FREE ESSAY ON AS YOU LIKE IT

AS YOU LIKE IT

In As You Like It, Shakespeare presents diverse perspectives of city life and country
life. Though acts one to three, the comparison of the pastoral versus court lives have
been repeatedly implied. Often, it is pastoral life that is admired by a number of
characters, yet Shakespeare indicates frequently that it is not an ideal a life as many
of the characters assumes it is. In doing so, Shakespeare caricatures the convention of
pastoral romance and urban idealizations. 
In act one, the obvious contrarieties between city and county life is plainly presented.
For example, the court is shown to be a place of corruption and villainy through the
actions of Duke Fredrick and Oliver. On the contrary, the banished Duke Senior's life in
the Forest of Arden is idealized and carefree. It is Le Beau who is presented as the
epitome of courtly behavior, revealed through his pompous speech and cavalier dress, who
is "affected" rather than "natural." Even Celia and Rosalind proclaim that they are going
to leave the court life for the country side, "To liberty, and not to banishment."S. 3,
145 In sum, this act reveals country life to be idealized and free of hardships.
It is act one that builds the general tension between pastoral and urban existences.
Again a certain idealization of country life is manifested in the careless
interpretations by Duke senior and in Amiens' songs; life in the country is far-removed
form the "envious court."S. 1, 4 Jaques comment on the irony of the situation is
presented through the Duke and his men killing and fighting the animals in the forest who
they have seized just as Duke Fredrick has seized his brother's dukedom. Duke Senior and
Amiens show that county life is not as ideal as everyone imagines, having a rough winter
and heavy weather. 
Act three also has some contrasting elements about the two lifestyles, and to an extent
why one is preferred over the other. For example, Touchstone praises various elements of
pastoral life but points out that its existence is tedious and austere. However, Orlando
is too preoccupied with his love that he doesn't realize the seriousness of his
situation, only to comment that country life has a timeless quality compared to the
strict regimentation of the court. 
In conclusion, it is apparent that in As You Like It, Shakespeare looks as if he is
praising the virtues of the pastoral life at the cost of the city life, yet ultimately he
provides a more equalized view. Both urban and rural lives are shown to have their
advantages and disadvantages.