Ladies of the Play (Abby Bischoff)
One aspect of love within As You Like It is the relationship between Rosalind and Celia. There is such a complexity to the cousins’ relationship that one could read into as merely being a close bond of sisters, or a hidden reference to Celia harboring a crush on Rosalind. As previously discussed in class, at this time there was no word for homosexuality, although several instances in the play point to Rosalind and Celia having the potential to fit under the category of bisexual. Early on in the play, Charles comments to Oliver that “never two ladies loved as they do” (1.1.98). Le Beau also mentions that Rosalind and Celia’s love for each other is “dearer than the natural bond of sisters” (1.2.245). Upon Duke Frederick’s banishment of Rosalind, his daughter becomes distressed and proclaims that she too has been banished. Celia’s attempt to plead with her father invokes the image of the Roman goddess Juno, comparing the two girls to be as close as the swans that pull the goddess’s chariot (1.3.71).
Juno plays a role in mythology similar to the Greek’s goddess of marriage, Hera, and is a protector of women. The Roman goddess is also a queen. However, in mythology swans are typically associated with Venus (or Aphrodite) instead as Juno’s symbolic birds are geese and peacocks. Swans are thought to represent beauty, protection, and pure love while peacocks and geese represent elements of loyalty and protection. Both women’s actions display this imagery of love and protection throughout the play.
Sources:
Picture: Juno and Luna by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (https://fineartamerica.com/featured/juno-and-luna-giovanni-battista-tiepolo.html)
https://www.ancient.eu/Juno/
https://www.goddess-guide.com/juno.html
http://www.mindbodyspirit-online.com/peacock
http://www.symbolism.co/bird_symbolism.html
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