, Pamela Brown, and Jean Howard, 25)

Orlando became a man from his offer and determination. He goes through many challenges as Oliver, and his elder brother denies honoring wishes of his father. at the beginning of the play, where Oliver is criticizing his father based on Orlando's requirements. Oliver treats him harshly, and Orlando complains about this treatment. Oliver denies to give him anything to inherit not an even poultry. The hardship and unfair treatment, however, act as a source of strength, every time he overcomes a problem gives him straight to develop and live in this environment. His brother so much hates Orlando, and he hangs with their family servant- Adam who always addresses him as his young master (Goldstein, 16). He complains that Oliver should be taking care of him, and make sure he goes to school but instead his brother treats him to the worst situation. Orlando's development is grounded from his father's instincts. He resembles his father from; he feels the spirits that help him to rebel against Oliver. In the first scene of the play, Orlando sounds like a teenager who is trouble, he withstands his brother's bully, accepts to fight in a wrestling match with a champion wrestler. He runs away to the forest and adopts the life of the woods. As it always the cases for his, things are complicated.

The first time Orlando appears in the play, he looks fired up and announces that he is prepared to mutiny against Oliver. Orlando is so angry about his brother who denies him what is rightfully his. Not only that Orlando is denied his inheritance, but Oliver also fails to take his responsibility to take care of him. Orlando vents his frustration and accepts a challenge that his brother Oliver arraigned (Goldstein, 18). Miraculously, Orlando wins the match, and this is because he is determined to prove his brother wrong and that he can do it. All these experience gives him to realize he is and how much he achieves no matter the challenged. Orlando grows as a young man from a noble family, but surprisingly his brother subjects him into a class of peasants by securing all of his father's wealth. The fists acts introduce us to Orlando challenges and straights, which gives him rise to be a man on his own. At the beginning of the wrestling session, Rosalind approaches Orlando, at he is in love with her but he cannot expirees. Once he meets with her falls in love, and he responds to this situation by being romantic and dramatic. He has come to challenge the champion of wrestling- the court wrestler, in this match he is seen as an underdog. Rosalind and Celia plead to him not to have his head crashed. Based on other characters, Orlando evolves in an environment where he is loved by many despite his brother's hatred. Orlando gives thank s to Rosalind and Celia, but in particular the addresses Rosalind, he thinks that she is hot. He leaves as he announces that he has something for her. From this scene, Orlando falls in love with Rosalind, but he is unable to tell.

After the wrestling match, Orlando meets with Adam on his way home and informs him that Oliver has the plot to assassinate him. He has a plan of burning Orlando in his bed once he gets home. They both agree to leave for the forest of Arden. Adam decides to use his life savings to flee to the forest to safe Orlando from Oliver's plat, and he appreciates Adam from being loyal and kind (Lao, Jessica, 19). From this scene, we see how much his servant family loves Orlando, lovely friends surround him. They run off to the forest where they meet with Duke Senior who had been banished into exile (forest of Arena). Orlando also gets into a new environment where he is welcomed with the food of the woods. In the beginning, as he approached the Duke, Orlando threatens to kill them is they fail to give food which he and Adam were severely in need. He runs to get Adam to get his servant, now a friend after the session of threats. He goes to find him the same way doe goes for her fawn. He then joins the merry of men of the woods. This steps of life which Orlando goes through are builds his life skills and courage to continue living. He forgets about his noble family and the inheritance he needs and runs for his life with the help of Adam.

The food in the forest tests sweet and yummy; this becomes a new beginning for his life. He begins to fill the forest will romantic poems to Rosalind whom he never stopped thinking about. Orlando and Jaques discuss how they both dislike each other (Dua, 20). Jaques then invites him to rail in resistance to fortune just for showtime and engage in a whining meeting about their misery. Orlando, in reply, refuses to utter ill of any other person but himself. Here we see him as na upstanding person with great respect and reputation. Rosalind later finds Orlando's poems which he wrote about her, considering the love he had for him, Rosalind begins to build hopes on him.

Orlando thinks that he cannot be cured of the feelings he had concerning love, but Rosalind agrees to provide him with the cure. This moment was a big step for Orlando, for the fairs time, they were so close to getting to understand each other. They both fall express their love for each other, and Orlando decides to woo Rosalind. Oliver is asked to go lock for his brother in woods which he reluctantly agrees to do. Orlando meets with Oliver in the forest. While Oliver was in danger of lioness, he is faced with a dilemma of whether to rescue his evil brother before he gets killed (Shakespeare William, Pamela Brown, and Jean Howard, 21)" Orlando considerably acted by his moral standards and rescue. This moment also made a mark for their relationship. Oliver realizes the truth about his brother; his safe gave them a new beginning. They reconciled, and Oliver compares their relationship with the narrative of the two girls, he falls in love with Celia while Orlando had fallen in love with Rosalind and they get married. Orlando's development throughout the story involves many heroic events. He is strand, determined, and morally behaved. His life evolved from a troubled teenager to a here and a lover.

Works Cited

Dua, K. (Ed.). (2019). AS YOU LIKE IT BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE. PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd.

Goldstein, D. B. (2018). 10: Culinary Skepticism in As You Like It and Montaigne's "Of Experience." Of Levinas and Shakespeare:" To See Another Thus," 237.

Lao, Jessica C. "The Wordsmith As Worldsmith in Shakespeare's As You Like It." Toyon Literary Magazine 65.1 (2019): 19.

Shakespeare, W., In Brown, P. A., & In Howard, J. E. (2014). As you like it: Texts and contexts.