Thursday, July 23, 2015

What are the grievances of Orlando in As You Like by Shakespeare?

Orlando has many grievance, and they are against his
eldest brother Oliver. Their father, Sir Roland de Boys, specified in his will that the
eldest brother Oliver take care of the raising and educating of the two younger, Jacques
and Orlando. Oliver fulfilled his commission regarding Jacques, who was carefully
educated as a gentleman, but failed in his responsibilities to Orlando--possibly because
he resented the expenditure of more of their inheritance.

While
Jacques went to schools, Orland was left to live in the stables of the family manor:



he keeps me
rustically at home,
[...]
that
differs not from the
stalling of an ox?



He
complains to Adam, his servant and old family domestic retainer, that Oliver spends
money on "riders dearly hired" to train his horses, yet Orlando gets nothing from "him
but growth." Encounters with Oliver even seem to rob Orlando of his good nature because
Oliver treats and trains him "like a peasant."

These are the
grievances Orlando has plus the additional one that, after having won the wrestling
match against Charles and incurring the further enmity of Oliver along with the fresh
enmity of Duke Frederick, Oliver plans to burn down the dwelling that has housed
Orlando.


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this night he
means

To burn the lodging where you use to
lie



It is for this
murderous new twist their brotherly love has taken that Adam suggests he flee to the
safety of Arden Forest. The final grievance accrues to this because in fleeing for his
safety, he loses Rosalind (or so he thinks).

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