I’d been feeling like reading something since some time. As I came upon this book, somehow it felt like it would be interesting. Just by the basic premise. So, I set upon the task of reading this and finished it quite quickly. It was a good read and here are my thoughts about it.
THE MAIN CHARACTERS
Former Duke… Living in exile.
Duke Frederick… Duke’s brother and usurper of his brother's kingdoms and throne
Oliver… Eldest son of Sir Rowland
Jaques… Son of Sir Rowland
Orlando… Youngest son of Sir Rowland
Celia… Daughter of banished duke
Rosalind… Daughter of Duke Frederick
Touchstone… Court Jester
Corin… Shepherd
Silvius… Shepherd
Phebe… Shepherdess
THE BASIC STORY
The story is set somewhere in a former kingdom in France with an adjacent forest. A duke is overthrown by his brother Frederick and exiled to the forests. Upon his daughter’s request, he abstains from banishing the former duke’s daughter to keep his daughter company as they’ve grown up together as good friends.
A renowned late Sir Rowland had 3 sons. The youngest, Orlando feels he is deprived of his rights as Sir Rowland’s son in terms of proper education and bringing up, left to live the life of a peasant. Orlando is skilled however, and leaves no stone unturned to prove his mettle every now and then in various walks of life. Upon one such acts of bravado, where he challenges the Duke’s wrestler, he also incidentally acquaints himself with the duke and former duke’s daughters who intended to watch the matchup as part of their earnest efforts to be knowledgeable about ongoing gossip topics. Orlando, subsequently falls for the former duke’s daughter.
Duke Frederick, on the other hand, has a change of heart for the worse and wants to banish his banished brother’s daughter Rosalind too. His daughter Celia is shaken by the decision and together with Rosalind, conjures up a plan to escape into the forests. What follows is an elaborate sequence of events where we are given a lesson on various forms of love. Several people fall in love with several others. We have a situation where we have multiple instances of unrequited love, all on the account of one’s mistaken identity. Meanwhile, that person is busy testing what it would be like to be in an actual relationship with one’s lover.
The story however, after briefly touching upon the more tragic possibilities, ends on a positive note for most of the important characters.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE BOOK
1) This is one of the instances of a Shakespearean story ending well, rather than in tragedy. I hadn’t read any of his comedies in a long time, so I decided to give this a shot just on that account.
2) The pace of the story is fast at the beginning, slows down in the middle and then picks up towards the end where it zeroes in on a prevalent quandary as a decisive step towards resolving it.
3) Among the characters, I liked Rosalind the best. She is perceptive and is never at a loss for words or analogies to decipher real life scenarios. No matter how dire the circumstances, she is able to have fun even in the most serious situations. She believes in coming up with a foolproof solution before executing her ideas.
Jaques, one of Orlando’s brothers is nicknamed “melancholy” owing to his usual disposition. But ironically, he doesn’t come across as dull or unlikeable. In my opinion, he gets along quite well with everyone he engages with.
4) Amongst best scenes, the one between Silvius and Corin about whether Corin has experienced actual love and the silly side effects which come with it, is worthy of note and comes across as quite funny.
Unfolding of the elaborate examination that Orlando undergoes on account of his lover is curious to imagine upon reading.
Orlando’s confrontation with his elder brother Oliver at the beginning is probably the most passionate two-sided exchange In the whole story. It almost lead me to believe this story was going to go in another direction.
Silvius and Rosalind discussing Phebe’s letter to Rosalind and their different takes on its implications is interesting to comprehend it for what it is.
5) Although many of the story’s main characters are nobility, most of the story unravels in the forest rather than the kingdom.
6) The story consists of 5 full acts but you feel reasonably engrossed in what’s going on. You don’t really feel boredom.
7) There is a lot of philosophy or theories uttered by various people at various times. Simple things which we don’t give much thought in real life. None of it comes as a lecture but an interesting take.
One such example which I quite liked was Touchstone’s classification of lies in our responses in our day to day life. “Retort Courteous”, “Lie with Circumstance”, “Valiant Reproof”, “Churlish Reply”, “Modest Quip”, “Courteous Retort” and “Quarrelsome Countercheck”. All are symbolic of various degrees of a “lie” one typically indulges in, if at all so.
8) One gets the feeling, at times the characters get unnecessarily verbose. So, it cannot in any way, be called a continuously exciting read. It’s just small talk which is part and parcel of several stories.
9) It has its funny moments too, although it is more pronounced in the conversations rather than a plethora of funny scenarios.
All in all, I quite liked reading this. Initially not knowing much about what this was going to be all about, I was quite satisfied and entertained upon reading the book for what it was.
