Monday, March 29, 2010

Now, My Co-Mates And Brothers In Exile Comments

Rating: 3.2

Now, my co-mates and brothers in exile,
Hath not old customs make this life more sweet
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William Shakespeare
COMMENTS
* Sunprincess * 21 April 2016

....beautiful, I would not change it ★

1 2 Reply
Fabrizio Frosini 21 November 2015

''As You Like It'' - Act 2, Scene 1

34 8 Reply
Fabrizio Frosini 21 November 2015

These lines, spoken by Duke Senior upon his introduction in Act II, scene i, establish the pastoral mode of the play. With great economy, Shakespeare draws a dividing line between the “painted pomp” of court—with perils great enough to drive the duke and his followers into exile—and the safe and restorative Forest of Ardenne (II.i.3) . The woods are romanticized, as they typically are in pastoral literature, and the mood is set for the remainder of the play. Although perils may present themselves, they remain distant, and, in the end, there truly is “good in everything” (II.i.17) . This passage, more than any other in the play, presents the conceits of the pastoral mode. Here, the corruptions of life at court are left behind in order to learn the simple and valuable lessons of the country. Shakespeare highlights the educational, edifying, and enlightening nature of this foray into the woods by employing language that invokes the classroom, the library, and the church: in the trees, brooks, and stones surrounding him, the duke finds tongues, books, and sermons. As is his wont, Shakespeare goes on to complicate the literary conventions upon which he depends. His shepherds and shepherdesses, for instance, ultimately prove too lovesick or dim-witted to dole out the kind of wisdom the pastoral form demands of them, but for now Shakespeare merely sets up the opposition between city and country that provides the necessary tension to drive his story forward.

36 7 Reply
Brian Jani 26 April 2014

Awesome I like this poem, check mine out

1 5 Reply
Suze Collett 29 April 2012

I'm unaware of the context of this poem. I'm entrenched in a battle for freedom, opposed to legal pomp and governmental paint. This poem speaks to me of a similar disenchantment. I like this poem very much, is it a piece within a play?

0 2 Reply
Souren Mondal 07 November 2015

This is from Shakespeare's As You Like It, most probably Act 2, Scene 1.. It is 'Duke Senior', who speaks these lines to his companions in the forest of Arden... A beautiful monologue and a beautiful comedy indeed...

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William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare

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