Love And Jealousy Seminar

Salma Parker 17 April 2013 PRKSAL012 Elizabeth Baldwin Love, Lust and Jealousy Seminar: Essay 1
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Topic: It has been argued that the conflicts in As You Like It are primarily fraternal. Do you agree, and where does this leave Rosalind and Celia?
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As You Like It is a play that incorporates a variety of characters, thus incorporating diversity with regard to their relationships with each other. As You Like It is a comedic Shakespearean play, and upon completion of the plot or storyline all’s well that ends well. However, in the initial stages of the play we are introduced to the theme of fraternal conflicts or “troubled family relationships”
It can be assumed that the two women share such a close bond but it never reaches that point of physical exploration. However, their relationship dynamic is questionable, especially Rosalind’s significance to Celia. It is safe to assume Rosalind loves Celia as a sister and would do anything for her, but within reason and boundaries. Rosalind ultimately falls in love with Orlando and sort of breaks away from the homoerotic relationship she has with Celia. Celia on the other hand, gives up everything for the sake of Rosalind, as seen in Act 1, Scene 2. Celia says to Rosalind that she shares a love so deep for Rosalind that were she separated from her father, she would accept Rosalind’s father as if he were her own, provided that she and Rosalind were not split up (Guidelines, 2007). Rosalind and Celia’s relationship experience multiple pressures from spectrums such as; social, political, familial, class, etc. They both fall under the expectation to one day enter a heterosexual marriage. However, it seems that perhaps Celia’s love for Rosalind is stronger than what Rosalind feels for Celia. Once Rosalind enters the Forest of Arden, she becomes intrigued by so many things she was previously sheltered to and to some extent loses that homoerotic bond she has with Celia (Frye and Robertson, 1994). Celia seems a bit uneasy about Rosalind and Orlando’s charade marriage
With regard to Orlando and Oliver, we see a mutual dislike for each other. Regardless of blood ties, they both would rather have each other’s blood. Duke Senior and Duke Frederick too have a dysfunctional relationship, however in this instance one party involved shows resentment to the other party, who appears to be unaffected by his banishment except for the fact that he misses his daughter of course. Both of these brotherly relationships are strained due to worldly items of monetary value. Money, property, possessions act as a medium or foundation for the hostility amongst siblings. With regard to Rosalind and Celia’s relationship, they have a loving and caring relationship. However, although there relationship is on the other side of the spectrum of Oliver and Orlando’s relationship or Duke Senior and Duke Frederick’s, Rosalind and Celia’s relationship can be argued to be dysfunctional too. They have created this co-dependence on each other that is questionable and the homoeroticism displayed is particularly strange. To conclude I do believe that all the fraternal relationships within this play are slightly dysfunctional, but I agree with the statement that the major conflicts in As You Like It are primarily of fraternal