Et in Arcadia Arcadiae? Il paesaggio della Foresta di Arden in As You Like It

This essay focuses on the Forest of Arden in "As You Like It", highlighting how this landscape is not simply a homogeneous ‘other’ space that allows characters to undergo metamorphoses of various kinds; rather, it also offers references to particular genres and traditions that privilege awareness and change at the expense of the immobility of the Arcadian ideal. Focusing on the religious and romance tradition, this essay attempts to show how the implications of these references are more specific than generally understood: although certain traditions are usually listed among the influences on Shakespeare’s playwriting of this comedy, this paper focuses on the role they play in the text – that is, they contribute to the play’s didactic aims. Also, this essay suggests that such educational approach is probably the only feature of the pastoral seriously maintained in the comedy.