As You Like It LRJ #5

Sarita Beekie
Ms. Peifer
10 IB - Hour 5
15 March 2009

As You Like It LRJ #5

Dear me, my fair coz Celia shall soon be wed to my love's elder brother Oliver, along with Touchstone to the goat-herder lass Audrey, and here in the Forest of Arden shall the adoring duos live in happiness. How it must pain my love to not be able to marry his amour like Oliver is able to do such, for I am still Ganymede, and despite Oliver knowing of my identity, Orlando still knows not of my true nature.

What's worse, is that Phoebe still bids me to love her, just as she loves me. Even though Silvius loves her, she still doth love me, though I have clearly declared that I can love no woman (which is not a lie...). So I cleverly devise a way so that all the players on the stage of Arden might be happy. Silvius, Phoebe, Orlando, and myself. So I promise to appear the next day, and marry Phoebe, however, should I not appear, she shall marry Silvius. As well, I promise to Orlando that by the capabilities of magic granted to me by my uncle, I shall make Rosalind appear tomorrow so that he may merrily marry her. At last, truly now, will I finally be with my love.

So clever am I...that I should just appear as my true nature the next day and proclaim before Hymen the god of marriage and Orlando, "I'll have no husband, if you be not he" (As You Like It, Shakespeare, 5, iv, 128) and then immediately turn to Phoebe and say, "Nor ne'er wed woman, if you be not she" (As You Like It, Shakespeare, 5, iv, 129-130). So now I am to Orlando, as Celia is to Oliver, and as Audrey is to Touchstone, and (whether she like it or no) as Phoebe is to Silvius. Yea, as they oft say, all beith well that end like well.