As You Like It · Chapter
Scene I explained
In the Forest of Arden, Rosalind, Celia, and Jaques engage in a witty exchange about melancholy and travel.
What happens
In the Forest of Arden, Rosalind, Celia, and Jaques engage in a witty exchange about melancholy and travel. Orlando arrives late for his meeting with Rosalind, who playfully scolds him and tests his love through a mock courtship. They engage in a spirited debate about love, fidelity, and marriage, culminating in a playful wedding ceremony conducted by Celia. Orlando leaves to attend the duke, promising to return by two o'clock, and Rosalind confesses the depth of her love to Celia.
Themes in this chapter
Love and Marriage
The mock wedding and Rosalind's playful critiques of male fidelity explore the complexities and expectations of love and marriage.
Disguise and Deception
Rosalind, disguised as Ganymede, tests Orlando's love through a fabricated persona, highlighting the theme of deception in courtship.
Melancholy and Philosophy
Jaques' discourse on his unique melancholy and Rosalind's rebuttal reflect philosophical debates on sadness, experience, and human nature.
Characters to notice
- Rosalind
Engages in witty banter with Jaques about melancholy, playfully scolds Orlando for his tardiness, and tests his love through a mock courtship and wedding ceremony.
- Celia
Participates in the mock wedding as the priest and later criticizes Rosalind for misrepresenting women in her love-talk.
- Jaques
Debates the nature of melancholy with Rosalind, describing his unique form of sadness, and exits when Orlando speaks in blank verse.
- Orlando
Arrives late to meet Rosalind, participates in the mock courtship and wedding, and promises to return by two o'clock after attending the duke.
Key passages
“I have neither the scholar’s melancholy, which is emulation, nor the musician’s, which is fantastical, nor the courtier’s, which is proud, nor the soldier’s, which is ambitious, nor the lawyer’s, which is politic, nor the lady’s, which is nice, nor the lover’s, which is all these: but it is a melancholy of mine own, compounded of many simples, extracted from many objects, and indeed the sundry’s contemplation of my travels, in which my often rumination wraps me in a most humorous sadness.”
Jaques describes his melancholy as unique, not fitting any conventional category, but derived from his own experiences and travels, leading to a whimsical sadness.
Jaques defines his personal brand of melancholy, setting up his character as a contemplative observer.
“Men are April when they woo, December when they wed: maids are May when they are maids, but the sky changes when they are wives.”
Rosalind claims that men are passionate during courtship but cold after marriage, while women are joyful as maids but changeable as wives.
Rosalind's cynical view of marital fidelity reflects her playful testing of Orlando's commitment.
“O coz, coz, coz, my pretty little coz, that thou didst know how many fathom deep I am in love! But it cannot be sounded: my affection hath an unknown bottom, like the bay of Portugal.”
Rosalind confesses to Celia that her love for Orlando is immeasurably deep, like the unfathomable Bay of Portugal.
Rosalind reveals the genuine depth of her feelings, contrasting with her earlier playful demeanor.