belonging

Belonging is a universal human experience that occurs when individuals share a set of beliefs. It often emerges from our connections to place, in terms of both the surrounding environment and our perceived place within relationships. The pastoral comedy “As You Like It” by William Shakespeare strengthens our grasp of this elusive concept by exploring the influence of agrarian existence on how characters finds their place in society. “Line written in Kensington Garden” by Matthew Arnold similarly expresses a rapturous appreciation of nature while conveying the isolation of the protagonist in a tumultuous society. Ultimately through analysis of theatrical and poetic forms, the responder understands that our emotional links with place both physically and metaphorically can enrich our sense of belonging to one group while alienating us from others.
An individual’s interaction with the surrounding environment in AYLI is demonstrated through the contrast of the court and forest. The play unfolds in the “painted pomp” of the court where brother is turned against brother , in the Elizabethan context of the Chain of Being; this is reconnection of filial bonds, and the restoration of social station. The corruption of the court is demonstrated by the irony of Frederick’s “more villain art thou” when Oliver proclaims “I never loved my brother”; emphasising the fractured filial bonds caused by ambition. However, in the “Golden time” of the forest, nature nurtures a positive influence on the protagonists. The biblical allusion, “finding sermons in stones, books in brook… and good in everything” illustrates freedom from rigorous social constraints, and demonstrate a life free from human corruption.Demonstratively, Orlando saves Oliver from the lion and this noble act of courage transforms Oliver. His catharsis “I do not shame to tell you what I was, since my conversion so sweetly tastes, being the thing I am”. alludes to the restoration of brotherly ties once away from the