Rosalind
The daughter of Duke Senior.
Rosalind, considered one of Shakespeare’s most delightful heroines, is
independent minded, strong-willed, good-hearted, and terribly clever. Rather
than slink off into defeated exile, Rosalind resourcefully uses her trip to the
Forest of Ardenne as an opportunity to take control of her own destiny. When
she disguises herself as Ganymede—a handsome young man—and offers herself as a
tutor in the ways of love to her beloved Orlando, Rosalind’s talents and charms
are on full display. Only Rosalind, for instance, is both aware of the
foolishness of romantic love and delighted to be in love. She teaches
those around her to think, feel, and love better than they have previously, and
she ensures that the courtiers returning from Ardenne are far gentler than
those who fled to it.
The
youngest son of Sir Rowland de Bois and younger brother of Oliver. Orlando is
an attractive young man who, under his brother’s neglectful care, has
languished without a gentleman’s education or training. Regardless, he
considers himself to have great potential, and his victorious battle with
Charles proves him right. Orlando cares for the aging Adam in the Forest of
Ardenne and later risks his life to save Oliver from a hungry lioness, proving
himself a proper gentleman. He is a fitting hero for the play and, though he
proves no match for her wit or poetry, the most obvious romantic match for
Rosalind.
The father of Rosalind and the rightful ruler
of the dukedom in which the play is set. Having been banished by his usurping
brother, Frederick, Duke Senior now lives in exile in the Forest of Ardenne
with a number of loyal men, including Lord Amiens and Jaques. We have the sense
that Senior did not put up much of a fight to keep his dukedom, for he seems to
make the most of whatever life gives him. Content in the forest, where he
claims to learn as much from stones and brooks as he would in a church or
library, Duke Senior proves himself to be a kind and fair-minded ruler.
A faithful lord who accompanies Duke
Senior into exile in the Forest of Ardenne. Jaques is an example of a stock
figure in Elizabethan comedy, the man possessed of a hopelessly melancholy
disposition. Much like a referee in a football game, he stands on the sidelines,
watching and judging the actions of the other characters without ever fully
participating. Given his inability to participate in life, it is fitting that
Jaques alone refuses to follow Duke Senior and the other courtiers back to
court, and instead resolves to assume a solitary and contemplative life in a
monastery.
The daughter of Duke Frederick and
Rosalind’s dearest friend. Celia’s devotion to Rosalind is unmatched, as
evidenced by her decision to follow her cousin into exile. To make the trip, Celia
assumes the disguise of a simple shepherdess and calls herself Aliena. As
elucidated by her extreme love of Rosalind and her immediate devotion to
Oliver, whom she marries at the end of the play, Celia possesses a loving
heart, but is prone to deep, almost excessive emotions.
The brother of Duke Senior
and usurper of his throne. Duke Frederick’s cruel nature and volatile temper
are displayed when he banishes his niece, Rosalind, from court without reason.
That Celia, his own daughter, cannot mitigate his unfounded anger demonstrates
the intensity of the duke’s hatefulness. Frederick mounts an army against his
exiled brother but aborts his vengeful mission after he meets an old religious
man on the road to the Forest of Ardenne. He immediately changes his ways,
dedicating himself to a monastic life and returning the crown to his brother,
thus testifying to the ease and elegance with which humans can sometimes change
for the better.
A clown in Duke Frederick’s court
who accompanies Rosalind and Celia in their flight to Ardenne. Although
Touchstone’s job, as fool, is to criticize the behavior and point out the folly
of those around him, Touchstone fails to do so with even a fraction of
Rosalind’s grace. Next to his mistress, the clown seems hopelessly vulgar and
narrow-minded. Almost every line he speaks echoes with bawdy innuendo.
The oldest son of Sir Rowland
de Bois and sole inheritor of the de Bois estate. Oliver is a loveless young
man who begrudges his brother, Orlando, a gentleman’s education. He admits to
hating Orlando without cause or reason and goes to great lengths to ensure his
brother’s downfall. When Duke Frederick employs Oliver to find his missing
brother, Oliver finds himself living in despair in the Forest of Ardenne, where
Orlando saves his life. This display of undeserved generosity prompts Oliver to
change himself into a better, more loving person. His transformation is
evidenced by his love for the disguised Celia, whom he takes to be a simple shepherdess.
A young, suffering shepherd, who is
desperately in love with the disdainful Phoebe. Conforming to the model of
Petrarchan love, Silvius prostrates himself before a woman who refuses to
return his affections. In the end, however, he wins the object of his desire.
A young shepherdess, who
disdains the affections of Silvius. She falls in love with Ganymede, who is
really Rosalind in disguise, but Rosalind tricks Phoebe into marrying Silvius.
A faithful lord who accompanies Duke
Senior into exile in the Forest of Ardenne. Lord Amiens is rather jolly and
loves to sing.
A professional wrestler in Duke Frederick’s
court. Charles demonstrates both his caring nature and his political savvy when
he asks Oliver to intercede in his upcoming fight with Orlando: he does not
want to injure the young man and thereby lose favor among the nobles who
support him. Charles’s concern for Orlando proves unwarranted when Orlando
beats him senseless.
The elderly former servant of Sir Rowland de
Bois. Having witnessed Orlando’s hardships, Adam offers not only to accompany
his young master into exile but to fund their journey with the whole of his
modest life’s savings. He is a model of loyalty and devoted service.
The father of Oliver and Orlando,
friend of Duke Senior, and enemy of Duke Frederick. Upon Sir Rowland’s death,
the vast majority of his estate was handed over to Oliver according to the
custom of primogeniture.
A shepherd. Corin attempts to
counsel his friend Silvius in the ways of love, but Silvius refuses to listen.
A simpleminded goatherd who agrees to marry
Touchstone.
A young country boy who is in love
with Audrey.
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