As You Like It

In Shakespeare’s As You Like It, I find the character Orlando to be very different than the rest. Unlike some other characters we have read about this semester he is very gullible, or at least acts as if he is. As all the readers know Rosalind dresses as a man to disguise herself as a man, but this is one thing Orlando and all the other characters did not know. One thing that really made me question Orlando as a character is that when Rosalind, while in her disguise, tricked him into courting her as she was dressed as a man. Although Orlando is an attractive young man who, under his brother’s neglectful care, has languished without a gentleman’s education or training I find Orlando to be somewhat of a feminine character because he does agree to court a man and pretend it is Rosalind. This role Orlando plays helps to show the reader of the play the gender roles. Even though  is expressed as being manly in some scenes, such as when he fights the wrestler or saves his brother from the lion, but the moment he agrees to court Ganymede seems to take away some of his credit as a man. Not many men would agree to “meet up” with another man to pretend to court them. I believe that it is not completely unreasonable to believe that Orlando may have begun to have feeling for Ganymede also. This point seems to be emphasized in the epilogue spoken by the newly married Rosalind, where the boy actor playing the role calls attention to the fact that he is not a woman, as if to remind us (maybe) that the happy union of Orlando and Rosalind in which we take such delight has explored other possibilities than heterosexuality. And, of course, if the actor playing Rosalind has made some erotic connections with the audience, then his final revelation in the Epilogue will force the audience member to confront some of his own feelings about gender attachments. The fact that Rosalind cross dresses and Orlando pretends to court her as Ganymede shows how Orlando seems more feminine. While  Rosalind passes herself off easily enough as a man and, in the process, acquires a certain freedom to move around, give advice, and associate as an equal among other men, this freedom gives her the power to initiate the courtship, Orlando falls for it and even seems to begin to like Ganymede. These reasons cause me to believe that Orlando seems to be feminine.

Romeos Infatuation with Rosaline

When we think of Romeo and Juliet we think of one of  it as one of the best love stories ever told. When Romeo first see’s Juliet he falls in love with her, but before that night he believed his one true love was Rosaline. Does Romeos infatuation with Rosaline weaken the creditability of the love he feels for Juliet? Most people probably believe it does not because after Juliet’s character is introduced we do not hear much more of Rosaline, but I believe that his infatuation with Rosaline does affect his creditability. If the play Romeo and Juliet took place in today’s time people would see him as a man who expresses his love just to get the woman. It is not likely that someone who is truly in love with someone can fall into a deeper love with someone else just by seeing them one time. I find it interesting that the only reason Romeo was at the Capulet party was because he had heard Rosaline was there. The fact that Romeo was at the Capulet party for Rosaline gives me reason to doubt his creditability. He obviously really cared for this character if he went as far as sneaking into his families worst enemies party just to see her. If his love for her is this strong at the beginning of the play how does it just disappear when he see’s Juliet. Some people suggest that he forgot Rosaline so easily because she did not love him back. This may be true because most people do get over someone else if they learn they have no chance, but the  fact that the entire play happens in four days amazes me that he can feel that deeply for two women and it not affect their relationships. In general, I do not believe that Romeos infatuation with Rosaline completely weakens his creditability but I do believe it has an effect. It gives of sort of an impression that he just falls in love easily because he is young and not fully matured. Maybe it is that Romeo only had a crush on Rosaline, and true his love was only for Juliet but the fact that Rosaline is in the play does give us reason to believe that Shakespeare may have added this character to give this question to the audience. I do believe that his love for Juliet was very true, but I think that readers should always remember the fact that he believe he loved Rosaline first.