As You Like It · Character

Celia

The usurping duke's daughter who abandons court and fortune to follow her exiled cousin into Arden, disguised as the shepherdess Aliena.

major

Also known as Celia Alas, Celia Ay, Celia Dear sovereign, Celia Prithee, Celia Well, Celia O Lord, Celia No, Celia for Aliena, Aliena

First appearance: act i

As a major figure in As You Like It, Celia is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Comforts Rosalind, jokes with Touchstone, and encourages Orlando after his victory.

In the storyScene IIOpen this moment free

See Celia in Scene II Book page

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Celia is the daughter of Duke Frederick, which makes her Rosalind's cousin and, by the play's strange arithmetic, the one person whose loyalty cuts against her own father's interests. When Frederick banishes Rosalind, Celia refuses to be left behind, trading a palace for a forest and a name for a costume. Her devotion is the play's quiet counterweight to all the scheming around her: she is the witness who keeps Rosalind honest, the friend who laughs at her own father's cruelty, and the woman whose love story with Oliver arrives as a kind of afterthought—proof that in Arden even the practical can be surprised.

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The fuller portrait of Celia sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.

See Celia in act i

Character Web

11 connections

A slice of how Celia sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Romantic Resolution and Transformation
Protagonist
Court and Forest Figures
Family and Court Conflict

+6 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This is the dramatic climax because Rosalind, who has been orchestrating the pastoral love games from a positi…

Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.

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In the story

Celia appears across 9 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Scene II
Comforts Rosalind, jokes with Touchstone, and encourages Orlando after his victory.
Scene III
Refuses to be separated from Rosalind; chooses the alias Aliena and plans their flight.
Scene II
Mentioned as having fled with Rosalind; her gentlewoman overheard them praising the wrestler.
Scene IV
Disguised as Aliena, she is exhausted and faint from travel, and expresses a liking for the forest.
Scene II
Present as Aliena, addressed by Rosalind as 'sister'.
Scene IV
Teases Rosalind about Orlando's broken promises, offering witty and cynical observations about love and fidelity.
Scene V
Present with Rosalind and Corin, observing the exchange.
Scene I
Participates in the mock wedding as the priest and later criticizes Rosalind for misrepresenting women in her love-talk.
Scene III
Accompanies Rosalind, pities Silvius, and helps identify Oliver's destination.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Celia unlock in the free preview.

See Celia in act i

See Celia in Scene II