Authors: William Shakespeare

As You Like It (33 page)

3
memory
reminder

4
make you
are you doing

7
fond
foolish

8
bonny priser
robust prizefighter

8
humorous
temperamental

12
more
better

13
sanctified
sanctimonious, hypocritical

14
comely
fair

15
Envenoms
poisons

23
your praises
people’s praises of you

24
use
are accustomed

25
of
to do

26
cut you off
kill you

27
practices
schemes

28
place
i.e. safe place

28
butchery
slaughterhouse

31
so
so long as

33
boist’rous
massive/savage

33
enforce
gain by force

34
common
public

38
diverted blood
kinship drawn away from its natural course

40
thrifty hire
wages thriftily saved

41
foster-nurse
nurse who brings up another’s child as her own

42
service … lame
i.e. when I am too weak to work

43
unregarded
uncared for, ignored

48
lusty
vigorous

51
unbashful forehead
shameless audacity

54
Frosty
i.e. white-haired

54
kindly
pleasant/thriving

58
constant
faithful

59
sweat
i.e. worked

59
meed
reward

62
choke … having
i.e. stop working once they have gained their reward/promotion

66
In lieu of
in return for

66
husbandry
cultivation/domestic management

67
come thy ways
come on

69
low content
humble contentment

72
fourscore
eighty (four times twenty)

75
too … week
i.e. far too late

Act 2 Scene 4

2.4
Location: the Forest of Arden; except for one brief scene
(
Act 3 Scene 1
)
the remainder of the action takes place in various parts of the forest
2.4
for
i.e
. disguised as

2.4
alias
may indicate a change of costume (see Introduction)

1
Jupiter
Roman king of the gods (Jove)

5
weaker vessel
i.e. woman

5
doublet and hose
man’s close-fitting jacket and breeches

9
cross
burden/coin (with cross stamped on it)

14.1
Silvius
from Latin for “woods”

16
solemn
serious

26
fantasy
amorous imaginings/desire

28
heartily
sincerely, from the heart

29
folly
foolishness/lewdness

33
Wearing
wearing out, wearying

35
broke from
escaped

38
Phoebe
a name for Diana/Artemis, goddess of the moon, chastity, and hunting

39
Searching of
probing

39
wound
Touchstone will shift the sense to “vagina”

40
adventure
fortune

42
sword
weapon/penis

42
him
the
stone
/his
sword

43
coming
visiting/ejaculating

43
a-night
at night

44
batler
wooden club (for beating wet laundry)

44
dugs
teats

44
chopt
chapped

45
milked
plays on the sense of “caused to ejaculate”

45
peascod
pea pod (with genital connotations; a reversal of “codpiece”)

46
cods
pods/testicles

47
Wear
plays on the sense of “have sex with, exhaust”

48
capers
frolicsome leaps/fornications

49
mortal
subject to decay (sense then shifts to “only human”)

50
ware
aware (puns on
wear
; Touchstone shifts the sense to “wary”)

51
wit
possible play on “penis”

54
upon my fashion
like mine

55
something
somewhat

55
stale
may play on the sense of “prostitute”

56
yond
yonder, that

59
clown
rustic (Rosalind picks up on the sense of “jester”)

64
even
evening (i.e. afternoon)

67
desert
deserted

67
entertainment
hospitality, provisions

70
succour
help

75
shear … graze
i.e. make any profit from the sheep I tend

77
recks
cares

79
cote
cottage

79
bounds of feed
range of pasture land

80
sheepcote
building sheltering sheep (perhaps here a shepherd’s cottage)

83
in my voice
as far as I am concerned

85
swain
low-ranking man/rustic

85
but erewhile
only a while ago

87
stand
is consistent

89
to pay
i.e. money

90
mend
improve

91
waste
spend

95
feeder
servant

96
suddenly
at once

Act 2 Scene 5

1
greenwood
leafy

2
Who
anyone who

3
turn
adapt, tune

3
note
melody

4
throat
voice

13
ragged
hoarse/harsh

16
stanzo
stanza, verse

18
I … nothing
Jaques refers to the
names
on a loan document of those who
owe
money

22
that
that which

22
compliment
etiquette

22
th’encounter
the meeting/sexual encounter

23
dog-apes
dog-faced baboons

24
beggarly
i.e. effusive

27
end
complete

27
cover the while
in the meantime lay the cloth for a meal

29
look
look for

31
disputable
argumentative

32
matters
topics

36
i’th’sun
i.e. free from care

40
etc
. indicates repeat of “no enemy / But winter and rough weather”

42
in … invention
in spite of my poor imagination

48
Ducdame
meaning unclear; probably a nonsense word

49
gross
great/dull/coarse

50
An if
if

52
Greek
i.e. gibberish

52
circle
magic circle/circle of gaping idiots (i.e. the others, gathered around Amiens)

53
rail
rant

53
all … Egypt
in punishment for Pharaoh’s ill-treatment of the Jews, God slaughtered all first-born children and animals in Egypt, which resulted in a great lament being raised in the night

55
banquet
light meal/course of fruit, sweetmeats, and wine

Act 2 Scene 6

5
comfort
take comfort

6
uncouth
unknown

7
conceit
imagination

8
comfortable
cheerful

9
presently
immediately/soon

12
said
done

12
cheerly
cheerful

Act 2 Scene 7

5
compact of jars
made up of discords

6
spheres
stars and planets were thought to be contained by crystalline spheres, which produced beautiful music as they rotated

13
motley
in a professional fool’s multicolored clothing

17
set terms
roundly/in an articulate manner

19
Call … fortune
“Fortune favors fools” (proverbial)

20
dial
watch

20
poke
pocket

23
wags
goes (may pun on the sense of “moves sexually”)

24
hour
may pun on “whore”

24
nine … eleven
possibly suggestive of growing erection

26
ripe
mature/grow erect/search

27
rot
decay/detumesce/become infected with venereal disease (possibly puns on “rut”)

28
tale
puns on “tail” (i.e. “penis”)

29
moral
moralize

30
chanticleer
a cockerel

31
deep contemplative
thoughtful/familiar with sexual matters

32
sans
without

34
wear
thing worth wearing

39
dry
according to Elizabethan physiology, one with a dry brain was slow to grasp matters but sure to remember them

39
remainder
remaining

40
places
nooks and corners/topics

41
vents
expresses

45
suit
request/outfit

46
weed
puns on the sense of “clothing”

47
rank
luxuriantly, wild

49
Withal
as well

49
charter
privilege

51
gallèd
vexed, irritated

53
way
puns on
why

53
church
attendance was required by law

54
that … hit
who is the target of a fool’s taunts

55
smart
feels pain

56
senseless … bob
insensible to the jest; the line is a foot short, suggesting that words may have been omitted, so some editors emend (e.g. “Not to seem senseless” or “If he seem senseless”)

57
anatomized
dissected

58
squandering glances
random jibes

59
Invest
clothe

61
Cleanse
purge medically

64
counter
worthless token used to represent a coin

66
libertine
wild, lecherous, dissolute person

67
brutish sting
animal urging of lust

68
th’embossèd … evils
swellings and sores caused by venereal disease

70
disgorge
vomit

71
pride
sexual desire/arrogance

72
tax … party
censure any particular individual

74
weary … ebb
the very stuff it feeds on is exhausted and used up