Growth Through the Trees

Great Lakes Theater
William Shakespeare
“As You Like It”
Directed by Edward Morgan
Photo by Roger Mastroianni

How do can you love someone who has treated you like a slave your entire life? They say blood is thicker than water, but what if the blood has been tainted with filling your family with evil. It took Orlando sometime to figure out he is tired of his brother and the hard labour he’s been putting him through. His will to fight back was tested for the last time while he was doing chores and harassed at the same time. This was the first step in his transformation from a boy to a man. He decides to take his life back and control his destiny for the better. He is a king hidden in the shadows and takes the first step in ascending to the throne and reaching his full potential. In doing so he finds and creates new friendships and even finds love. The power of love will give anyone the will to fight stronger then they ever thought they could.One of Shakespeare’s major themes throughout all his plays is growth. The ability for a character to grow is key in writing a great play. Without growth you have nothing to pay attention to, and the play stays dry with a one dimensional climax and little dramatic change. Through the advice of his lover and pressure of his peers, Orlando would have never became the man he was at the end of the play.