Understanding Shakespeare: As You Like It by Robert A. Albano - HTML preview

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in the word him: it stands both for Rosalind’s bur (or problem) and for the wrestler Orlando. Celia then counsels Rosalind “to wrestle with thy affections” (18). In other words, Rosalind should control her emotions. Shakespeare, however, was only too well aware that love is a powerful emotion that cannot be controlled.

Celia continues their witty conversation with a pun on the word fall: a wrestler will take a fall and Rosalind has fallen in love. Celia then asks her cousin directly if she is in love with Orlando. Rosalind admits her love even though she does not have a reasonable explanation for her sudden change in feelings.