1. Who is that gallant?
Why does Duke Fredrick upset with 'that gallant' earlier in the play? Why is he upset with him now?
2. Who is brother? Why does Duke Frederick later send for him? What does Duke Frederick tell him then?
3. What is the present state of affairs between 'his brother and that gallant?
Why is this so?
How is the present state of affairs between the brothers amicably resolved
later in the play?
4. Who are the “foolish runaways"? In what disguise do they leave? Where
do they go? How do they live there? Describe the dwelling place? What happens
eventually between the 'foolish runaways' and the brothers referred to in
this extract?
Answers
Answer: Rosalind‘s (Ganymede‘s) love. She goes to the extent of sending a letter to Ganymede through Silvius
expressing her passion for him. She tells Silvius that the letter contains her disgust for Ganymede. But on
learning the contents of the letter from Ganymede, Silvius feels hurt and Ganymede (or Rosalind) rebukes
Silvius for having become too servile to Phoebe.
Meanwhile, Orlando gets wounded in an attempt to save his eldest brother Oliver from the attack of a
lioness. Orlando rescues Oliver from the clutches of a lioness despite the fact that Oliver had always tried to
put an end to Orlando‘s life. Oliver comes across Rosalind and Celia in the forest and informs them about
Orlando‘s being wounded by a lioness, Ganymede (or Rosalind) faints on hearing this. It becomes evident
to us that after having been severely dealt with by Duke Frederick, Oliver too has taken refuge in the forest
of Arden.
Oliver and Aliena have fallen in love with each other at first sight and would like to get married. As Oliver
and Orlando have now become fully reconciled to each other, Oliver informs Orlando of his ardent love for
Aliena. Orlando approves of this relationship and says that their marriage should take place the very
following day. As both Rosalind and Celia are still disguised as Ganymede and Aliena, neither Oliver nor
Orlando yet knows their true identity. Even Duke Senior does not yet know about the presence of his
daughter Rosalind and his niece Celia in the forest of Arden, though he happened on one occasion to meet
Ganymede/Rosalind for a few minutes.
Orlando is feeling sad because though his brother Oliver is going to get married, his own love for Rosalind
is far from being fulfilled. Ganymede assures Orlando that he knows magic and he can use this knowledge
of magic to unite Orlando and Rosalind. Orlando tells Duke Senior what Ganymede had told her. So Duke
Senior, Orlando and all others wait for Ganymede‘s magic. After a little while, both Ganymede and Aliena
shed their disguises and appear before the gathering in their proper persons. The Duke is surprised as well
as happy to see his daughter Rosalind and Celia. He readily agrees to the marriage of Rosalind and Orlando.
At this time, three other marriages, along with the marriage of Rosalind and Orlando will be solemnised —
Touchstone and Audrey; Oliver and Celia; Phoebe also agrees to marry Silvius, because she discovers, to
her surprise, that the young man Ganymede with whom she had fallen in love is really a woman viz.
Rosalind.
This is the climax of the play where almost all the major issues have been resolved. What remains to be
seen is the end of enmity between Duke Senior and Duke Frederick. Now, it so happens that more and more
worthy and efficient people had started coming to the forest of Arden in order to join Duke Senior. Duke
Frederick cannot tolerate this and he heads towards the forest with a large force to attack Duke Senior and
to put an end to his life. But by chance he meets a saint in the forest of Arden. Duke Frederick falls under
the spell of this saint to such an extent that he decides to renounce the world and become a saint himself.
Therefore, Duke Senior is restored to his Dukedom. So the play ends on a happy note for all the concerne
Explanation: