As You Like It: Act 5, Scene 2
Enter ORLANDO and OLIVER. ORLANDO
1 Is't possible that on so little acquaintance you 2 should like her? that but seeing you should love 3 her? and loving woo? and, wooing, she should 4 grant? and will you persevere to enjoy her? OLIVER
5. giddiness: dizzying speed.
5 Neither call the giddiness of it in question, the6. sudden: swift.
6 poverty of her, the small acquaintance, my sudden 7 wooing, nor her sudden consenting; but say with me, 8 I love Aliena; say with her that she loves me; 9 consent with both that we may enjoy each other: it10. old Sir Rowland: The father of both Oliver and Orlando.
10 shall be to your good; for my father's house and all 11 the revenue that was old Sir Rowland's will I12. estate: bestow as an estate.
12 estate upon you, and here live and die a shepherd. ORLANDO
13 You have my consent. Let your wedding be14. all's: all his.
14 tomorrow: thither will I invite the duke and all's 15. contented: assenting, willing. —Orlando means that the Duke and all of his followers will also be happy to give their approval to the marriage of Oliver and "Aliena" (Celia).
15 contented followers. Go you and prepare Aliena; 16 for look you, here comes my Rosalind.
Enter ROSALIND. ROSALIND
17. brother: i.e., brother-in-law. —Rosalind as "Ganymede" is having fun by greeting Oliver as "his" new brother-in-law, since Ganymede's sister, "Aliena" (Celia) is going to marry Oliver.
17 God save you, brother. OLIVER
18. sister: i.e., sister-in-law. —Oliver is going along with his brother Orlando's game of addressing the young man, Ganymede, as though he were Orlando's beloved, Rosalind. And we in the audience know that Ganymede is really really Rosalind.
18 And you, fair sister.
Exit. ROSALIND
19-20. O, my dear Orlando, how it grieves me to see thee wear thy heart in a scarf!: "Ganymede" makes fun of Orlando by pretending to be the overly emotional "Rosalind" who thinks that it is his heart that has been wounded and is now covered with a bandage ("scarf").
19 O, my dear Orlando, how it grieves me to see 20 thee wear thy heart in a scarf! ORLANDO
21 It is my arm. ROSALIND
22 I thought thy heart had been wounded with 23 the claws of a lion. ORLANDO
24 Wounded it is, but with the eyes of a lady. ROSALIND
25 Did your brother tell you how I counterfeited to 26 swoon when he showed me your handkerchief? ORLANDO
27 Ay, and greater wonders than that. ROSALIND
28. I know where you are: I know what you're referring to.
28 O, I know where you are: nay, 'tis true: there was 29 never any thing so sudden but the fight of two 30-31. thrasonical: boastful. —Thraso is a braggart soldier in Terence's Eunuchus, a sex comedy. 'I came, saw, and overcame': —Rosalind is translating Caesar's famous Latin sentence, Veni, vidi, vici.
30 rams and Caesar's thrasonical brag of 'I came, saw, 31 and overcame': for your brother and my sister no 32 sooner met but they looked, no sooner looked but 33 they loved, no sooner loved but they sighed, 34 no sooner sighed but they asked one another the 35 reason, no sooner knew the reason but they sought 36. degrees: —Rosalind puns on another meaning of "degrees": "steps."
37. pair of stairs: flight of stairs. 38. incontinent . . . incontinent: immediately, without waiting a moment . . . unchaste.
39-40. wrath: rage. they will together: i.e., they insist on being together.
40. clubs: —Clubs were the weapons of choice for breaking up street fights.
41. bid: invite.
37. pair of stairs: flight of stairs. 38. incontinent . . . incontinent: immediately, without waiting a moment . . . unchaste.
39-40. wrath: rage. they will together: i.e., they insist on being together.
40. clubs: —Clubs were the weapons of choice for breaking up street fights.
41. bid: invite.
36 the remedy; and in these degrees have they made a 37 pair of stairs to marriage which they will climb 38 incontinent, or else be incontinent before marriage: 39 they are in the very wrath of love and they will 40 together; clubs cannot part them. ORLANDO
41 They shall be married tomorrow, and I will bid 42 the duke to the nuptial. But, O, how bitter a thing 43 it is to look into happiness through another man's 44 eyes! By so much the more shall I tomorrow be at 45 the height of heart-heaviness, by how much I shall 46 think my brother happy in having what he wishes 47 for. ROSALIND
48 Why then, tomorrow I cannot serve your turn for 49 Rosalind? ORLANDO
50 I can live no longer by thinking. ROSALIND
51 I will weary you then no longer with idle talking.52. to some purpose: with serious intent.
52 Know of me then, for now I speak to some purpose,53. conceit: understanding.
53 that I know you are a gentleman of good conceit: I 54 speak not this that you should bear a good opinion55. insomuch: inasmuch as.
56-58. neither . . . grace me: i.e., also, I am only saying this so that you will believe I can do you good, not to impress you.
56-58. neither . . . grace me: i.e., also, I am only saying this so that you will believe I can do you good, not to impress you.
