Discussion Topic

Celia and Rosalind's Bond in As You Like It

Summary:

In Shakespeare's As You Like It, the bond between Celia and Rosalind is profound and central to the play. As cousins and best friends, they share a deep love and loyalty, evident when Celia chooses to accompany Rosalind into exile. Both are princesses and adept at wordplay, showcasing their intelligence and courage. Despite their differences, with Celia being more practical and decisive, their friendship remains steadfast, highlighted by Celia's willingness to sacrifice her inheritance for Rosalind's happiness.

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Discuss the love relationship between Celia and Rosalind in As You Like It, Act 1, Scene 2.

First of all, Act I, Scene I of As You Like It explains that Rosalind and Celia are cousins. Celia explains that Rosalind's father is her own uncle and that her father is Rosalind's uncle:

If my uncle, thy banished father,
had banished thy uncle, the duke my father,

In other words, the two men are brothers. This is why the banished and exiled Duke, Rosalind's father and Celia's uncle, is called Duke Senior: He is the elder brother and the one who should by rights be ruling the dukedom over which Celia's father (Rosalind's uncle), Duke Frederick, rules instead.

Secondly, Rosalind and Celia are the best of friends. In other eras, there was not the present day social squeamishness over proclaiming love for friends and family--or for considering family members friends (though, as Oliver and Orlando prove, love and friendship in families was not universal). Rosalind and Celia love each deeply as friends and cousins, and both young ladies are very interested in the opposite sex and propose a game of flirtation to lift Rosalind's spirits, though Celia cautions that games of flirtation must end with maidenly blushes intact:

with safety of a pure blush thou mayst in honour come off [the sport field] again.

Two lines that Celia speaks are hard to analyze and may cause some contemporary readers difficulty. The first is that Celia says, "make [sport] withal: but love no man in good earnest." The traditional and most obvious reading of this is that Rosalind and Celia are still young, in their teens, and are not ready to fall love in earnest because of youthfulness. The second is when Rosalind tells Orlando that in winning the wrestling match, he won her heart, too, and Celia responds with "Will you go, coz?"

Rosalind
Sir, you have wrestled well and overthrown
More than your enemies.
Celia
Will you go, coz?

The traditional and most obvious reading is that, after just having jokingly bantered about playing at love but not loving in earnest, Celia is shocked that Rosalind suddenly falls in love with a wrestler she has only just seen--and then confesses it--out loud!

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What are the similarities between Rosalind and Celia in Act 1, Scene 3 of As You Like It?

There are similarities between Rosalind and Celia that are apparent in Act I, Scene III of As You Like It, but there are also some important differences that are significant. The most obvious similarities between Celia and Rosalind are that they are both princesses and daughters of dukes, who are actually brothers, Celia's father Duke Frederick being the younger. The second most obvious similarity is that they are both adept at word play and puns, making jests and persuasive arguments out twists on words and creatively used words:

Celia: No, thy words are too precious to be cast away upon curs; throw some of them at me; come, lame me with reasons.

Finally, a very important similarity is that they are both courageous. Rosalind and Celia both stand up to Duke Frederick and assert the truth of their position and the falseness of his.

The differences that are apparent in 3.1 are that Rosalind feels herself to be alone in her misfortunes whereas Celia believes that Rosalind and she are united as one since they have lived together so long as beloved cousins:

Celia:Rosalind lacks then the love
Which teacheth thee that thou and I am one...

And finally, it is Celia who can think more clearly under pressure and is more logical. It is Celia who decides they will go together. It is Celia who decides where they will go, to the forest of Arden where Rosalind's father is in exile. It is Celia who thinks of the first half of their plan for escaping. She suggests they both dress as "poor and mean" (lowly) maidens with dirt smudged faces. Rosalind finally contributes with the suggestion that because of her height, she could easily dress as a male and carry weapons, an act or courage in its own right considering the laws pertaining to men's and women's clothing.

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Where does As You Like It show the strong bond between Celia and Rosalind?

There are two early instances in Act I in which Shakespeare establishes the strong bond between Celia and Rosalind, a bond that underpins the whole play, although Celia does slip to the background once they get to Arden.

In scene ii, Rosalind is downhearted because her father, the rightful Duke, is in exile in the forest of Arden. Celia admonishes her to be "merry." Rosalind responds that until she can forget her father, she cannot remember joy: "Unless you could teach me to forget a banished father, ...."

Celia elaborates upon their friendship to show the strong bond between them. Celia reprimands Rosalind and says that if their roles had been reversed, as long as Rosalind was still with her, she would have found a way to be happy for the joy of Celia's company and would be happy for Celia's sake. As proof of her love for Rosalind and as an inducement to cheerfulness, Celia tells Rosalind that Celia's inheritance will all be handed over to Rosalind as rightful owner of the Duke's estate.

CELIA
... when [Frederick] dies, thou shalt
be his heir, for what he hath taken away from thy
father perforce, I will render thee again

The second instance is in scene iii. Duke Frederick is still angry because Orlando overthrew and injured his champion wrestler and angry that Rosalind failed to dissuade Orlando from wrestling:

FREDERICK
... I would fain dissuade him, but he
will not be entreated. Speak to him, ladies; see if
you can move him [to dissuade him].

As a result of these combined insults and the popularity Rosalind has with the populace, Frederick exiles her, as he did her father. [As an aside, Shakespeare leaves room for speculation about Frederick's true motive: Was he so angry about Orlando and Charles that he would see Rosalind's slight role as treachery and exile her for it? Or is he really worried about Celia's image before the people?]

Here Celia renounces her father and swears to flee with Rosalind. After the disclosures in scene ii, we are ready to believe that Celia would certainly do this for Rosalind because of their strong bond, a bond forged in childhood.

DUKE FREDERICK
... Then open not thy lips:
Firm and irrevocable is my doom
Which I have pass'd upon her; she is banish'd.

CELIA
Pronounce that sentence then on me, my liege:
I cannot live out of her company. (I.iii)

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