But at the same time there is also danger which in this case is the lion and the snake “I thought thy heart had been wounded with the claws of a lion” This tells us that nowhere in the world, even in the country is perfect.
Also the Court has been often described as a pompous place filled with pompous people, like for instance throughout the play Touchstone has acted in that way who calls when Corin asks who’s there he replies “your better sir”
In this play Shakespeare intended to show that no paradise is perfect by placing in the part in which a snake and lion try to kill Orlando and Oliver. Also another very apparent danger in the forest is extreme hunger
“Dear master, I can go no further. O I die for food
Here I lie down and measure out my grave farewell
Kind master”
This highlights the fact that the forest despite its positive benefits, there will always be danger presented no matter where anyone goes.
But at the same time the forest seems to be a better place than the court, due to the Jealousy in the court.
“Your mistrust cannot make me a traitor
Tell me whereon the likelihoods depend
Thou are thy father’s daughter there’s enough”
In this quote Rosalind is speaking to Duke Fredrick right before she is banished for no good reason, but jealousy by Duke Fredrick. This quote shows the sheer extent the jealousy of some people could reach and how jealousy can lead to doing wrong and thinking irrationally.
But at the same time we have seen the healing and restorative powers the forest has.
“The hath put on a religious life
And thrown into neglect the pompous court”
The drastic change the Duke ad experienced from a life of being a Tyrannous leader, intent on killing his brother and Rosalind to being a peaceful religious person shows how magical and powerful the forest can be.
The forest’s power is also exhibited earlier on in the play on Oliver as he is converted to a better, kinder and loving person.
“I do not shame
To tell you what I was since my conversion
So sweetly it tastes being the thing I am”
This is yet another example of how nothing dangerous can enter the forest, and also shows how powerful the forest is.
But cruelty co-exists at the same time in the forest because as I have previously highlighted in my essay food is the cause of this.
“come, shall we go and kill us some venison”
This in result shows us how cruelty and flaws exist in every supposed paradise, just like how Shakespeare tries to highlight constantly in this play.
Also in this play Shakespeare uses his characters to highlight the differences between court life and the idyll of the rural country life, like for instance the pompous attitude of Touchstone and the way he speaks in a fancy way to take advantage of people’s lack of education in the forest.
“Why if thou never wast at court, thou never sawest
Good manners; if thou never sawest good manners,
Then thy manners must be wicked; and wickedness is
Sin, and sin is damnation. Thou art in a parlous
State shepherd
In this quote Touchstone is having a debate with Corin about the court and the country and as we can see in this quote Touchstone is blatantly trying to perplex Coring with his fancy words.
Also the court can be a place of fear as we can see from the next quote
"Within these ten days if that thou be'st found
So near our public court as twenty miles,
Thou diest for it"
In this quote Duke Fredrick is saying that if Rosalind is found within 20 miles she will be killed.
This quote also shows the corruption of the court and how people with power flout it about tyrannously.
Also throughout the play Corin displays a great amount of wisdom with his homespun philosophy.
" Sir I am a true labourer. I earn that I eat, get that I
wear ; owe no man hate, envy no man's happiness; glad
of other men's good, content with my harm ; and the
greatest of my pride is to see my ewes graze and my
lambs suck."
In this quote Corin is talking debating with Touchstone about the differences between court life and country life and Corin is talking so wisely with his home-spun philosophy that Touchstone even thought that Corin had once been a courtier.
The forest also seems to be a place of love because as we could see with how quickly Celia and Oliver had fallen in love.
" for your brother and my sister no sooner
met, but they looked; No sooner looked
but they loved"
In this scene Rosalind is describing how quickly Celia and oliver had fallen in love, they had both met and they had both instantly fallen in love with each other.
In conclusion I say that Shakespeare had presented the Rural country like and the Court life by making the court life a bad place to live in but a good place if the right person is leading, Shakespeare had also made the forest a perfect place to live in but at the same time as we saw with the snake, lion and hunger that the forest itself has major flaws.Therefore this means that Shakespeare presented both places as great places to live in.
Andrew Joseph 10S