# Duke Frederick — As You Like It character guide

> Duke Frederick in As You Like It by William Shakespeare.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Frederick, Duke, Exeunt Duke Frederick, Duke Frederick Ay, Duke Frederick Mistress

**First appearance:** 0003-act-i-scene-ii

## Snapshot

The usurping duke whose fear of his niece Rosalind's quiet popularity drives him to banish her from court on pain of death.

## Who they are

Duke Frederick holds the throne his brother lost, ruling through suspicion and threat. He cannot tolerate Rosalind's patience and silence, convinced they steal the people's love from his own daughter Celia, and he ignores Celia's fierce plea that they are inseparable. His cold decree — leave or die — forces the flight to Arden and sets the whole comedy in motion, making him the hard edge of court life against which the forest is measured.

## Relationships

### [Rosalind](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/as_you_like_it_se/characters/rosalind)

_family_

Duke Frederick is Rosalind's usurping uncle who banishes her from court out of paranoid jealousy.

## In the story

### [Scene II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/as_you_like_it_se/chapters/act-i-scene-ii)

Commands the wrestling match; shows hostility upon learning Orlando's parentage.

### [Scene III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/as_you_like_it_se/chapters/act-i-scene-iii)

Banishes Rosalind from court, accusing her of treason by association.

### [Scene II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/as_you_like_it_se/chapters/act-ii-scene-ii)

Furious at the disappearance of Rosalind and Celia, he orders a search and demands Oliver be brought to him.

### [Scene I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/as_you_like_it_se/chapters/act-iii-scene-i)

Confronts Oliver and orders him to find Orlando or lose his lands.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/as_you_like_it_se/characters/duke_frederick
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/as_you_like_it_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/as_you_like_it_se/characters