As You Like It Act 5, Scene 4

 

As You Like It Act 5, Scene 4

Summary

In the play’s climax, all parties assemble in the forest. Rosalind (as Ganymede) enters with Silvius and Phoebe, confirming the promises made by the Duke, Orlando, Phoebe, and Silvius. She then exits with Celia, ostensibly to perform the "magic." In her absence, Touchstone and Audrey arrive, and Touchstone delivers a long, witty disquisition on the "seven degrees of the lie" used in courtly quarrels. Hymen, the god of marriage, then enters with the restored Rosalind and Celia. The Duke recognizes his daughter, Orlando his Rosalind, and Phoebe, seeing Ganymede is a woman, relinquishes her claim and agrees to marry Silvius. Jaques de Boys (the middle brother of Oliver and Orlando) arrives with the news that Duke Frederick, on his way to attack the forest, was converted by a religious man and has abdicated, restoring the dukedom to Duke Senior and returning all lands. Duke Senior invites everyone to celebrate the weddings. Jaques decides to join the converted Frederick, while the others prepare for a dance and festive conclusion.

Analysis

This scene is the definitive comic resolution, restoring order through marriage, reconciliation, and divine (or theatrical) providence. It ties together every plotline—romantic, familial, and political—through a series of formal, ritualistic acts.

1. The Unmasking and Restoration of Identity:

The core action is Rosalind’s return to herself, facilitated by the god Hymen. This transition from "Ganymede" (the orchestrator) to Rosalind (the bride) is not a private change but a public, ceremonial revelation that resolves all confusions. Her dual identity merges: the active, witty "magician" of the forest becomes the loving daughter and wife in the restored social order. The repeated use of "if" ("If there be truth in sight...") highlights the conditional, almost dream-like quality of the resolution, which hinges on accepting theatrical truth.

2. Hymen as Symbolic Agent:

Hymen's entrance elevates the multiple marriages from a social arrangement to a cosmic, harmonious event ("Then is there mirth in heaven / When earthly things made even / Atone together"). He represents the benevolent, ordering force of comedy itself, blessing the unions and neutralizing all remaining conflict (especially Phoebe's). His presence transforms the forest clearing into a symbolic temple, sanctioning the "rustic revelry" with divine authority.

3. Touchstone's Parodic Interlude:

Touchstone's catalog of the "lie seven times removed" serves a crucial function. It is a final, extended satire of the hollow, ritualized violence of court life, contrasting sharply with the forest's genuine, reconciliatory "magic." His wit is "a stalking-horse" for serious critique. Yet, his punchline—"much virtue in 'if'"—directly parallels and parodies the conditional language Rosalind uses for her own resolutions, linking courtly and comic artifice.

4. The Deus ex Machina:

The news brought by Jaques de Boys is a classic comedic deus ex machina. The off-stage conversion of the villain Duke Frederick removes the last external threat without battle, allowing for a purely joyous ending. This miracle emphasizes the forest's transformative, almost religious power and enables the complete restoration of property and title, ensuring the happy ending is both emotionally and materially secure.

5. Jaques as the Unassimilated Counterpoint:

While others are absorbed into the new social order, Jaques chooses a different path. His decision to seek out the converted Frederick reinforces his role as the permanent outsider and critic. His parting speech, bequeathing appropriate fates to each character, is a bittersweet acknowledgment of their natures. His exit to a "religious life" provides a sober, contemplative balance to the festive conclusions, acknowledging that not all worlds are suited to marriage and dance.

6. Thematic Synthesis:

The scene synthesizes the play's major themes:

  • Art vs. Nature: Rosalind's theatrical "magic" (art) brings about a "natural" resolution (love, inheritance).
  • Forgiveness & Reconciliation: Oliver is redeemed, Orlando's loyalty is rewarded, and the usurping duke is forgiven off-stage.
  • Order Restored: The social hierarchy is reconstituted, but enriched by the forest's lessons—the Duke returns with more wisdom, Orlando becomes an heir, and the gentle values of Arden (kindness, patience) are validated.

In essence, Act 5, Scene 4 is a masterful comic finale where all the strands of the plot are woven into a harmonious tapestry through ceremony, revelation, and report. It celebrates the restorative powers of love, forgiveness, and good fortune, while gracefully acknowledging, through Jaques, that perfect harmony is a choice not all will make. The scene affirms the comic worldview: disorder is temporary, identity is fluid but ultimately knowable, and community, blessed by the divine, is the ultimate good.

 

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