As You Like It: Act 1, Scene 1 Translation

A side-by-side translation of Act 1, Scene 1 of As You Like It from the original Shakespeare into modern English.

Original Text	Translated Text
Source: Folger Shakespeare Library
Enter Orlando and Adam. ORLANDO As I remember, Adam, it was upon this fashion bequeathed me by will but poor a thousand crowns, and, as thou sayst, charged my brother on his blessing to breed me well. And there begins my sadness. My brother Jaques he keeps at school, and 5 report speaks goldenly of his profit. For my part, he keeps me rustically at home, or, to speak more properly, stays me here at home unkept; for call you that “keeping,” for a gentleman of my birth, that differs not from the stalling of an ox? His horses are 10 bred better, for, besides that they are fair with their feeding, they are taught their manage and, to that end, riders dearly hired. But I, his brother, gain nothing under him but growth, for the which his animals on his dunghills are as much bound to him 15 as I. Besides this nothing that he so plentifully gives me, the something that nature gave me his countenance seems to take from me. He lets me feed with his hinds, bars me the place of a brother, and, as much as in him lies, mines my gentility with my 20 education. This is it, Adam, that grieves me, and the spirit of my father, which I think is within me, begins to mutiny against this servitude. I will no longer endure it, though yet I know no wise remedy how to avoid it. 25	In an orchard at his big brother Oliver's house, Orlando complains to an old family servant (Adam). When Orlando's father died, Oliver inherited just about everything because he's the eldest son. Sure, he promised to care for Orlando and give him the kind of lifestyle he'd become accustomed to as the son of a wealthy nobleman, but Orlando says he's falling short. Oliver's been treating him worse than a horse. He makes Orlando eat with the family's farm workers, never gives him any spending money, and refuses to pay for his education. (Although he is, apparently, paying for the education of another brother, Jacques.) Orlando is fed up and ready to "mutiny."
Enter Oliver. ADAM Yonder comes my master, your brother. ORLANDO Go apart, Adam, and thou shalt hear how he will shake me up. Adam steps aside. OLIVER Now, sir, what make you here? ORLANDO Nothing. I am not taught to make anything. 30 OLIVER What mar you then, sir? ORLANDO Marry, sir, I am helping you to mar that which God made, a poor unworthy brother of yours, with idleness. OLIVER Marry, sir, be better employed, and be naught 35 awhile. ORLANDO Shall I keep your hogs and eat husks with them? What prodigal portion have I spent that I should come to such penury? OLIVER Know you where you are, sir? 40 ORLANDO O, sir, very well: here in your orchard. OLIVER Know you before whom, sir? ORLANDO Ay, better than him I am before knows me. I know you are my eldest brother, and in the gentle condition of blood you should so know me. The 45 courtesy of nations allows you my better in that you are the first-born, but the same tradition takes not away my blood, were there twenty brothers betwixt us. I have as much of my father in me as you, albeit I confess your coming before me is nearer to his 50 reverence. OLIVER, threatening Orlando What, boy! ORLANDO, holding off Oliver by the throat Come, come, elder brother, you are too young in this. OLIVER Wilt thou lay hands on me, villain? 55 ORLANDO I am no villain. I am the youngest son of Sir Rowland de Boys. He was my father, and he is thrice a villain that says such a father begot villains. Wert thou not my brother, I would not take this hand from thy throat till this other had pulled out 60 thy tongue for saying so. Thou hast railed on thyself. ADAM, coming forward Sweet masters, be patient. For your father’s remembrance, be at accord. OLIVER, to Orlando Let me go, I say. ORLANDO I will not till I please. You shall hear me. My 65 father charged you in his will to give me good education. You have trained me like a peasant, obscuring and hiding from me all gentlemanlike qualities. The spirit of my father grows strong in me, and I will no longer endure it. Therefore allow 70 me such exercises as may become a gentleman, or give me the poor allottery my father left me by testament. With that I will go buy my fortunes. Orlando releases Oliver. OLIVER And what wilt thou do—beg when that is spent? Well, sir, get you in. I will not long be 75 troubled with you. You shall have some part of your will. I pray you leave me. ORLANDO I will no further offend you than becomes me for my good. OLIVER, to Adam Get you with him, you old dog. 80 ADAM Is “old dog” my reward? Most true, I have lost my teeth in your service. God be with my old master. He would not have spoke such a word. Orlando and Adam exit.	Oliver enters. Orlando grumbles a bit and Oliver tells his little bro to scram. Orlando and Oliver bicker, and Orlando grabs his big brother's throat and tries to choke him out. Oliver croaks, "Let me go." Orlando says I will...when I'm ready. He demands to be treated like a "gentleman" and says he wants the little bit of money his dad left him (a thousand crowns) so he can go seek his own fortune since his brother is clearly not going to share. Oliver, once released, says fine. You can have some of your money—just go away. He calls Adam an old dog for good measure, and Adam disses Oliver, too. Orlando and Adam storm off.
