Juxtaposition In Hamlet

Shakespeare’s play As You Like It presents us the juxtaposition of two settings that play

an important role in creating the tension in the play. Shakespeare’s brilliant comparison

of the two helps establish the characters and their roles in the play.

The play is a deep and profound study of the artificial and the natural. The comparison of

the two is carried out at different levels including social, familial and personal. At a

macro level it is almost like a journey wherein individuals find their real self as their

artificiality is pitted against the simplicity of the Forest of Arden. The play though set in

the Forest of Arden for the most part actually starts in the French Court of King Fredrick.

The fact that it begins in the

Court of King Frederick plays a crucial role in setting the

pace of the play from the very onset.

Let’s take a look at what does the court present us.

The court of King Fredrick is strewn with the theme of power and intrigue that follows

any monarchy.

The dynamics within the court are driven by the sole pursuit of sovereign

control. Backstabbing and treachery are traits that are displayed amply by characters that

adorn this chessboard. This court is the playground where Fredrick has forced his brother

into exile, banished his niece and planned the battle against his brother. It is here that

Orlando confesses that he feels driven to rebel against his brother Oliver, and says ‘and

the spirit of my father, which I think is within me, begins to mutiny against this

servitude:’ (1.1.18-19).

The contrast between the Court and the Forest is further highlighted in the words of

Touchstone, ‘Why, if thou never wast at court, thou never saw’st good manners;’ (3.2.35-

36) where the clown emphasizes that the court life enriches you with manners in

comparison with the wild and unconditioned life of the forest of Arden.

These dynamics are aptly supported by the concrete structures of the court that are full of

selfishness and blind pursuit of power. The forest on the other hand is devoid of such

elements as is pointed out in the words of Duke Senior, ‘than that of painted pomp are not

these woods’ (2.1.3) or ‘more free from peril than the envious court?’

(2.1.4)

Set against this beginning is the pastoral Forest of Arden. The driving force behind this

setting is the natural purpose of existence that hinges on the harmonious co-existence of

life.

The forest ultimately is more than just a backdrop. It serves as a living organic force

Beatty 2

that cleanses and recreates the individuals. The shepherds who are the main residents of

this pastoral landscape symbolize acceptance and guidance as opposed to selfish

leadership that the court symbolizes.

Even though the forest appears unwelcoming and dangerous in the beginning it is

actually a place of peace and merriment where pipe tunes resonate in the air and

shepherds and shepherdesses make love and there is harmony all around. The forest

stands as a symbol of opposition to the treacherous and corrupt court life. As Charles

describes it, ‘They say he is already in the Forest of Arden, and a many merry men with

him; and there they live like the old Robin Hood of England. (1.1.99-101)

Or when he refers to it as the golden world, ‘They say many young gentlemen flock to

him every day and fleet the time carelessly, as they did in the golden world.’ (1.1.101-

103)

No doubt the forest is not without its perils, it is cold and windy, and there are wild

animals just like the lion who attacked Orlando, but yet the Duke Senior finds it a

place

of peace and rejuvenation and in spite of all the perils and dangers, he remarks ‘I would

not change it.’ (2.1.18)

Further the choice of the name Arden for the forest seems like a portmanteau as it seems

like an intelligent fusion of two words, Arcadia, a pastoral paradise on earth in Greek

Mythology and Eden (biblical concept of paradise).

In conclusion the play even though starts on a note of treachery and corruption depicted

through the court, it ends in the pastoral calm of forgiveness and acceptance.