As You Like It · Chapter
Scene II explained
In the Forest of Arden, Jaques and the foresters celebrate the killing of a deer with a mock Roman triumph and a song that playfully defends the wearing of horns as a natural and honorable crest.
What happens
In the Forest of Arden, Jaques and the foresters celebrate the killing of a deer with a mock Roman triumph and a song that playfully defends the wearing of horns as a natural and honorable crest.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Falling action.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This is the dramatic climax because Rosalind, who has been orchestrating the pastoral love games from a positi…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Fortune and Nature
The song's celebration of the deer's horns as a natural crest inherited from one's father underscores the theme of nature's enduring and unashamed cycles.
Characters to notice
- Jaques
Jaques orchestrates a mock Roman triumph for the deer-killer and calls for a song, showing his characteristic blend of melancholy and wit.
Key passages
“What shall he have that kill'd the deer? His leather skin and horns to wear.”
What reward should the deer-killer receive? He gets the deer's hide and antlers to wear.
The forester's song outlines the traditional spoils of the hunt, emphasizing the physical trophies taken from the animal.
“Take thou no scorn to wear the horn; It was a crest ere thou wast born: Thy father's father wore it, And thy father bore it”
Do not be ashamed to wear the horn; it was a symbol of honor before you were born: your ancestors wore it, and your father did too.
Jaques's song defends the horn as a noble and ancient emblem, turning a potential mark of shame into a badge of lineage and natural pride.
