And the Winner Is: The Forest

"...that the propterty of rain is to wet and fire to burn; that good pasture makes fat sheep, and that a great cause of the night is lack of the sun; that he that hath learned no wit by nature nor art may complain of good breeding or comes of a very dull kindred." -III.i.35

     A common theme throughout the play was the contradiction, and sometimes battle as exemplified above, between the forest and the court. In this quote above, Corin argues on behalf of forest life and Touchstone argues for court life. Honestly, I never really thought this argument was worth discussion until the last two pages, when Duke Frederick meets a religious man of the forest and is converted from his power-hungry ways. Up until this point, Touchstone and Corin were the only ones who seemed to care much about their respective living habits. When I read this dialogue between the two, I found it somewhat funny. Touchstone is talking about the refined and dignified court life when his purpose in Duke Frederick's court was as a clown. I truly bought more into Corin's argument, simply because he seemed more knowledgable and experienced based on his profession. When I reflect on the play as a whole, the fact of Duke Frederick's conversion and the eventual merriment in the forest show that forest life has more merit than city life. I believe this parallels the entire Shakesperean comedy genre as a whole. Comedy is supposed to be more lighthearted and fun. The characters, such as Rosalind and Orlando, would probably get wrapped up in more tragic plots if they were set in the city. For this reason, I declare the forest the winner in the country vs. court theme.