When the two cousins are alone, Celia is full of life and humour, but in the presence of others she is content to play the part of a spectator.

Stopford Brooke opines that this marriage is against probability because it looks strange that Oliver should change in a moment from the scoundrel.

It has been suggested that Celia's role in the play is "subversive", in the sense that she adds to the sexual complications of the plot by her friendship with the cross-dressing Rosalind.

[2] Celia effectively sets up home with Rosalind in the forest, requiring no male presence, and her marriage to Oliver may be regarded as a means of prolonging their relationship rather than the result of any affection she feels for him.

Sophie Stewart played Celia in a 1936 film, Rosalind Knight in the 1963 UK television series, Angharad Rees in the 1978 BBC version of the play directed by Basil Coleman, and Romola Garai in the 2006 production directed by Kenneth Branagh.

In a 1985 production by the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), Celia was played by Fiona Shaw.