William Shakespeare Case
Essay by Retinairisia • April 8, 2013 • Essay • 475 Words (2 Pages) • 1,566 Views
"As You Like It", by William Shakespeare, is a pastoral piece of literature, which contrasts between life in the city and in the country, taking place in the 'Golden Age' which was a classical, seemingly timeless world, peopled by shepherds and shepherdesses.The play flourishes on the contrasts between the court life, or the urban way of living and the country life.
This theme comes into focus through Duke Senior and the debate between Corin and Touchstone. In act 2 scene 1 of the play,which is based in the forest of Arden,duke senior praises the woodland home and says that he prefers life in the forest to life in the court. He says that even the discomforts faced by him and his followers in the forest are preferable to the court life where jealousies were concealed under false and flattering exteriors.they live a life which is simple,innocent and frugal. This life is ideal as its few wants are easily satisfied. Though nature is sometimes rash,it provides the most valuable experiences of life Duke senior also considers the forest a teacher. He feels that the difficult and hard life in thr forest of Arden has taught him many universal truths which he could have never learnt in court. Every object in nature has a lesson to teach. In the forest they are not constantly surrounded by crowds,so they have the peace and leisure to gain wisdom from nature. They find tongues in trees,books in running streams and sermons in stones. This tilts te argument in favour of pastoral existence.
Shakespeare also balances this view by showing the countryside's negative aspects. The hauteur of the shepherdess Phoebe, Silvius' blind affections and his unrealistic speech are some examples.
The argument between Touchstone and Corin is also crucial in this regard and though Corin chooses to back out, it is obvious that Touchstone's argument is merely farcical, and less impacting. Even Corin's admission of defeat doesn't mean that courtly manners are superior - in fact it shows that he accepts that the two worlds co-exist.
Given a choice, I would choose country life over the Court. Not only is it simple, but it also contains beauty that only nature could offer. One could be true to themselves in the Forest of Arden, instead of flattering and lying through their lives at Court.
Conclusion
As You Like It therefore shows stark contrasts between court and pastoral life .To conclude, the play portrays pastoral life as an honest, timeless life. The Court, on the other hand, seemed to glitter with pomp and splendour.
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