Orlando (As You Like It) forest of Arden. At the start of the play Orlando complains about the harsh treatment given to him by his brother, Oliver, and says that Oliver will not even give him the paltry sum of 1000 crowns left to him in their father's will. He is portrayed as exceptionally strong in both body and in his devotion to love. It is these qualities that make Rosalind fall for him as well. After angering Oliver's crony Duke Frederick, Orlando flees his familiar surroundings to live in exile in the Forest of Arden. There, he is accepted into the circle of the
As You Like It of the traditional Petrarchan lovers. The stock characters in conventional situations were familiar material for Shakespeare and his audience; it is the light repartee and the breadth of the subjects that provide opportunities for wit that put a fresh stamp on the proceedings. At the centre the optimism of Rosalind is contrasted with the misogynistic melancholy of Jaques. Shakespeare would take up some of the themes more seriously later: the usurper Duke and the Duke in exile provide themes for "Measure for Measure" and "The Tempest". The play, turning upon chance encounters in the forest and several entangled love affairs