Sc. i. gives us a picture of the banished Duke and his followers in
the Forest of Arden, already prepared for in Act I., introduces us to
the personality of the Duke, and in the conversation with the lords
prepares us for coming delights in the personality of Jaques. It does
not advance the action, at all. In sc. ii., the result of Celia's act
in going with Rosalind is shown in the bad Duke's consternation, who
determines that they shall be found, thus starting another thread of
action to be developed later. Sc. iii. the passional cause of action
in Oliver's hatred of Orlando reaches a crisis; Orlando is obliged to
flee to save himself from death. Sc. iv. shows Celia and Rosalind
arrived at their journey's end in the Forest of Arden, and making
arrangements with a shepherd for a comfortable little house to
rusticate in; thus is closed the thread of action started by the Duke
in banishing Rosalind. In the conversation of their new companions,
Corin and Silvius, we learn of the love of Silvius for the scornful
Phebe, which is another emotional impulse to action, later blending
itself with the plot. In sc. v. we meet Jaques, already mentioned, and
get another glimpse of the pleasant company in the forest, but they
are still quite detached from the active elements of the play. Sc. vi.
shows us how far Orlando and Adam have gone in their flight, and sc.
vii. presents again the good Duke's court, develops further the
personality of Jaques, and prepares us, through his conversation about
the fool whom he had met in the forest, for the contact of one of the
threads of action with the element of inaction represented by this
good Duke's forest court, while in the sudden breaking in upon them of
Orlando it is brought into contact with another of the threads of
action.
III
LOVE IN THE FOREST OF ARDEN
At the opening of Act III. what results have been brought about by the
action so far? Everybody in the play except Oliver and the bad Duke
has arrived in the Forest of Arden. In sc. i. of Act III. the hatred
of the Duke is still active as a force, and Oliver through this means
is also sent off to finally bring up in the Forest of Arden. The
Duke's attitude as a motive force having worked itself out in its
relation to Orlando and Rosalind, the emotional cause of action in the
love of Rosalind and Orlando is free to develop, and the remainder of
Act III. is devoted chiefly to the presentation of the situation
between the lovers, which, owing to the disguise assumed by Rosalind,
gives rise to the charming inconsistencies attending the wooing of a
proxy Rosalind who is in reality Rosalind herself. Around these
central lovers, whose characters Shakespeare unfolds, revolve other
interesting personalities. Touchstone meets his fate in Audrey. Phebe
still scorns Corin and perversely falls in love with Ganymede. The
action is only advanced to the extent that Rosalind learns the state
of Orlando's mind while he still remains in ignorance as to hers.
IV
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account