Enter Orlando, with his arm in a sling, and Oliver. ORLANDO Is ’t possible that on so little acquaintance
you should like her? That, but seeing, you should
love her? And loving, woo? And wooing, she should
grant? And will you persever to enjoy her? OLIVER Neither call the giddiness of it in question, the 5
poverty of her, the small acquaintance, my sudden
wooing, nor her sudden consenting, but say with
me “I love Aliena”; say with her that she loves me;
consent with both that we may enjoy each other. It
shall be to your good, for my father’s house and all 10
the revenue that was old Sir Rowland’s will I estate
upon you, and here live and die a shepherd. Enter Rosalind, as Ganymede. ORLANDO You have my consent. Let your wedding be
tomorrow. Thither will I invite the Duke and all ’s
contented followers. Go you and prepare Aliena, 15
for, look you, here comes my Rosalind. ROSALIND, as Ganymede, to Oliver God save you,
brother. OLIVER And you, fair sister. He exits. ROSALIND, as Ganymede O my dear Orlando, how it 20
grieves me to see thee wear thy heart in a scarf. ORLANDO It is my arm. ROSALIND, as Ganymede I thought thy heart had been
wounded with the claws of a lion. ORLANDO Wounded it is, but with the eyes of a lady. 25 ROSALIND, as Ganymede Did your brother tell you
how I counterfeited to swoon when he showed me
your handkercher? ORLANDO Ay, and greater wonders than that. ROSALIND, as Ganymede O, I know where you are. 30
Nay, ’tis true. There was never anything so sudden
but the fight of two rams, and Caesar’s thrasonical
brag of “I came, saw, and overcame.” For your
brother and my sister no sooner met but they
looked, no sooner looked but they loved, no sooner 35
loved but they sighed, no sooner sighed but they
asked one another the reason, no sooner knew the
reason but they sought the remedy; and in these
degrees have they made a pair of stairs to marriage,
which they will climb incontinent, or else be incontinent 40
before marriage. They are in the very wrath
of love, and they will together. Clubs cannot part
them. | Now conferring in the forest with Orlando, Oliver shares some surprising news with his brother. He has fallen in love with "Aliena," and she with him, even though they just met that afternoon. What's more, Oliver has decided to give their father's estate to Orlando so he can live as a shepherd with Aliena. Orlando's a bit taken aback, but two-minute-love is nothing new, so he agrees that, if they love each other, they might as well get married tomorrow. Why take a few days to think about a life-altering decision? Rosalind/Ganymede enters and talks to Orlando about Aliena's engagement to Oliver. |
ORLANDO They shall be married tomorrow, and I will
bid the Duke to the nuptial. But O, how bitter a 45
thing it is to look into happiness through another
man’s eyes. By so much the more shall I tomorrow
be at the height of heart-heaviness by how much I
shall think my brother happy in having what he
wishes for. 50 ROSALIND, as Ganymede Why, then, tomorrow I cannot
serve your turn for Rosalind? ORLANDO I can live no longer by thinking. ROSALIND, as Ganymede I will weary you then no
longer with idle talking. Know of me then—for 55
now I speak to some purpose—that I know you are
a gentleman of good conceit. I speak not this that
you should bear a good opinion of my knowledge,
insomuch I say I know you are. Neither do I labor
for a greater esteem than may in some little measure 60
draw a belief from you to do yourself good, and
not to grace me. Believe then, if you please, that I
can do strange things. I have, since I was three year
old, conversed with a magician, most profound in
his art and yet not damnable. If you do love Rosalind 65
so near the heart as your gesture cries it out,
when your brother marries Aliena shall you marry
her. I know into what straits of fortune she is
driven, and it is not impossible to me, if it appear
not inconvenient to you, to set her before your eyes 70
tomorrow, human as she is, and without any
danger. ORLANDO Speak’st thou in sober meanings? ROSALIND, as Ganymede By my life I do, which I
tender dearly, though I say I am a magician. Therefore 75
put you in your best array, bid your friends; for
if you will be married tomorrow, you shall, and to
Rosalind, if you will. Enter Silvius and Phoebe. Look, here comes a lover of mine and a lover of
hers. 80 | Orlando admits he's happy for his brother's happiness, but that Rosalind's absence will weigh on him heavily, especially tomorrow when everyone's getting married and he's the odd-bachelor out. Orlando says that his and Ganymede's play-acting just won't cut it anymore, so Rosalind/Ganymede promises that, tomorrow, Orlando will marry his Rosalind, if he'll have her. Silvius and Phoebe enter the scene. |
PHOEBE, to Rosalind Youth, you have done me much ungentleness
To show the letter that I writ to you. ROSALIND, as Ganymede
I care not if I have. It is my study
To seem despiteful and ungentle to you.
You are there followed by a faithful shepherd. 85
Look upon him, love him; he worships you. PHOEBE, to Silvius
Good shepherd, tell this youth what ’tis to love. SILVIUS
It is to be all made of sighs and tears,
And so am I for Phoebe. PHOEBE And I for Ganymede. 90 ORLANDO And I for Rosalind. ROSALIND, as Ganymede And I for no woman. SILVIUS
It is to be all made of faith and service,
And so am I for Phoebe. PHOEBE And I for Ganymede. 95 ORLANDO And I for Rosalind. ROSALIND, as Ganymede And I for no woman. SILVIUS
It is to be all made of fantasy,
All made of passion and all made of wishes,
All adoration, duty, and observance, 100
All humbleness, all patience and impatience,
All purity, all trial, all observance,
And so am I for Phoebe. PHOEBE And so am I for Ganymede. ORLANDO And so am I for Rosalind. 105 ROSALIND, as Ganymede And so am I for no
woman. PHOEBE
If this be so, why blame you me to love you? SILVIUS
If this be so, why blame you me to love you? ORLANDO
If this be so, why blame you me to love you? 110 ROSALIND, as Ganymede Why do you speak too,
“Why blame you me to love you?” ORLANDO To her that is not here, nor doth not hear. ROSALIND, as Ganymede Pray you, no more of this.
’Tis like the howling of Irish wolves against the 115
moon. To Silvius. I will help you if I can. To
Phoebe. I would love you if I could.—Tomorrow
meet me all together. To Phoebe. I will marry
you if ever I marry woman, and I’ll be married
tomorrow. To Orlando. I will satisfy you if ever I 120
satisfy man, and you shall be married tomorrow.
To Silvius. I will content you, if what pleases you
contents you, and you shall be married tomorrow.
To Orlando. As you love Rosalind, meet. To
Silvius. As you love Phoebe, meet.—And as I love 125
no woman, I’ll meet. So fare you well. I have left
you commands. SILVIUS I’ll not fail, if I live. PHOEBE Nor I. ORLANDO Nor I. 130 They exit. | Phoebe is upset at Ganymede for showing Silvius her love letter and she says as much. Silvius declares his love for Phoebe, Phoebe declares her love for Ganymede, Orlando declares his love for Rosalind, and Ganymede declares his love for "no woman." Rosalind/Ganymede says that everyone should meet back here tomorrow and promises Phoebe that, if he ever marries a woman, it will be her. Ganymede then promises everyone that they will all be getting married tomorrow. This would be a bind, if not for all the handy cross-dressing and deceit that will now finally unravel. |