As You Like It Love Quotes Page 3
(Act.Scene.Line). Line numbers correspond to The Norton Shakespeare, second edition, published in 2008.
| Quote #7 Who might be your mother, |
Oh, burn! When Phoebe acts like a snotty Petrarchan mistress, Rosalind is not having any of it. She even advises Phoebe to marry Silvius now while she can because nobody else will want her: "For I must tell you friendly in your ear,/ Sell when you can: you are not for all markets." Ouch.
| Quote #8 Sweet youth, I pray you chide a year together. |
Has Phoebe fallen in love with "Ganymede" or with Rosalind? It's not entirely clear and ultimately it probably doesn't matter because Rosalind eventually reveals her true identity and Phoebe marries Silvius. Still, the fact that Phoebe gets turned on by "Ganymede" draws our attention to the homoerotic possibilities of the play. The same-sex attraction at work here also recalls the intimate relationship between Rosalind and her cousin Celia.
| Quote #9 ROSALIND |
That Rosalind sure is a clever girl. Disguised as "Ganymede," Rosalind offers to help her crush Orlando practice his moves. Orlando takes up the offer – he pretends that "Ganymede" is Rosalind and woos "him." It's a little confusing, we know. Still, as critic Katharine Eisaman Maus points out, here, Orlando and Rosalind indulge in an "elaborate game of 'Let's pretend.'" By playing make believe, Orlando and Rosalind can indulge in their fantasies without any consequences. They even have a pretend wedding – how sweet!
We also want to point out that Orlando's enthusiastic willingness to woo "Ganymede" raises the question of whether or not Orlando is attracted to "Ganymede." We never really know for sure, but Shakespeare definitely wants us to think about it.
