Northrop Frye and CL Barber's "green world" and "bad government" theories are very evident in William Shakespeare's As You Like It (ASYI). Frye discusses his "green world" theory in his books Anatomy of Criticism, in 1957, and A Natural Perspective, in 1965. In it, Frye describes a "normal" or court world, a "green world", and a of court changed. . Barber's theory, contained in Shakespeare's Festive Comedy, published in 1959, is based on an anthropological perspective. He describes structures as tension, release, and clarification rather than worlds. The materialist/Marxist cultural view focuses more on how one class suppresses another. The Marxist view focuses on economics, power and class, while Frye and Barber are more interested in the plot of AYLI. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The world of Frye's court, according to his theory, is where all the characters are at the beginning of Shakespeare's play. The court of AYLI, or normal world, is a world of injustice. It is a world where abuse of the law prevails. Act 1, scene 1 reveals Oliver's knowledge of how brutal Orlando's fight with the Duke's wrestler could become, yet he uses only "subtle means" (I. i. 138) to dissuade him from fighting. The word "subtle" is reported in the note to mean "discreet, not overt or obvious." Oliver abused the "rules" of the normal world to try to get Orlando killed. Evidence of the murderous plot is found in these lines, spoken to Charles, the challenger: "I had as life, you broke his neck as his finger" (I. i. 143-4). Another misuse of the court is found in scene 2 after Orlando fights Charles and wins. Instead of giving Orlando his prize, Duke Frederick responds: "The world esteemed your father honorable, / But I still found him my enemy. / You should have pleased me better with this act / If you had descended from another house. / But goodbye. you are well" (I. ii. 220-5). Two more abuses are discovered in scene 3, when Rosalind is banished by Duke Frederick on his whim and readers learn that it was he who usurped Duke Senior, her brother. Barber would refer to these injustices as a growing tension. At this point something must break or be released. Act II brings all three theories into play. The change of scenery in the Forest of Arden follows Frye's "green world" theory. He describes this world as having the potential for characters to temporarily "lose" their identities. Celia and Rosalind dress up as Aliena and Ganymede to change their identities. Frye also tells how only some characters proceed into the green world (for example, Duke Frederick and Oliver are left behind). He identifies in his theory the exploration of liberatory potential, which he found evident in AYLI when there is interaction between classes in the forest. Duke Senior and his men are compared to "the old Robin Hood of England" (I. i. 115). The lines immediately following this label suggest Barber's theory of liberation: they say that many young gentlemen flock to him every day and flee time carelessly, as they did in the golden world" (I. i. 115-18). men who flock are in situations too tense for them to handle and run away to Duke Senior for "release" or a vacation leave Historically, as increasing industrialization and decreasing agrarianism fueled tension in European societies, l The instinct was for society to escape to nature. They state no change in worlds.
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