Rosalind, daughter to the rightful Duke, lives at the court of his usurping brother,
Frederick, as companion to Frederick's daughter, Celia. When Rosalind is suddenly
banished by her uncle, she goes to seek her father in the forest of Arden, where he
has taken refuge with his companions. For safety, Rosalind disguises herself as a boy called
Ganymede, and is accompanied by Celia and Touchstone, the court Fool.
Rosalind has met and fallen in love with Orlando, youngest son of
Sir Rowland de Boys, who also flees to the forest of Arden to escape
the malice of his elder brother, Oliver, and also the displeasure of
Duke Frederick, whose wrestler, Charles, he has defeated in a wrestling
match. When he meets Rosalind again, he
does not recognise her in her disguise.
All the exiles eventually meet, along with some of the inhabitants of the
forest. Several love affairs develop and are worked out, the villains are
converted to virtue, and everyone is restored to their rights.
The set for our production was dominated by a large, artificial-looking tree
constructed out of pieces of black-painted
timber, and the floor and rostra were covered with squares of carpet in greens and browns.
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The play began in late Autumn, with the tree bare and a few dead leaves fluttering down, and our
first view of the put-upon Orlando was of him sweeping up piles of leaves. The seasons
then moved to Winter, for which a white sheet was spread over the stage to suggest snow.
The banished Duke's court was therefore seen in freezing cold and wrapped in cloaks
and furs, giving very specific meaning to the lines of the song:
"Here shall he see
No enemy,
But winter and rough weather."
In the second half, a semi-circular gauze, covered with green leaves, was lowered in front
of the branches of the tree, to suggest the arrival of Spring.
Like "Antony and Cleopatra", this play requires the creation of two contrasting worlds,
which were suggested through the use of colour in the costumes and through lighting.
The oppressive world of Duke Frederick's court was characterised by the use of dark
colours like black, dark red and purple, with lowering red or threatening night skies,
while the countryside and the Forest of Arden
were filled with earthy, natural colours like brown, green and yellow, with
clear skies and soft moonlight.
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