Just as F. Scott Fitzgerald used the parallels of east egg and west egg both filled with the roaring twenties spirit in his novel “The Great Gatsby” or as Ray Bradbury used his created futuristic world in “Fahrenheit 451” many authors use the literary device of the setting to establish values within their literature. In William Shakespeare’s “As You Like It”, Shakespeare too uses the setting to signify values in his work. The play begins in the french court. The french court, filled with the aroma betrayal and treason, is where Duke Frederick strips his elder brother, Duke Senior, of his title. It also serves as an ‘arena’ of sorts when Oliver encourages the snapping of his younger brothers neck, this act considered to be a form of entertainment …show more content…
The word Arden comes from a blend of the greek Arcadia and the biblical Eden. The name Aradia refers to an earthly paradise, usually found in classical Greek mythology and the name Eden refers to a biblical paradise, an example being the biblical Garden of Eden. Though the name of the Forest of Arden suggest it to be of a paradise, the setting described suggests anything but. Throughout the character’s time in the Forest of Arden we see it depicted as frigid, windy and filled with danger, such as the lion who nearly killed Orlando in act iv. As opposed to a paradise, the grim environment of the Forest of Arden instead serves as a safe haven for the characters of the play. This theory is maintained when Duke Senior declares “Are not these woods more free from peril than the envious court? Here feel no the penalty of Adam, The season’s difference, as the icy fang and churlish chiding of the winter’s wind, Which when it bites and blows upon my body, Even till i shrink with cold… I would not change it. (II.I.I)”. As well as a place of refuge, Arden, similar to the woods in Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, functions as place of self-discovery and fantasy. This idea is emphasized by Rosalind’s freedom to dress as a boy and Orlando saving Oliver from the attack of a