As You Like It

compare and contrast arcadian life and court life as portraid by shakespear in as yo

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At the court, backstabbing and treachery are the names of the game. This is where the scheming Duke Frederick has usurped his older brother's (Duke Senior's) title and where Oliver encourages a professional wrestler to snap his little brother's neck. You did notice that neck-snapping and bone-crushing are considered entertainment at the Court, right? Enough said....Since life at court can be pretty dangerous, most of the cast high tails it to the Forest of Arden by Act 2. Because Arden is full of shepherds living the simple life, it's considered a "pastoral" setting Even though the weather is seriously lousy, Arden is a place of refuge and freedom, which makes it all worth it. Like most Shakespearean wildernesses (like the woods in A Midsummer Night's Dream or Prospero's Island in The Tempest), Arden is also place for self-discovery, renewal, and fantasy. Where else could Rosalind dress as a boy and tutor her future husband on how to be a good lover? In the forest, desire rules and characters have the freedom to be and say and do as they please...until it's time to go back to the court, that is.

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http://www.shmoop.com/as-you-like-it/setting.html