Essay: The Forest of Arden in As You Like It

For eons, nature, and forests especially, have been a defining factor in literature for a multitude of reasons. They could hold all types of secrets, be used as a shelter, be home to different animals and creatures, or even be settings for drastic character change and development. According to umich.com, forests are “an unexplored realm full of the unknown” away from civilization, “the home of outlaws.” In the comedy, As You Like It, by William Shakespeare, the Forest of Arden is the main setting of the play. Characters come to the forest through the play to get away from the court, whether it be by choice or not. As You Like It follows the strange story of Rosalind and Orlando, two young adults who fall in love. After her uncle banishes them, Rosalind and her cousin Celia head into the Forest of Arden in disguise, Rosalind as Ganymede and Celia as his sister, Aliena. Their goal is to find Rosalind’s father, Duke Senior, who is also banished. They bring along Touchstone, the court jester, on their adventure. While in the forest, they meet many people, such as Jaques, a melancholy fellow, Silvius, a man in love, and many others. Life in the forest is very simple, but many complicated relationships that pan out throughout the play. These affairs include those of Touchstone and Audrey, Silvius and Phebe, and Rosalind and Orlando, all of which are not the traditional relationship. All through the comedy, the idea of the forest being a great place carries on. People travel there to get away from reality or even to find someone or something they have lost. All the while, the forest is rhapsodized, thought of a unifying place, and used as a site for extravagant transformations.
The forest is romanticized numerous times in songs and by word of mouth as a great place to be, and as a place where worries and troubles are few to none. Amiens, a courtier who followed the banished Duke Senior to the forest, sings multiple songs about the joys of forest life. He believes the only troubles found in the forest are “winter and rough weather” (Shakespeare II.v.8). Amiens and many others believe forest life is much more preferable than the obnoxious court and have had a grand time amid their stay in the forest. Corin, a shepherd who lives in the forest full time, has a different perspective, but still positive, on life in the forest. Even though he is not from the court, he knows the forest teaches him things that the court never could. He is “content” with his life and “envy[s] no man’s happiness” (III.iii.54-55). The forest supplies him with ample amounts of happiness, which some would think is not possible, with his ‘lowly’ job as a shepherd. Lastly, the exiled Duke Senior also takes wonderfully to court life. He feels more alive while in the Forest of Arden and free from the foulness of court. Duke Senior sees the forest as “more sweet” then the “painted pomp” of the court (II.i.2-3). In court, manipulation is key, but in the forest, someone can find great happiness. Duke Senior preaches about the good that comes from the forest, and his opinion is especially important because he has thoroughly seen both sides of the matter, both from the court and from the forest. The forest has a profound impact on many people both in the forest and from the court. The forest showcases the substantial obdurate contrast between itself and the court by exemplifying fulfillment bringing comfort and complacency to all that reside within its borders.
The Forest of Arden presents itself as a mystical place that can change someone’s attitude and improve the spirits of many, no matter the circumstance. An example of this occurrence is shown in Oliver, the oldest de Boys brother. At the beginning of the comedy, he is a cruel and unforgiving man because he is overcome with jealousy for his younger brother, Orlando. Once he makes his way into the forest, with the purpose retrieving Orlando for Duke Frederick, he falls prey to a hungry lioness and a gilded snake. Orlando ends up saving his brother, and in turn, Oliver has a “conversion.” He decides to put their differences aside and once he does, he how good change “sweetly tastes” (IV.iii.131-132). Oliver’s case exhibits how the forest brings about certain situations, leading to the growth of someone’s small mindset or emotional advancement. Another instance of the forest’s effectiveness shows in Duke Frederick. When he arrives in the forest, his intent is to confront his brother, Duke Senior, because he is resentful of him and detests the adoration Duke Senior receives. However, once in the forest, Duke Frederick meets an elderly religious man who converts him. After, Duke Frederick “bequeath[s]” the crown “to his banished brother” (V.iv.147). Duke Frederick has only been in the forest for a short amount of time and has already changed undoubtedly for the better. Finally, the changes Rosalind and Celia undergo are both physical and emotional. When they venture into the forest, Rosalind and Celia take on the disguises Ganymede and Aliena, respectively. With these new personas, they are both able to act and think as they please, without the constraints of social expectations. Rosalind unquestionably loves her guise, and when she, Celia, and Touchstone arrive in the forest, “merry are [Rosalind’s] spirits” (II.iv.1). She is excited to be free to do and say whatever she pleases, and the forest allows her and Celia to be truer versions of themselves. All in all, the Forest of Arden proves to be a place that initiates great change in those who enter it and undeniably boosts the morality of its many tenants.
Furthermore, the forest is also the setting for many relationships and helps these connections develop into more serious and full-fledged connections. Celia and Oliver display one of these instances. They have a brief meeting in the Forest of Arden and immediately are smitten. Two people who could have never met and with “so little acquaintance” have come together and fallen in love (V.ii.1). Oliver and Celia show how the forest can create a blossoming relationship and marriage from nothing. The love between Touchstone and Audrey also exhibits an unconventional relationship induced by the forest. They are “sure together” like “winter is to foul weather” (V.iv.119-120). They might not be the most compatible duo, but somehow the forest unites them together. Touchstone and Audrey both are comedic characters, that through all the jokes and quips, still end up with a strong bond in the end. Finally, the relationship between Rosalind and Orlando is strengthened by the forest as well. Although they first met while in the court, Rosalind and Orlando spend the majority of their time together in the forest, and their love for each other unknowingly grows. Rosalind’s “affection” for Orlando “hath an unknown bottom,” and Orlando is just as enamored (IV.i.167). These two make an unbelievable connection in the forest with their surrounding helping to power them forward. To summarize, the relationships formed and aided with help from the Forest of Arden end up succeeding and flourishing undoubtedly, with happy marriages and lives in the near future.
The Forest of Arden in As You Like It portrays itself to be a quintessential place, and rightly so. It is the setting for constructive change and romance. It is a genuine, honest place that inspires hope in the people who reside there. The forest gives readers a detailed image of an idealistic community where people are free to be whomever they want to and love whomever they want to. Shakespeare tells the story of broken families, healing, affection, change, and the one thing they all have in common – one forest. From this comedy, modern audiences can learn that important events or connections can take place anywhere, and that the forest is an all-around remarkable place.
2019-2-11-1549846891