Shakespeare created Rosalind with many admirable characteristics. I can imagine she was based off of his ideal woman. She’s smart, thoughtful in selecting a husband, and independent. I can see why Shakespeare would make such a character. Rosalind demonstrates her intelligence by thinking quickly and having witty exchanges with other characters. At the end of the book she has also been an effective matchmaker. Everybody has a happy ending because of her wit. When acting as Ganymede, Rosalind thinks on her feet as Orlando questions her. He asks her why she speaks so well if she was born in the forest; she quickly answers that she had an uncle raised in court that taught her how to speak properly. Before Rosalind can marry Orlando, she tests him and gets to know him first. She doesn’t rashly jump into marriage with him and is careful to chose him as a husband.
Her whole process of finding if he is worthy as her husband is to play as Ganymede giving Orlando advice about love. She never reveals that she is Ganymede and takes her time in finding out if Orlando is a suitable match for her. She knows she loves him but doesn’t run off immediately to find him like other girls would. Shakespeare probably would want a girl with a good head on her shoulders. When Rosalind meets Duke Senior, her father, in the forest, she is dressed as Ganymede. Though she is happy to see her father, she doesn’t reveal who she is. She shows her independence by continuing to live with Celia and Touchstone. She is capable of living by herself and selecting her own husband. She doesn’t need her father to plan her life for her. Rosalind is probably Shakespeare’s ideal woman. She is smart, careful in choosing a husband, and independent. I can see why these characteristics make her desirable to Shakespeare.
The Essay on As Rosalind Likes It Preparing Orlando For Marriage
Shakespearean men have misogynistic trends; Shakespeare takes great care in expressing the great capabilities of the female intellect, but nevertheless proves women fated to be oppressed by males. In Othello, for example, although Desdemona and Othello are very deeply in love, he refuses to listen to her when she swears her chastity. Consequently, Othello murders her under the eye of the evil ...