OLIVER Is it even so? Begin you to grow upon me? I will physic your rankness, and yet give no thousand 85 crowns neither.—Holla, Dennis! Enter Dennis. DENNIS Calls your Worship? OLIVER Was not Charles, the Duke’s wrestler, here to speak with me? DENNIS So please you, he is here at the door and 90 importunes access to you. OLIVER Call him in. Dennis exits. ’Twill be a good way, and tomorrow the wrestling is. Enter Charles. CHARLES Good morrow to your Worship. OLIVER Good Monsieur Charles, what’s the new news 95 at the new court? CHARLES There’s no news at the court, sir, but the old news. That is, the old duke is banished by his younger brother the new duke, and three or four loving lords have put themselves into voluntary 100 exile with him, whose lands and revenues enrich the new duke. Therefore he gives them good leave to wander. OLIVER Can you tell if Rosalind, the Duke’s daughter, be banished with her father? 105 CHARLES O, no, for the Duke’s daughter her cousin so loves her, being ever from their cradles bred together, that she would have followed her exile or have died to stay behind her. She is at the court and no less beloved of her uncle than his own daughter, 110 and never two ladies loved as they do. OLIVER Where will the old duke live? CHARLES They say he is already in the Forest of Arden, and a many merry men with him; and there they live like the old Robin Hood of England. They say 115 many young gentlemen flock to him every day and fleet the time carelessly, as they did in the golden world.	Oliver murmurs that he'll cure Orlando of his insubordination, and he'll do it without giving him a thousand crowns. He has his servant, Dennis, call in the Duke's wrestler. (Yes, the Duke has a wrestler.) Charles, the court wrestler, is also a regular court gossip.He dishes on what's been going down at court. Apparently, Duke Senior has been banished by his brother, Duke Frederick. (Hmm. We seem to be detecting a pattern of family drama here.) Oliver asks about the Duke Senior's daughter Rosalind. Was she banished? Charles says no, Duke Frederick's daughter Celia is Rosalind's BFF. If Rosalind had been banished, Celia would have gone with her, so Rosalind is staying at the court with Celia. Banished Duke Senior has gone into the woods to live. He was followed by a bunch of young gentlemen, and all have been making merry together in the Forest of Arden, Robin Hood-style.
OLIVER What, you wrestle tomorrow before the new duke? 120 CHARLES Marry, do I, sir, and I came to acquaint you with a matter. I am given, sir, secretly to understand that your younger brother Orlando hath a disposition to come in disguised against me to try a fall. Tomorrow, sir, I wrestle for my credit, and he 125 that escapes me without some broken limb shall acquit him well. Your brother is but young and tender, and for your love I would be loath to foil him, as I must for my own honor if he come in. Therefore, out of my love to you, I came hither to 130 acquaint you withal, that either you might stay him from his intendment, or brook such disgrace well as he shall run into, in that it is a thing of his own search and altogether against my will. OLIVER Charles, I thank thee for thy love to me, which 135 thou shalt find I will most kindly requite. I had myself notice of my brother’s purpose herein, and have by underhand means labored to dissuade him from it; but he is resolute. I’ll tell thee, Charles, it is the stubbornest young fellow of France, full of 140 ambition, an envious emulator of every man’s good parts, a secret and villainous contriver against me his natural brother. Therefore use thy discretion. I had as lief thou didst break his neck as his finger. And thou wert best look to ’t, for if thou dost him 145 any slight disgrace, or if he do not mightily grace himself on thee, he will practice against thee by poison, entrap thee by some treacherous device, and never leave thee till he hath ta’en thy life by some indirect means or other. For I assure thee— 150 and almost with tears I speak it—there is not one so young and so villainous this day living. I speak but brotherly of him, but should I anatomize him to thee as he is, I must blush and weep, and thou must look pale and wonder. 155 CHARLES I am heartily glad I came hither to you. If he come tomorrow, I’ll give him his payment. If ever he go alone again, I’ll never wrestle for prize more. And so God keep your Worship. OLIVER Farewell, good Charles. 160 Charles exits. Now will I stir this gamester. I hope I shall see an end of him, for my soul—yet I know not why— hates nothing more than he. Yet he’s gentle, never schooled and yet learned, full of noble device, of all sorts enchantingly beloved, and indeed so much in 165 the heart of the world, and especially of my own people, who best know him, that I am altogether misprized. But it shall not be so long; this wrestler shall clear all. Nothing remains but that I kindle the boy thither, which now I’ll go about. 170 He exits.	Charles gets to the point of his visit: Tomorrow there's a big wrestling match and Oliver's little brother Orlando is jonesing to fight Charles. Charles worries that Orlando is "young and tender," so he's come to get Oliver to forbid his younger brother from fighting. Oliver sees his chance. He tells Charles he's already tried to persuade Orlando away from wrestling (a lie), and that Orlando is a villain and traitor (also a lie—someone's pants are about to catch on fire). Charles wants to make Oliver happy, so he agrees to break Orlando's neck during the wrestling match and then runs off to practice his moves. Alone on stage, Oliver says he's not sure why he hates his little brother so much, but it probably has something to do with the fact that Orlando is smart without ever being educated, as well as being kind, noble, and loved by everyone. Meanwhile, all those same people seem to kind of hate Oliver. He thinks with his little bro out of the picture, people will love him instead, but we're not so sure that's the way it works...

