In the pastoral setting of the Forest of Arden in William Shakespeare's As You Like It, the characters are physically removed from society, and therefore of the political, economic world, and the sexual rules which govern social life. But if Arden is a paradise, it is illusory. Shakespere initially depicts Arden as a sanctuary where characters can reinvent themselves in roles that were not available to them in society. However, the experience of inhabiting different characters only renews the characters' dedication to their traditional societal roles. Shakespere thus presents the Forest of Arden as a commentary on the permanent influence of society on individual identity. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay In Arden, Rosalind and Oliver both get a chance to reinvent themselves. Rosalind, having fled the corrupt society of the court, approaches the Forest of Arden as a place where she could be free to be herself. In a move that suggests the particular oppression of women in Renaissance England, Rosalind reinvents herself as the male mythological figure of Ganymede: a Trojan boy of great beauty and cupbearer to Zeus (II.1.123). In Rosalind's attempt to shed her identity outside of society as the daughter of Duke Senior, she chooses the identity of a strong man. Yet, beneath her disguise, she fiercely clings to her femininity. Even in her men's clothes, Rosalind insists that she can "cry like a woman" (II.4.5). Oliver is first presented as a greedy and evil character who denies his brother the right to education. When the Duke orders him to enter Arden to find his brother who fled, Oliver has a chance to redeem himself. After being saved from the lion and the serpent by his brother Orlando, Oliver meets Rosalind and Celia. Asking who he is, Olivier announces to the women: "I am not ashamed / To tell you what I was since my conversion / Such a sweet taste, being the thing that I am" (IV.3.134-136) . Far from the pressures of the court, Oliver is given the opportunity to judge his own character and redeem himself as an authentic person (“this thing that I am”). However, Oliver's redemption – presented in clearly religious terms – fulfills the Duke's command and thus makes Oliver more suitable for court life. For Oliver, Arden is not an escape from society, but a temporary opportunity to redeem himself in the eyes of the social world. Likewise, Touchstone and Duke Senior remind the reader that Arden is only a temporary respite from human society. Its utopian character is illusory: Arden is not part of another world. Although Touchstone is one of the fools in the play, he is one of the only characters who resists madness by believing that Arden is some kind of paradise. Indeed, Touchstone reminds us that in Arden, “hour by hour [they] ripen and ripen, / And then, hour by hour [they] rot and rot” (II.7.26-27). Provocatively, Touchstone suggests that Arden is not a supernatural realm: in Arden, as in nature, nothing lasts forever. Although the pastoral landscape of Arden may seem fantastical and ideal, time passes and things are constantly changing. Duke Senior also debunks Arden. The Duke recounts the wonders of Arden; how the woods are free from the perils of the court and the penalty of Adam. It references the biblical Garden of Eden and the fall of man, comparing it to Arden: a golden world in which the fall of man never occurred. However, as he continues, the Duke reveals ambivalence about Arden's status as ;, 1998.