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Duke Frederick
The oldest son of Sir Rowland de Boys, Oliver harbors an irrational hatred for his brother, Orlando. He deprives him of his inheritance and education and plots to burn his house down. When ordered by Duke Frederick to find his brother, Oliver ventures into the Forest of Arden, where Orlando saves his life by fighting off a lioness, thereby inspiring in him a change of character. He becomes more loving and less spiteful, improvements that are demonstrated by his instant and profound love for Celia (when she is dressed as Aliena) despite her uncivil shepherdess’s exterior. He and Celia are eventually married.
Oliver Quotes in As You Like It
The As You Like It quotes below are all either spoken by Oliver or refer to Oliver. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Act 1, Scene 1 Quotes
My father charged you in his will to give me good education: you have trained me like a peasant, obscuring and hiding from me all gentlemanlike qualities. The spirit of my father grows strong in me, and I will no longer endure it.
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I hope I shall see an end of him; for my soul, yet I know not why, hates nothing more than he. Yet he’s gentle, never schooled and yet learned, full of noble device, of all sorts enchantingly beloved.
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Act 4, Scene 2 Quotes
Twice did he turn his back and purposed so; but kindness, nobler ever than revenge, and nature, stronger than his just occasion, made him give battle to the lioness.
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Act 5, Scene 2 Quotes
Your brother and my sister no sooner met but they looked; no sooner looked but they loved; no sooner loved but they sighed; no sooner sighed but they asked one another the reason; no sooner knew the reason but they sought the remedy; and in these degrees have they made a pair of stairs to marriage.
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Oliver Character Timeline in As You Like It
The timeline below shows where the character Oliver appears in As You Like It. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Act 1, Scene 1
...servant: Orlando’s father, upon his death, granted most of his estate to his other son, Oliver, and instructed him to raise his brothers, Orlando and Jaques, well. While treating Jaques fairly,...
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Oliver approaches and Adam slips away to observe the brothers’ exchange. Oliver orders Orlando to quit...
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...could be said to have had villains for sons. He swears that he would kill Oliver if they weren’t brothers. Adam tries to intervene but Orlando continues to demand that Oliver...
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Oliver orders his servant Dennis to call in Charles, the duke’s wrestler, who has been waiting...
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Charles informs Oliver that he is scheduled to wrestle the next day with Orlando, who plans to fight...
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Oliver feigns gratitude and falsely claims that he has already tried to dissuade Orlando from fighting....
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The scene ends with Oliver acknowledging in a soliloquy his irrationally extreme hatred for his brother: “my soul, yet I...
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Act 2, Scene 3
...and Adam responds that Orlando cannot enter his own home, because his brother is inside. Oliver, it seems, has heard of Orlando’s success in the wrestling match and intends to burn...
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Act 3, Scene 1
Duke Frederick instructs Oliver to go find Orlando, wherever he is. He says that if Oliver does not bring...
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Act 4, Scene 3
Oliver enters, looking for the sheep cottage owned by Ganymede and Aliena. He then notes that...
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Oliver reports that in response he himself has had a conversion to kindness and that he...
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Act 5, Scene 2
Orlando is asking Oliver if it is possible that he could have fallen so instantly in love with her...
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Rosalind enters just as Oliver departs, and discusses with Orlando the sudden love between her cousin and his brother. Orlando...
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...he claims to, he will be married to her tomorrow at the same time when Oliver marries “Aliena.”
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Act 5, Scene 4
Duke Senior, Amiens, Jaques, Orlando, Oliver, and Celia (as Aliena) enter. In response to Duke Senior’s questions about Ganymede’s promise, Orlando...
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...all confusion and addresses all pairs of lovers present: Orlando and Rosalind, Phebe and Silvius, Oliver and Celia, and Touchstone and Audrey.
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...suited “for other than for dancing measures,” and says his goodbyes to Duke Senior, Orlando, Oliver, Silvius, and Touchstone. Jaques exits and all the other characters, except for Rosalind, dance off...
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