Original Text

Translated Text

Enter Orlando and Adam.

ORLANDO As I remember, Adam, it was upon this
fashion bequeathed me by will but poor a thousand
crowns, and, as thou sayst, charged my brother on
his blessing to breed me well. And there begins my
sadness. My brother Jaques he keeps at school, and 5
report speaks goldenly of his profit. For my part, he
keeps me rustically at home, or, to speak more
properly, stays me here at home unkept; for call you
that “keeping,” for a gentleman of my birth, that
differs not from the stalling of an ox? His horses are 10
bred better, for, besides that they are fair with their
feeding, they are taught their manage and, to that
end, riders dearly hired. But I, his brother, gain
nothing under him but growth, for the which his
animals on his dunghills are as much bound to him 15
as I. Besides this nothing that he so plentifully gives
me, the something that nature gave me his countenance
seems to take from me. He lets me feed with
his hinds, bars me the place of a brother, and, as
much as in him lies, mines my gentility with my 20
education. This is it, Adam, that grieves me, and the
spirit of my father, which I think is within me,
begins to mutiny against this servitude. I will no
longer endure it, though yet I know no wise remedy
how to avoid it. 25

In an orchard at his big brother Oliver's house, Orlando complains to an old family servant (Adam).

When Orlando's father died, Oliver inherited just about everything because he's the eldest son. Sure, he promised to care for Orlando and give him the kind of lifestyle he'd become accustomed to as the son of a wealthy nobleman, but Orlando says he's falling short.

Oliver's been treating him worse than a horse. He makes Orlando eat with the family's farm workers, never gives him any spending money, and refuses to pay for his education. (Although he is, apparently, paying for the education of another brother, Jacques.)

Orlando is fed up and ready to "mutiny."

Enter Oliver.

ADAM Yonder comes my master, your brother.

ORLANDO Go apart, Adam, and thou shalt hear how he
will shake me up. Adam steps aside.

OLIVER Now, sir, what make you here?

ORLANDO Nothing. I am not taught to make anything. 30

OLIVER What mar you then, sir?

ORLANDO Marry, sir, I am helping you to mar that
which God made, a poor unworthy brother of
yours, with idleness.

OLIVER Marry, sir, be better employed, and be naught 35
awhile.