55 of my knowledge, insomuch I say I know you are; 56 neither do I labour for a greater esteem than may in 57 some little measure draw a belief from you, to do 58 yourself good and not to grace me. Believe then, if 59 you please, that I can do strange things: I have,60. conversed with: associated with, talked with.
60 since I was three year old, conversed with a61-62. not damnable: i.e., not one who practices black magic.
61 magician, most profound in his art and yet not 62 damnable. If you do love Rosalind so near the heart63. as your gesture cries it out: as your bearing plainly reveals.
63 as your gesture cries it out, when your brother 64 marries Aliena, shall you marry her: I know into65. straits: difficulties, tight places.
65 what straits of fortune she is driven; and it is66. inconvenient: unfitting, inappropriate. —I think Ganymede is teasing Orlando a bit; of course he wants to see the real Rosalind.
68. human as she is and without any danger: i.e., in her own person, not as a spirit who might endanger Orlando's soul. 69. in sober meanings: seriously, without any joking.
68. human as she is and without any danger: i.e., in her own person, not as a spirit who might endanger Orlando's soul. 69. in sober meanings: seriously, without any joking.
66 not impossible to me, if it appear not inconvenient 67 to you, to set her before your eyes tomorrow human 68 as she is and without any danger. ORLANDO
69 Speakest thou in sober meanings? ROSALIND
70-71. By . . . magician: I swear by my life, which I hold dear, even though I endanger it by saying openly that I practice magic. 72. best array: finest clothes. bid your friends: invite your well-wishers [to your wedding].
70 By my life, I do; which I tender dearly, though I 71 say I am a magician. Therefore, put you in your 72 best array: bid your friends; for if you will be 73 married tomorrow, you shall, and to Rosalind, 74 if you will.
Enter SILVIUS and PHEBE. 75 Look, here comes a lover of mine and a lover of 76 hers. PHEBE
77. ungentleness: discourtesy, hurtful rudeness.
77 Youth, you have done me much ungentleness,78. To show the letter that I writ to you: to reveal the contents of the letter I wrote to you. —Phebe told Silvius that her letter to "Ganymede" was going to be bitter, but that was a lie, and "Ganymede" revealed the lie by reading the letter aloud to Silvius.
79. it is my study: I think of everything I can.
80. despiteful and ungentle: cruel and rude.
79. it is my study: I think of everything I can.
80. despiteful and ungentle: cruel and rude.
78 To show the letter that I writ to you. ROSALIND
79 I care not if I have: it is my study 80 To seem despiteful and ungentle to you: 81 You are there followed by a faithful shepherd; 82 Look upon him, love him; he worships you. PHEBE
83 Good shepherd, tell this youth what 'tis to love. SILVIUS
84 It is to be all made of sighs and tears; 85 And so am I for Phebe. PHEBE
86 And I for Ganymede. ORLANDO
87 And I for Rosalind. ROSALIND
88 And I for no woman. SILVIUS
89 It is to be all made of faith and service; 90 And so am I for Phebe. PHEBE
91 And I for Ganymede. ORLANDO
92 And I for Rosalind. ROSALIND
93 And I for no woman. SILVIUS
94. fantasy: imaginings, daydreams.
94 It is to be all made of fantasy, 95 All made of passion and all made of wishes,96. observance: devoted service.
96 All adoration, duty, and observance, 97 All humbleness, all patience and impatience,98. trial: being tested, proving one's constancy.
98 All purity, all trial, all obedience; 99 And so am I for Phebe. PHEBE
100 And so am I for Ganymede. ORLANDO
101 And so am I for Rosalind. ROSALIND
102 And so am I for no woman. PHEBE
103 If this be so, why blame you me to love you? SILVIUS
104 If this be so, why blame you me to love you? ORLANDO
105 If this be so, why blame you me to love you? ROSALIND
106. Who do you speak to?: —The original text is "Why do you speak too?" However, Orlando's answer doesn't fit with that question.
106 Who do you speak to, 'Why blame you me to 107 love you?' ORLANDO
108 To her that is not here, nor doth not hear. ROSALIND
109-110. the howling of Irish wolves against the moon: —Maybe Irish wolves were thought to be especially dreary and ridiculous. I don't know. If anyone does know, I'd like to hear from that person.
109 Pray you, no more of this; 'tis like the howling110 of Irish wolves against the moon.
[To SILVIUS.]111 I will help you, if I can:
[To PHEBE.]112 I would love you, if I could. tomorrow meet me all 113 together.
[To PHEBE.]114 I will marry you, if ever I marry woman, and I'll be115 married tomorrow:
[To ORLANDO.]116 I will satisfy you, if ever I satisfied man, and you117 shall be married tomorrow:
[To SILVIUS.]118 I will content you, if what pleases you contents119 you, and you shall be married tomorrow.
[To ORLANDO.]120 As you love Rosalind, meet. [To SILVIUS.]121 As you love Phebe, meet: and as I love no woman,122 I'll meet. So fare you well: I have left you commands. SILVIUS
123 I'll not fail, if I live. PHEBE
124 Nor I. ORLANDO
125 Nor I.
Exeunt.