As You Like It
As You Like It Act 4, Scene 1 Summary
- Rosalind/Ganymede, chats with Jaques about his melancholy. Jaques thinks that a solid approach to life is to be sad and silent, and Rosalind/Ganymede claims he might as well be a fencepost.
- Jaques then details different types of melancholy, and declares that his comes from traveling.
- Rosalind makes fun of him, naturally.
- The philosophizing gets cut short when Orlando shows up – about an hour late.
- Rosalind/Ganymede is rather temperamental, first upset at Orlando for being late, then in the mood to be loved and chatted up.
- Orlando says he would start the conversation with a kiss, if Ganymede were really his lover.
- Orlando proceeds to act like a cliché lover and Rosalind/Ganymede proceeds to teach him how he should woo Rosalind.
- There's more bantering, and Orlando threatens to die from love if "Rosalind" will not have him.
- Rosalind/Ganymede wisely points out that men die from a lot of things, but not from love.
- This bantering ends with Rosalind/Ganymede suggesting that, in the spirit of pretend-wooing, they should have a pretend wedding. Celia/Aliena can play priest and marry the couple.
- Rosalind/Ganymede and Orlando get fake married and Orlando declares that, if he could really marry Rosalind, he'd love her forever.
- Rosalind/Ganymede wryly points out that after a man marries a woman, he quickly loses interest in her.
- After some more of this kind of talk, Orlando says he must leave for two hours to attend Duke Senior at dinner. He promises not to be a minute late on his return and runs off.