The Representation of Nature in 'as You Like It'

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‘…tongues in trees, books in the running brooks.’ Discuss the representation of nature in As You Like It. William Shakespeare’s As You Like It is a fantastical pastoral comedy; depicting the evident contrasts between the pastoral forest, the contemptuous court and the character’s plights throughout. The time in which the play was written reflects on the events surrounding Shakespeare’s life, for example, the portrayal of the court; As You Like It was written in the Elizabethan era, the play’s first performance is said to be around 1603, the beginning of the Jacobean era. There is a definite parallel between the Royal figures in the play and Shakespeare’s society, as they are forced to reside in the countryside and undertake a complete role reversal, adding confusion and interest to the play. The theme of nature is prominent in As You Like It. The liberal forest mocks the rigidity of the court and pastoral mode, thus allowing Shakespeare and his characters to ridicule and parody the courtly conventions and question meanings. Nature is a critical thematic factor from the beginning of the play. This is evident due to the setting and the following events within the forest. For example, Act 2, scene 7: Orlando and Adam wander through the forest, Adam falls ill, due to a lack of food. In this instance Orlando encounters the Duke and his men, becoming aggressive with his need for food. The forest is a provider, and there is plenty of food. Orlando is instantly calmed by the Duke’s passive tone, proceeding to share the fruits of the forest. While the forest is portrayed as a provider, mothering the men, it is also something poetic: The trees in the Forest of Arden bear poems, not fruit (or ‘bad fruit’ as Touchstone calls them); their leaves are leaves of paper…. Orlando now intends to make the trees his books… just as Orlando decorates (or litters?) the forest

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