As You like it LRJ #4

Aaron Fernandez

Ms. Peifer

English 10IB 5th Hour

March 16, 2009

In Act 4 Shakespeare does not use the conflict that has been seen throughout the entire play, which is the conflict between Court and Country.  There are very little instances when it is brought up and the two sides are shown.  Oliver describes what the Country looks like, and Rosalind tells Jaques to be proud of where he is from, but there are few instances where there is a rivalry between Court, and Country in Act 4.  The theme has a played an important role throughout the play, but in this particular scene there is more love, and sibling bonding than rivalry.

 Rosalind hears that Jaques that he should not be sad, but be joyful because he is from the forest.  She thinks that he should be prideful because he is from there and that he should not show weakness, but show that those who are from the Country are strong and brave people who will stand up for their home.  Rosalind says to Jaques, "Disable all benefits of your own country, be out of love with your nativity, and almost chide God for making you the countenance you are"(37- 40).  She is telling him to be proud that he is from the forest, that he should use all the resources it has to to find good reason of why to be there.  That the Country has many benefits, and it is where he was born, and that he should take pride in being there to show all those who are in the Court, that he is a brave man, not a weak person from the Country.  Rosalind tells him that he should cherish every quality which he has because to her she sees a beautiful person.

Jaques and the Lords, mock the Country, by saying that they are so in tune with nature that they do not kill animals.  They go on to dressing themselves and foresters, and mocking those who live in the Country.  They even sing a song about it, and they have this stereotype that those who live in the Country, are but animal lovers who worship the nature.  Jaques says, "Have you no song, forester, for this purpose?"(4.3.6-7).  They mock those who are of the forest saying that only have petty songs, and that they sing for every occasion.  They make fun of those who feel that killing is wrong.  They feel that the Court is much more advanced because they have large cities, and big castles, and they eat plenty of meat.  They think that they are better because all those who are in exile are thrown to the Country.

Shakespeare has very few instances where he does use the theme of Country versus Court, but nonetheless he still puts in a little bit of it.  He shows that even through all that has happened the people on the Court are still just has stubborn and ignorant to the Country being a working society as in the beginning of the play.