Act III, Scene 1

Summary

This scene returns to a room in the Duke Frederick's Palace. The duke has summoned Oliver to interrogate him about the whereabouts of Orlando. He refuses to believe Oliver when he says he has not seen his brother and demands that he produce Orlando dead or alive within a year; during his absence, the duke will hold Oliver's property. However, if Oliver does not succeed in finding his brother, he need not come back to live in the dukedom.

When Oliver explains to the duke that he has never loved his brother and has attempted to have him killed, the duke reacts violently. He calls Oliver a villain, throws him out, and orders the confiscation of his property.

Notes

In this scene, Oliver gets his just reward for the treatment he has meted out to his brother. Even though Duke Frederick is upset with Orlando and wants to punish him, he is shocked to learn how Oliver has behaved towards his brother. When the duke finds out that Oliver has attempted to have Orlando killed, he banishes Oliver from the dukedom and confiscates his land. Now that he is homeless, the audience assumes that Oliver will head toward the Forest of Arden, like the others.

Duke Frederick's criticism of Oliver is totally ironic. When he calls Oliver a villain who has not bothered to love his brother, he is really describing himself, for he has seized the dukedom from Duke Senior, his older brother, and banished him to the forest.

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