Summary Of Helen Gardner's 'A Comedy Of Discovery'

Helen Gardner the author of the article, “As You Like It: A Comedy of Discovery” states that Shakespeare’s play “As You Like It” plans for the characters to eventually “find happiness by recognizing and accepting the briars with the roses, the sour with the sweet.” The author points out here that in order for the characters to achieve the ultimate goal of happiness in the end they have to be able to recognize and accept everything for what it is. The example she argues is “the briars with the roses, the sour with the sweet” meaning that you must push through the adversities and the hazards that come with happiness or in this case, the rose. The Forest of Arden is a pleasant refuge from the barbaric court life. The characters gain an understanding

of reality and the imperfections within society in the Forest of Arden. The characters are shown through the contrast of “happiness and cynicism” implying that the people of the forest are happier than the people from the court.
Arden Is a Place of Discovery, a small paragraph within Gardner’s article addresses the question;