Rosalind



Edmonds Community College's Rosalind and Orlando



The character of Rosalind in As You Like It is the second biggest part in Shakespearean plays next to Hamlet and is the largest female role in all of Shakespeare's work. Rosalind in the court and in the pastoral are two very different characters. In the court Rosalind acts very much like a woman "should act" in a court. She speaks less than Celia and really only speaks when Celia and her are alone. She behaves in the way women were expected to.

Once in the pastoral Rosalind's character is dressed as a man and so speaks and acts as one. This allows her to have conversations that a woman of the time would not have. She speaks freely with all of the different characters but most specifically with Orlando, her love interest.

Rosalind's character deals with a multitude of changes throughout the show. Not only does she have to stay in hiding but she also is trying to pursue her love, Orlando, while avoiding a young girl, Phebe from pursuing her. By the end of the show Rosalind's growth is wonderful and different from many female characters of the time. She becomes a self-assured woman who still gets the guy in the end.



Rosalind giving the epilogue. (EdCC Theatre)

 Rosalind is one of the first female characters that women can look up to and be proud to play. Rosalind also ends the play by speaking the epilogue. This again is not common for the time it was written or even for years to come. Rosalind truly depicts a wonderful female character.

The following link goes to an article about an actress’s portrayal of Rosalind in 1842. This provides and interesting look at how audiences may have received this character in the past. http://web.ebscohost.com.ezp.lib.cwu.edu/ehost/detail?hid=106&sid=2e29ef52-68c9-437f-9f1b-f1d32a118308%40sessionmgr111&vid=3&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=7165865

Sources Cited:

Pictures from Edmonds Community College Theatre Arts Department's As You Like It, Spring 2009