Orlando Symbolism, Imagery & Allegory

This poem serves as a talisman for Orlando. Written painstakingly over the course of four hundred years, we can view "The Oak Tree" as a record of Orlando’s life and evolving literary style....

We are referring to the actual oak tree here, not the poem. Orlando has two important and parallel visits to the oak tree. During his first visit he’s a debonair bachelor in 1588, and during...

This is a running motif throughout the novel, and it corresponds pretty well to the typical light = goodness and truth, dark = bad and deceitful construction. For example, during Orlando’s ca...

Orlando is prone to long trips down Memory Lane, or, more specifically, the biographer really likes to get into Orlando’s head. When the clock strikes, however, Orlando is reminded of his (or...

Feathers are a common image throughout Orlando. We know Orlando’s always loved collecting wild bird feathers, and she follows some feathers right before she declares her love and marriage to...