ORLANDO Shall I keep your hogs and eat husks with
them? What prodigal portion have I spent that I
should come to such penury?

OLIVER Know you where you are, sir? 40

ORLANDO O, sir, very well: here in your orchard.

OLIVER Know you before whom, sir?

ORLANDO Ay, better than him I am before knows me. I
know you are my eldest brother, and in the gentle
condition of blood you should so know me. The 45
courtesy of nations allows you my better in that you
are the first-born, but the same tradition takes not
away my blood, were there twenty brothers betwixt
us. I have as much of my father in me as you, albeit I
confess your coming before me is nearer to his 50
reverence.

OLIVER, threatening Orlando What, boy!

ORLANDO, holding off Oliver by the throat Come,
come, elder brother, you are too young in this.

OLIVER Wilt thou lay hands on me, villain? 55

ORLANDO I am no villain. I am the youngest son of Sir
Rowland de Boys. He was my father, and he is
thrice a villain that says such a father begot villains.
Wert thou not my brother, I would not take this
hand from thy throat till this other had pulled out 60
thy tongue for saying so. Thou hast railed on thyself.

ADAM, coming forward Sweet masters, be patient. For
your father’s remembrance, be at accord.

OLIVER, to Orlando Let me go, I say.

ORLANDO I will not till I please. You shall hear me. My 65
father charged you in his will to give me good
education. You have trained me like a peasant,
obscuring and hiding from me all gentlemanlike
qualities. The spirit of my father grows strong in
me, and I will no longer endure it. Therefore allow 70
me such exercises as may become a gentleman, or
give me the poor allottery my father left me by
testament. With that I will go buy my fortunes.

Orlando releases Oliver.

OLIVER And what wilt thou do—beg when that is
spent? Well, sir, get you in. I will not long be 75
troubled with you. You shall have some part of your
will. I pray you leave me.

ORLANDO I will no further offend you than becomes
me for my good.

OLIVER, to Adam Get you with him, you old dog. 80

ADAM Is “old dog” my reward? Most true, I have lost
my teeth in your service. God be with my old
master. He would not have spoke such a word.

Orlando and Adam exit.

Oliver enters. Orlando grumbles a bit and Oliver tells his little bro to scram.

Orlando and Oliver bicker, and Orlando grabs his big brother's throat and tries to choke him out.

Oliver croaks, "Let me go."

Orlando says I will...when I'm ready. He demands to be treated like a "gentleman" and says he wants the little bit of money his dad left him (a thousand crowns) so he can go seek his own fortune since his brother is clearly not going to share.

Oliver, once released, says fine. You can have some of your money—just go away. He calls Adam an old dog for good measure, and Adam disses Oliver, too.

Orlando and Adam storm off.

OLIVER Is it even so? Begin you to grow upon me? I
will physic your rankness, and yet give no thousand 85
crowns neither.—Holla, Dennis!

Enter Dennis.

DENNIS Calls your Worship?

OLIVER Was not Charles, the Duke’s wrestler, here to
speak with me?

DENNIS So please you, he is here at the door and 90
importunes access to you.

OLIVER Call him in. Dennis exits. ’Twill be a good
way, and tomorrow the wrestling is.

Enter Charles.

CHARLES Good morrow to your Worship.

OLIVER Good Monsieur Charles, what’s the new news 95
at the new court?

CHARLES There’s no news at the court, sir, but the old
news. That is, the old duke is banished by his
younger brother the new duke, and three or four
loving lords have put themselves into voluntary 100
exile with him, whose lands and revenues enrich
the new duke. Therefore he gives them good leave
to wander.

OLIVER Can you tell if Rosalind, the Duke’s daughter,
be banished with her father? 105

CHARLES O, no, for the Duke’s daughter her cousin so
loves her, being ever from their cradles bred together,
that she would have followed her exile or have
died to stay behind her. She is at the court and no
less beloved of her uncle than his own daughter, 110
and never two ladies loved as they do.

OLIVER Where will the old duke live?

CHARLES They say he is already in the Forest of Arden,
and a many merry men with him; and there they
live like the old Robin Hood of England. They say 115
many young gentlemen flock to him every day and
fleet the time carelessly, as they did in the golden
world.

Oliver murmurs that he'll cure Orlando of his insubordination, and he'll do it without giving him a thousand crowns.

