?As you like it? is one of Shakespeare?s best plays. The themes of the play are courtship and love. The play depicts the social conditions of women living in a society based on patriarchal values.
?As you like it? is the love story of Rosalind, the daughter of a banished duke and Orlando, the son of a rich aristocrat. Orlando is confined within the four walls of his house by his tyrannical brother after their father?s death. He escapes to the Forest of Arden to find peace of mind. Orlando, discontented with court life, finds pleasure and freedom in the Forest of Arden. In the forest he comes across Rosalind, disguised as a man.
Rosalind and Celia run away from the palace to find freedom and happiness. They disguise themselves for security reasons. Orlando first meets Rosalind in the duke? palace and falls in love with her. He is not able to recognize Rosalind when he comes across her in the Forest of Arden because she is disguised as a man. Rosalind takes advantage of this opportunity to test Orlando?s love. In the end she finds that Orlando is a true lover and reveals her identity to him.
The pastoral genre plays an influencing role on the lives of almost all the characters in the play. The exiled aristocrats find more joy and harmony in the Forest of Arden. The two women find freedom from patriarchal values in the Forest of Arden. Orlando finds peace of mind and happiness in the forest. Oliver, the tyrannical brother of Orlando, becomes a pious man after an encounter with a lioness and a snake in the forest.
The Banished Duke, Duke Senior, finds freedom from court politics. In ?As you like it? the pastoral genre plays an indispensable role. With the exception of Jacques and Touchstone almost all the characters in ?As you like it? are affected by the pastoral life. Touchstone, the witty clown and Jacques the melancholy man give a comical touch to the play. Their lives are not influenced by the forest life.
The social life of women living in a society based on patriarchal values is effectively depicted in Shakespeare?s ?As you like it?. ?As you like it? is one of Shakespeare?s finest plays. I recommend ?As you like it? to all book readers who are looking for meaningful reading. The book is easily available in any book store.
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