from the court immediately.
But Orlando can think of nothing else at the moment except Rosalind. Le Beau tells Orlando that Rosalind is the name of the tall girl that he adores and that she is the daughter of the banished Duke Senior. Although Duke Frederick had been treating Rosalind like one of his own daughters up to that point, the Duke’s mood is shifting:
But I can tell you that of late this Duke
Hath ta’en displeasure ‘gainst his gentle niece, Grounded upon no other argument
But that the people praise her for her virtues And pity her for her good father’s sake. (244-48)
An old expression aptly describes Duke Frederick: uneasy lies the head that wears a crown. This expression actually appears in another Shakespeare play (Henry IV, Part 2). A king (or duke) can never stop worrying. Someone is always waiting to take his place. Duke Frederick took Duke Senior’s by force, and now he is worried that the same situation will happen to him.
Le Beau correctly predicts that the Duke’s “malice” or hatred for Rosalind will be followed by some action against her (lines 249-50: a case of foreshadowing).
After Le Beau exits, Orlando comments to himself, “Thus must I from the smoke into the smother” (254). Orlando has left one dangerous situation (smoke: symbolizing the danger of his brother Oliver) only to find himself in another