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Briefly Describe the Sub-Plot in As You Like It.

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As You Like It is a notable literary work by William Shakespeare. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, and various study materials of As You Like It.

Answer

Briefly describe the sub-plot in “As You Like It.” 

Or, Comment on the triangle among the Silvius-Phebe-Rosalind in “As You Like It.”

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) is the most influential English dramatist. He creates not only bold and remarkable heroines but also interesting subplots in his plays. The Silvius-Phoebe-Rosalind subplot is such an interesting story in the famous romantic comedy “As You Like It” (1623).

Silvius’s Love for Phoebe: In the Forest of Arden, a young shepherd named Silvius is madly in love with Phoebe. But Phoebe, a shepherdess, does not care about Silvius—she is rude to him and laughs at his feelings. Silvius keeps chasing her anyway. He writes sad love poems for her. He calls her:

“O Phoebe, Phoebe, Phoebe!”

Here, Silvius repeats her name as if his whole world revolves around her. So, the audience feels pity for Silvius’s addiction to Phoebe.

Phoebe’s Love for Ganymede: One day, Rosalind (disguised as a boy named Ganymede) meets Silvius and Phoebe. When Phoebe sees Ganymede, she instantly falls in love with him. Now, Silvius loves Phoebe, Phoebe loves Ganymede. Phoebe even sends Silvius to deliver a love letter to Ganymede. Rosalind warns Phoebe,

“I pray you, do not fall in love with me.”

Phoebe’s love for Ganymede makes it a laughable/hilarious love triangle.

Rosalind’s Clever Plan: Rosalind, as Ganymede, realizes the situation and decides to teach Phoebe a lesson. She promises to marry Phoebe if she wants to marry Ganymede; however, Phoebe must marry Silvius if she does not want to marry Ganymede.

Happy Ending and Marriage: In the end, Rosalind reveals her true identity. Phoebe realizes she cannot marry Ganymede since he is actually a woman; hence, she must marry Silvius. This subplot ends happily with Silvius’s love rewarded and all misunderstandings cleared.

To wrap up, this interesting subplot shows how people act foolishly when they are in love. Rosalind’s cleverness solves the problems. In the end, true love wins.