is a magical place that elevates people and gently persuades them to act nobly and virtuously.
Duke Senior also suggests that life in the woods is similar to life in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve lived pure and simple lives of virtue and innocence until they ate the forbidden fruit. Then they were kicked out of the paradisiacal garden: “the penalty of Adam” (5). However, Ardenne Forest is not as perfect as the Garden of Eden. That paradise, according to some Christian interpreters, always had perfect weather: it was never too hot or too cold. Duke Senior admits that the forest is often extremely cold and windy. But he personifies (personification) the cold and wind as counselors who remind him that he is a mere mortal with weaknesses and failings. Duke Senior contrasts these counselors of nature with the counselors at court in the city: the court counselors use flattery (line 10) and lies to make the duke believe he is great and mighty and godlike. The counselors of nature, on the other hand, are honest ones.
Thus, Duke Senior sums up his reversal in fortune as actually becoming a benefit:
Sweet are the uses of adversity. (12)
The Duke experienced adversity or misfortune when his crown was usurped by his brother and he was then banished out of his own dukedom. However, that misfortune actually resulted in being a sweet blessing in disguise; for now the Duke appreciates life and his role in it in a way that he never fully