As You Like It LRJ #1

Ian Decker

Ms. Peifer

Per. 5/ 10 IB

3/14/09



In this act, Oliver is made out to be condescending, greedy, and unkind in general. These traits are proved to the reader in not only the way he treats those around himself, but in also his plan (which gets foiled) to rid himself of his younger brother, Orlando. In the story, Orlando treats those around him with a sense of condescending and vanity. When he first comes across his younger brother in his court, he accuses him of doing nothing, "Merry, sir, be better employed, and be naught a while" (1.1.35-36). This is just Oliver telling his brother to go find something to do and just get away in general. After a small argument, Oliver threatens his brother and this act causes Orlando to hold Oliver of by the throat. When Adam, one of Oliver's servants, convinces them to stop the fighting, Oliver just sends him off with disgust, "Get you with him, you old dog" (1.1.80). This is Adam's dismissal, after which Adam tells Oliver that Oliver's father would've never treated him so badly, further proving how nasty Oliver is to those whom he considers his lessers. The final way that Shakespeare portrays Oliver is in Oliver's couple of lines that he says to himself first after Adam leaves, and then after Charles has left. The first thing he does is reveals that he never intended to go forth and fulfill his word of providing Orlando with a portion of their father's will, "[I will] give no thousand crowns neither" (1.1.85-86). The original promise of 1000 crowns was given to Orlando in order to have him let go of Oliver's neck. The second and final thing that Shakespeare reveals is that he intends to have his brother killed, "I hope I shall see an end of him, for my soul" (1.1.161-162). Oliver intends to do this by having Charles kill him in their wrestling match. He had convinced Charles to do this by lying to Charles telling him that Orlando was going to cheat and stop at nothing to win the match and even kill Charles if necessary.