As You Like It
Act 1 scene 3
[This is the answer to the question.]
[This is the answer to the question.]
In a sense this is the opposite of foiling, deliberately trying to remove anything one might be compared to in order to seem more fair. Compare this to Oliver's belief that he will seem better when Orlando is not around. Duke Frederick claims he is banishing Rosalind for Celia's benefit, but obviously he also does not feel as virtuous because of the constant reminder of what he did to Duke Senior because of Rosalind's presence.
The disguise begins here, and the humor of gender reversal, with Rosalind dressed as a man but finding ways to express her feminine feelings. Rosalind intends to act like a stereotyped swaggard male (in the spirit of providing more protection for the two women in the wild forest). But this also provides an opportunity for Rosalind to make some satiric comments on men. So Rosalind will change from looking like a beautiful, well-born lady into a swaggering youth, perhaps exaggerating the bluster of the alternative character she is creating. Her dialogue with Celia will continue to remind the audience of her femininity. So she can play both the Romantic heroine of the romances and also the cynical, satirical character of comedies; this, of course, makes her a more complex character and allows her to grow as a character. Just as Rosalind shows her more masculine side, Orlando is acting in a more feminine way (going from wrestling to writing poetry).
Bolingbroke in Richard II could not change her view of banishment to see the benefit in it as Gaunt tries to teach him, but Celia can learn to see the positive in any situation.