As you like it -Shakespeare

As you like it -Shakespeare

1. Country

   • harsh conditions are more preferable here than the pompous court life
   • Honest
   • The reference to Robin Hood- "there they live like the old robin hood in England" - with his merry man and support
   • Positive depiction
   • suggestion of healing properties - when the evil people(duke senior and followers) enter, they have a change of heart-even Oliver
   • Exiled--Duke Senior,Jacques, Amiens, Lords
   • Forest of Arden
   • Love found
   • phebe, Silvius, Audrey, Corin, William
   • Liberty
   • Play ends on a happy note
   • Singing and Dancing
   • Freedom self discovery -
   • The people go back to court after
   • Free, Spontaneous
   • Hunger/ bitter cold
   • A romantic setting with many falling in love - Orlando carving Rosalind's name into the trees
   • Restores and Redeems
   • People can discover their true feelings
   • Lit charts- time and conduct are relaxed.
   • Touchstone (from court) +Audrey (from Country)- the contrast between the two.
   • Jacques(the exception), - moody, stuff he says is sill, foolish, it almost seems like he doesn't want to change his ways from the court
   • The Change of state of Orlando, almost becomes feminine, like a mother figure to Adam, the gender roles could be seen to be challenged/ attacked here, The lion which attacks his is female.
   • Duke Fredrick goes to the country and changes his ways (to lead a different life), leaving the court for Rosalind, Celia, Touchstone etc to go back and improve the behaviour

2. Court

   • "painted pomp.. the envious court"- Duke Senior
   • Negative depiction
   • Rosalind, Celia, Touchstone, Duke Fredrick, Charles,oliver, orlando , adam
   • wiki- the perils of arbitrary injustice and even death
   • corruption, family treachery (Orlando and Oliver)
   • Act One, introduces Discord.
   • Act One- orlando and oliver's relationship is tense- no sense of brotherly love.
   • Duke Senior exiled by his brother, (loss of family composition)
   • Celia and Rosalind, almost don't fit into the criteria of the Court, they are happy. But they have to escape from the Anxiety. Their feminine attitudes
   • The female characters (Rosalind and Celia) are closer than the male characters- who are actually blood related. It seems comical because it seems like the conflict between the men are the due to power and high status, and the woman have more common sense and can see past the strength. Shakespeare could be playing the females to be delicate and innocent.

3. Shakespeare decides that you may need a bit of country and court inside you-e.g. Duke Senior

4. After the implications of Court and a better Court(although not perfect). As a Conclusion of the play, the liberating attitudes of the Country , Shakespeare has allowed his fourth wall to be broken down, auch that he has allowed his main female character(Rosalind) to take the epilogue at the end of the play.