[In the excerpt below, Park maintains that Shakespeare belongs to a small minority of authors in the history of western literature who created influential woman characters in his works. Rosalind's actions control the progression of events in As You Like It, the critic remarks, and it is through her machinations that the four couples assemble for the multiple marriages at the end of the play. According to Park, Shakespeare is careful, however, to make sure that Rosalind's wit in no way oversteps the feminine domain of "love-matters. " intimately, the critic points out, Rosalind willingly and unregrettably relinquishes her male disguise in favor of her more traditional female role. For further commentary on Rosalind's character, see the excerpts by Alfred Harbage, Brigid Brophy, Kenneth Muir, John A. Hart, Nancy K Hayles, Thomas F. Van Laan, Thomas Kelly, and Lorentz Eckhoff. This essay was recently reprinted in Clara Claiborne...