Concluding As You Like It . . . in your pants

"JAQ. Rosalind is your love's name?
ORL. Yes, just.
JAQ. I do not like her name.
ORL. There was no thought of pleasing your when she was christened" (As You Like It, III.ii.42).

I finished reading this play on Valentine's Day. Appropriate, no?

I'm trying to find an excuse to blog about this one part where Jaques and Orlando have a conversation with each other. So, I'll say this very astutely -- I think there are some important thematic ideas in Act III, Scene ii.

First of all, I would like to have a Jaques or an Orlando in my life, please. They were so quick and sarcastic when they were arguing about love -- so it's funny and serious simultaneously. I was hoping that they would fall in love by the end of the play, but unfortunately, Orlando ended up with the cross-dresser.

Jaques disapproves of Orlando's love -- he even says that it's Orlando's "worst fault." Orlando defends himself, "'T is a fault I will not change for your best virtue." Who's right, here: Monsiuer Melancholy or Signior Love? I would say that this scene highlights the complexity of love; to some, it's a horrible fault, and to others, it's a great virtue. That's a theme, right? Love is complex -- some believe that love is a fault while other believe that love is a virtue.

Jaques is probably so melancholy because HIS love (Orlando) is feverishly searching for a girl who cross-dresses. This analysis is all rooted in the text, by the way.