By the 16th Century English Kings had ambitions for national power and independence particularly against Catholic Spain. This demanded charcoal for iron, and timber for shipbuilding. The tanning of leather required the use of oak bark, which was another major demand specifically for oak. Large areas of forest were sold to ente Orlando writes simple poems full of sincere emotions. Rosalind is free from the tyranny of her uncle and closer to her father. Her courage and wit are many times greater in the Forest of Arden. Medieval era [ edit ] The Coughton wayside cross where travellers would pray before entering The Forest of Arden.

We are first introduced to Arden Forest in II.i in which Duke Senior gives voice to the virtues of the forest. His principal point is that though the forest may at times be a strong adversary to humans' frailty, the forest is nonetheless a faithful friend and adviser revealing truth about a person. This is part of the underlying analogy between the forest and royal court, which is a place where friends may become foes and counselors are dangerous enviers: The play is set in a duchy in France, beginning in a courtly environment; but most of the action takes place in a location called the 'Forest of Arden'. Enter DUKE SENIOR, AMIENS, and two or three Lords, like foresters DUKE SENIOR Now, my co-mates and brothers in exile, Moseley Bog is a remnant of the Forest of Arden, now a local nature reserve that inspired the Old Forest in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings books. [20] [21] Forest law [ edit ]

Finding the Heart of England Forest

The longest-running Broadway production starred Katharine Hepburn as Rosalind, Cloris Leachman as Celia, William Prince as Orlando, and Ernest Thesiger as Jaques, and was directed by Michael Benthall. It ran for 145 performances in 1950. The fauna is typical for the wider area, however before emparkment would have included traditional game species such as wild deer, boar and White Park cattle. Many species of deer still roam the region, however the cattle have long since been lost to emparkment. Wild boar were extinct in Great Britain in the 17th century, however they were accidentally reintroduced in the 1970s and sightings have been made in the Arden area. [26] Act 3, scene 4 Corin invites “Ganymede” and “Aliena” to observe the lovelorn Silvius as Silvius courts the disdainful Phoebe.

When William Harrison wrote his Description of England in 1587, he commented that both England and Wales, “have sometimes been very well replenished with great woods and groves, although at this time the said commodity be not a little decayed in both”. He attributed the change to the increase in grazing for sheep and cows, the need for firewood, and the building boom. Robert Catesby, leader of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, was a native of Lapworth, a village in Arden. It is believed that many local families across the Arden area had resisted the Reformation and retained Catholic sympathies, possibly including the family of Shakespeare, whose paternal ancestors were from the Balsall area. Shaw, George Bernard (1897). "Shaw on Shakespeare". In Tomarken, Edward (ed.). As You Like It from 1600 to the Present: Critical Essays. New York: Routledge. pp.533–534. ISBN 0-8153-1174-5. Many of the key engagements of English Civil War of 1642 – 1651 were fought in the Arden area, such as the Battle of Camp Hill.Ross, James (20 November 2020). "Greater Landowners and the Management of their Estates in Late Medieval England". The Fifteenth Century XVIII: 93–104. doi: 10.1017/9781800101128.009. There are many romantic relationships in the play, but one of the strongest relationships is the bond between Celia and Rosalind. Early on in the story, it is described how ‘never two ladies loved as they do’ and Celia is willing to go into the forest with her cousin when Rosalind is banished. Does their relationship seem as strong as the play goes on, particularly when the two are disguised as Ganymede and Aliena? Under the Greenwood tree": It summarises the views of Duke Senior on the advantages of country life over the amenities of the court. Amiens sings this song. Why do you think Jaques delivers this speech? What is he trying to achieve? Is he trying to impress Duke Senior? To entertain the group? To lighten the mood?