How we cite our quotes: (Act.Scene.Line). Line numbers correspond to The Norton Shakespeare, second edition, published in 2008.
Quote #10
I would not have my right Rosalind of this
mind, for I protest her frown might kill me (4.1.14-15)
Say what? Rosalind's frown might "kill" Orlando? Not likely. Like Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, Orlando acts like a typical "Petrarchan" lover when he falls in love with Rosalind. What the heck's a Petrarchan lover? A guy who mopes around sighing dramatically, moaning about the fact that his crush wants nothing to do with him, and reciting cheesy poetry about a girl who's got eyes like stars and lips like luscious cherries, and who fills men with icy-fire. The concept comes from the 14th-century poet Petrarch, whose sonnets were all about an unattainable mistress named "Laura" who went around stomping on men's hearts.
Quote #11
Men have died from time to time, and worms have
eaten them, but not for love. (4.1.112-113)
Rosalind is a big, big fan of being in love, but she's also got a really good head on her shoulders, which makes her different than all the other foolish lovers in the play. When sappy Orlando declares that he'll just "die" if Rosalind doesn't love him, she quickly points out that he's being melodramatic. Here, she's also rejecting the silly pose of the Petrarchan mistress. (See Quote #10 above for more on this.)