Shakespeare's As You like It Review

In Shakespeare's As You Like It, many of the characters are forced to live in the Forest of Arden for most of the play. During the time they spend there, they discover that life there is neither good nor bad, but a balance between the two. The pastoral setting of the forest is very different than the court life the characters had been living previously, in the forest they have no schedule of events and are mostly free to do as they wish. Also in the forest the characters are closer to being equals, as the positions they had in the court are no longer relevant. The differences in points of view, Rosalind's experiences with Orlando, and the shepherd's lives in the forest all show how the forest balances the feelings of its inhabitants. Everything that makes the Forest of Arden a pleasant place is countered by an unpleasant part of the forest, keeping them in equilibrium.

The differences in points of view are one thing that keeps the Forest of Arden in equilibrium. Because a single action can be viewed by different people as either a positive or a negative thing, the actions make the forest a better place for some and worse for others depending on their opinions. When the Duke considers hunting deer to have food he is reminded of how Jaques will react to the hunting. "The melancholy Jaques grieves at that and in that kind than doth your brother that hath banished you swears you do more usurp" (2.1, 27-29). The Duke feels that it is necessary for them to get food and justified for them to hunt the deer, however Jaques feels that they should find a different food supply that doesn't require them to harm the helpless animals. Their different points of view hold the Forest of Arden in equilibrium, Jaques feels worse about the forest every time he learns an animal has been harmed, while others in the forest feel better about the forest because they see that there is plenty of food for them. If everything was viewed the same way by everyone there wouldn't be a problem, they would all accept the hunting or they would all dislike it and they would find food a different way, but because they see differently they cause some peoples opinions of the forest to worsen in order to improve their own.

Rosalind's feelings about the forest are kept balanced during her time there for many reasons. When she and Celia leave the court they decide to travel in disguise to prevent thieves from approaching them, Rosalind dresses as a man and chooses a new name, "I'll have no worse a name than Jove's own page, And therefore look you call me Ganymede" (1.3, 122-123). While in the forest she meets Orlando again, but he doesn't know it is her. She is glad she can spend time with him but unhappy because she can't tell him who she actually is. She tests his love, asking "But are you so much in love as your rhymes speak?" (3.2, 355). To which he replies "Neither rhyme nor reason can express how much" (3.2, 356). Despite discovering his true feelings for her, she is still unhappy because she can't tell him it is her. So instead of telling him it is her she convinces him to see her every day so she can cure him from his disease of love. "I would cure you if you would but call me Rosalind and come every day to my cote and woo me" (3.2, 379-380). This keeps her somewhat happy though not as happy as she would be if she could express her love for him.

The shepherds' lives also show the balance of the Forest of Arden. Corin, one of the shepherds, feels that he has a very low social status because of his living conditions. When Touchstone tells him they are his betters he replies "Else are they very wretched" (2.5, 63). But he doesn't hate his life entirely, he is happy because of the relationships he has had in his past. He recalls his past loves saying, "into a thousand that I have forgotten" (2.4, 27). Corin's life is balanced by his low class and his past relationships.

Overall the Forest of Arden holds people in equilibrium between good and bad feelings. They don't feel anymore one way than the other. The balance can be seen in the varying viewpoints of the people of the forest, Rosalind's interactions with Orlando, and the shepherd's lives in the forest. All of these things hold everyone living in the forest's feelings in an in between point which is neither happiness nor unhappiness.