Character study of Rosalind from As You Like It

Rosalind, throughout William Shakespeare's As You Like It, uses her ability to control language to attain her goals. Using creative speech, Rosalind enables herself to control and manipulate every situation that she is involved with, especially those concerning Orlando and Phoebe. Rosalind dominates many scenes in As You Like It and, ultimately, everything that Rosalind wants to occur does. She even changes her identity to do so. By using ingenious language, Rosalind facilitates the accomplishment of all of her objectives throughout the play.

The first situation in which Rosalind displays her dominance in language is in the Forest of Ardenne, disguised as Ganymede, a male. She, knowing that Orlando is yearning for her love, comments on his obvious unrequited love, saying, "Then there is no true lover in the forest; else sighing every minute and groaning every hour would detect the lazy for of time as well as a clock." (111) By implying that Orlando's love is not true love, she immediately inspires Orlando to prove her wrong.

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Orlando, becoming a little suspicious, inquires why her accent is not rough as a result of her living in the secluded forest her entire life. She retorts almost immediately with an elaborate story in which she states, "But indeed and old religious uncle of mine taught me to speak, who was in his youth an inland man, one that knew courtship too well, for there he fell in love. I have heard him read many lectures against it." Although a lie, Rosalind uses this sly and deceptive speech to give herself the excuse to sound educated and the ability to discuss love.

Rosalind sets up this situation from the beginning, enabling herself to discreetly mention true love in order to get Orlando's full attention.

Rosalind goes on to obtain Orlando's undivided attention by saying, "There is a man that haunts the forest that abuses our young plants with carving 'Rosalind' on their barks, hands odes upon hjawthrons and elegies on brambles, all, forsooth, the name of Rosalind. If I could meet that fancy-monger, I would give him some good counsel, for he seems to have the quotidian of love upon him." (113). Rosalind proclaims herself as an expert of love in order to give herself an excuse to meet with Orlando and help him cope with his situation She knows Orlando will surely agree to meet with her to discuss his love. He says that he is truly in love, but Rosalind states that "there is none of my uncle's marks upon you. He taught me how to know a man in love."

Orlando retorts, "I would I could make thee believe I love." By implying that Orlando may not even be in love at all, and promoting herself as an expert, she is enabling herself to "counsel" Orlando. She leads Orlando to want to prove he is in love with Rosalind. The major fact that she is interested in is observing how deeply Orlando is in love with her and how desperate he is to be with her. By leading Orlando on to believe that she is an expert when it comes to matters that concern true love, Rosalind allows herself to find out what Orlando is thinking about her from a third person, and unbiased, perspective.

Rosalind also creatively uses language to manipulate situations that contain Phoebe, Silvius, and her own disguised character, Ganymede. Although Silvius deeply loves Phoebe, she continues to reject his brutally. However, Ganymede gets involved to defend Silvius, saying to Phoebe, "Who might be your mother, that you insult, exult and all at once over the wretched? What though you have no beauty-as, by my faith, I see no more in you than without candle may go dark to bed-must you be therefore proud and pitiless?" (131). Ganymede goes onto criticizes Phoebe even more by saying, "'Tis not your inky brows, you black silk hair, your bugle eyeballs, nor your cheek of cream that can entame my spirits to your worship." However, instead of getting Phoebe to realize she should appreciate Silvius' love, Ganymede unintentionally obtains Phoebe's love.

Phoebe states to Ganymede, "Sweet youthm I pray you chide a year together. I had rather hear you chide than this man [Silvius] woo." 133. Phoebe becomes attracted to Ganymede not realizing that Ganymede is really Rosalind, a woman. Rosalind, realizing this, continues to insult and criticizes Phoebe. She knows that she can eventually trick Phoebe into loving Silvius. Seeing an opportunity, Ganymede continues to insult Phoebe in order to continue to attain her love. Also, Rosalind sees that Silvius' love for Phoebe is deep and true, despite that Phoebe rejects and ignores him. She sees the opportunity to manipulate Phoebe into loving Silvuis. As a result, she continues to lead Phoebe on, preparing for the time in which she ahs the chance cajole her to love Silvius.

Rosalind uses her creative language one final time in dealing with the weddings. She is able, through the use of witty language, to arrange each marriage, and those who are involved, to her liking. Orlando reveals to Ganymede that he "can no longer love by thinking," and now, more than ever, needs to be with Rosalind. Ganymede then responds by saying, "I have since I was three year old, conversed with a magician most profound in his art and yet not damnable. If you do love Rosalind so near the heart as your gesture cries out, when your brother marries Aliena shall you marry her" By assuring Orlando that Rosalind would marry him the next day, Ganymede then proceeds with the second part of her plan.

She realizes that Phoebe has an attraction towards her as Ganymede She uses this fact to persuade Phoebe to marry her, with one stipulation. If Phoebe for some reason decides that she does not want to marry Ganymede, Phoebe would then be obligated to marry Silvius. Ganymede obtains Phoebe's agreement on their marriage, stating, "If you do refuse to marry me, You'll give yourself to this most faithful shepherd [Silvius]." Ganymede goes on to state:

[To Silvius] I will help you if I can. [To Phoebe] I would love you if I could-Tomorrow meet me all together. I will marry you if I ever marry a woman, and I'll be married tomorrow. [To Orlando] I will satify you and you shall be married tomorrow. Eventually, Ganymede reveals herself as Rosalind, and, accompanied by Hymen, prepares to marry Orlando. Aliena reveals herself to be Celia and weds Oliver. Phoebe, realzing that her lover, Ganymede, is really a female, then agrees to wed Silvius as a part of he pact with Rosalind.