What pastoral elements are present in Shakespeare's As You Like It?

The pastoral idyllic poem originates with Greek poet
Theocritus and idealizes the simple rural life of shepherds and other people who dwell
in the countryside and live their lives close to nature and the ways of nature.
Shakespeare's As You Like It is an oft cited example of the
pastoral theme in drama (Wordsworth's Michael: A Pastoral Poem is
an oft cited pastoral in poetry). As the href="http://web.uvic.ca/wguide/Pages/LTPastoral.html">University of
Victoriaexplains it, the features of pastorals are country life, a comparison
to city life, shepherds, living close to nature, simple happiness, contentment,
plentiful fruits of nature.

As You Like
Itcontains these features on several levels. First, the majority of the play
takes place in Arden Forest with shepherds as some of the minor characters--who
nonetheless guide plot development and character development in several major
characters--and with exiles living in abundance off the goodness of the fruit of the
land, all of whom have a simple happiness that brings good and contentment. Second,
pastoral features apply to Rosalind and Celia who settle in a pastoral setting and find
their opportunities expanded in a way that was never possible, despite their privileges,
at court. This expansion of opportunity is true for all the court characters who come to
Arden's pastoral life from Duke Frederick to Oliver to Touchstone to
Orlando.

Pastoral features are instrumental in plot and
character development in regard to several characters: Rosalind, Touchstone, Celia, Duke
Senior, Duke Frederick, Phebe, and others. In each case, the idllyc country life
materially alters a characters life choices and/or opportunities. Using Duke Frederick
as an example, his encounter with unexpected power in the pastoral has convinced him to
enter the most pastoral of occupations and joins a monastary to pursue the divine,
thoughtful life. Using Oliver as another example, Oliver has an enlightening experience
(an epiphany) and, while choosing Celia for a wife, also chooses, along with her, to
abandon court life and adopt a pastoral life with Celia's sheep herd offering the
perfect pastoral element to their happiness.