He has his servant, Dennis, call in the Duke's wrestler. (Yes, the Duke has a wrestler.)

Charles, the court wrestler, is also a regular court gossip.He dishes on what's been going down at court.

Apparently, Duke Senior has been banished by his brother, Duke Frederick. (Hmm. We seem to be detecting a pattern of family drama here.)

Oliver asks about the Duke Senior's daughter Rosalind. Was she banished? Charles says no, Duke Frederick's daughter Celia is Rosalind's BFF. If Rosalind had been banished, Celia would have gone with her, so Rosalind is staying at the court with Celia.

Banished Duke Senior has gone into the woods to live. He was followed by a bunch of young gentlemen, and all have been making merry together in the Forest of Arden, Robin Hood-style.

OLIVER What, you wrestle tomorrow before the new
duke? 120

CHARLES Marry, do I, sir, and I came to acquaint you
with a matter. I am given, sir, secretly to understand
that your younger brother Orlando hath a
disposition to come in disguised against me to try a
fall. Tomorrow, sir, I wrestle for my credit, and he 125
that escapes me without some broken limb shall
acquit him well. Your brother is but young and
tender, and for your love I would be loath to foil
him, as I must for my own honor if he come in.
Therefore, out of my love to you, I came hither to 130
acquaint you withal, that either you might stay him
from his intendment, or brook such disgrace well
as he shall run into, in that it is a thing of his own
search and altogether against my will.

OLIVER Charles, I thank thee for thy love to me, which 135
thou shalt find I will most kindly requite. I had
myself notice of my brother’s purpose herein, and
have by underhand means labored to dissuade him
from it; but he is resolute. I’ll tell thee, Charles, it is
the stubbornest young fellow of France, full of 140
ambition, an envious emulator of every man’s good
parts, a secret and villainous contriver against me
his natural brother. Therefore use thy discretion. I
had as lief thou didst break his neck as his finger.
And thou wert best look to ’t, for if thou dost him 145
any slight disgrace, or if he do not mightily grace
himself on thee, he will practice against thee by
poison, entrap thee by some treacherous device,
and never leave thee till he hath ta’en thy life by
some indirect means or other. For I assure thee— 150
and almost with tears I speak it—there is not one so
young and so villainous this day living. I speak but
brotherly of him, but should I anatomize him to
thee as he is, I must blush and weep, and thou must
look pale and wonder. 155

CHARLES I am heartily glad I came hither to you. If he
come tomorrow, I’ll give him his payment. If ever
he go alone again, I’ll never wrestle for prize more.
And so God keep your Worship.

OLIVER Farewell, good Charles. 160

Charles exits.

Now will I stir this gamester. I hope I shall see an
end of him, for my soul—yet I know not why—
hates nothing more than he. Yet he’s gentle, never
schooled and yet learned, full of noble device, of all
sorts enchantingly beloved, and indeed so much in 165
the heart of the world, and especially of my own
people, who best know him, that I am altogether
misprized. But it shall not be so long; this wrestler
shall clear all. Nothing remains but that I kindle the
boy thither, which now I’ll go about. 170

He exits.

Charles gets to the point of his visit: Tomorrow there's a big wrestling match and Oliver's little brother Orlando is jonesing to fight Charles. Charles worries that Orlando is "young and tender," so he's come to get Oliver to forbid his younger brother from fighting.

Oliver sees his chance. He tells Charles he's already tried to persuade Orlando away from wrestling (a lie), and that Orlando is a villain and traitor (also a lie—someone's pants are about to catch on fire).

Charles wants to make Oliver happy, so he agrees to break Orlando's neck during the wrestling match and then runs off to practice his moves.

Alone on stage, Oliver says he's not sure why he hates his little brother so much, but it probably has something to do with the fact that Orlando is smart without ever being educated, as well as being kind, noble, and loved by everyone. Meanwhile, all those same people seem to kind of hate Oliver.

He thinks with his little bro out of the picture, people will love him instead, but we're not so sure that's the way it works...

As You Like It: Act 1, Scene 1 Translation

A side-by-side translation of Act 1, Scene 1 of As You Like It from the original Shakespeare into modern English.

Original Text

Translated Text

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