As You Like It, Act 2 Scene 5 runs 57 lines of dialogue, spoken by 2 speakers. That is shorter than the play’s average scene length of about 122 lines. This scene is part of Act 2 of As You Like It.
Full Dialogue
Amiens ♂
Under the greenwood tree
Who loves to lie with me,
And turn his merry note
Unto the sweet bird's throat,
Come hither, come hither, come hither:
Here shall he see No enemy
But winter and rough weather.
Who loves to lie with me,
And turn his merry note
Unto the sweet bird's throat,
Come hither, come hither, come hither:
Here shall he see No enemy
But winter and rough weather.
Jaques ♂
More, more, I prithee, more.
Amiens ♂
It will make you melancholy, Monsieur Jaques.
Jaques ♂
I thank it. More, I prithee, more. I can suck
melancholy out of a song, as a weasel sucks eggs.
More, I prithee, more.
melancholy out of a song, as a weasel sucks eggs.
More, I prithee, more.
Amiens ♂
My voice is ragged: I know I cannot please you.
Jaques ♂
I do not desire you to please me; I do desire you to
sing. Come, more; another stanzo: call you 'em stanzos?
sing. Come, more; another stanzo: call you 'em stanzos?
Amiens ♂
What you will, Monsieur Jaques.
Jaques ♂
Nay, I care not for their names; they owe me
nothing. Will you sing?
nothing. Will you sing?
Amiens ♂
More at your request than to please myself.
Jaques ♂
Well then, if ever I thank any man, I'll thank you;
but that they call compliment is like the encounter
of two dog-apes, and when a man thanks me heartily,
methinks I have given him a penny and he renders me
the beggarly thanks. Come, sing; and you that will
not, hold your tongues.
but that they call compliment is like the encounter
of two dog-apes, and when a man thanks me heartily,
methinks I have given him a penny and he renders me
the beggarly thanks. Come, sing; and you that will
not, hold your tongues.
Amiens ♂
Well, I'll end the song. Sirs, cover the while; the
duke will drink under this tree. He hath been all
this day to look you.
duke will drink under this tree. He hath been all
this day to look you.
Jaques ♂
And I have been all this day to avoid him. He is
too disputable for my company: I think of as many
matters as he, but I give heaven thanks and make no
boast of them. Come, warble, come.
SONG.
Who doth ambition shun
And loves to live i' the sun,
Seeking the food he eats
And pleased with what he gets,
Come hither, come hither, come hither:
Here shall he see No enemy
But winter and rough weather.
I'll give you a verse to this note that I made
yesterday in despite of my invention.
too disputable for my company: I think of as many
matters as he, but I give heaven thanks and make no
boast of them. Come, warble, come.
SONG.
Who doth ambition shun
And loves to live i' the sun,
Seeking the food he eats
And pleased with what he gets,
Come hither, come hither, come hither:
Here shall he see No enemy
But winter and rough weather.
I'll give you a verse to this note that I made
yesterday in despite of my invention.
Amiens ♂
And I'll sing it.
Jaques ♂
Thus it goes:–
If it do come to pass
That any man turn ass,
Leaving his wealth and ease,
A stubborn will to please,
Ducdame, ducdame, ducdame:
Here shall he see
Gross fools as he,
An if he will come to me.
If it do come to pass
That any man turn ass,
Leaving his wealth and ease,
A stubborn will to please,
Ducdame, ducdame, ducdame:
Here shall he see
Gross fools as he,
An if he will come to me.
Amiens ♂
What's that 'ducdame'?
Jaques ♂
'Tis a Greek invocation, to call fools into a
circle. I'll go sleep, if I can; if I cannot, I'll
rail against all the first-born of Egypt.
circle. I'll go sleep, if I can; if I cannot, I'll
rail against all the first-born of Egypt.
Amiens ♂
And I'll go seek the duke: his banquet is prepared.
57 lines rendered verbatim from the dialogue corpus.
Who’s On Stage
Speaking characters in this scene
| Character | Lines | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Jaques | 40 | 70.2% |
| Amiens | 17 | 29.8% |
Line distribution
The top speaker in this scene delivers 40 lines, while the scene’s average per speaker is about 29 lines.
Total speakers on stage
2 named characters speak in this scene.
Scene in Context
Position within Act 2
This is Scene 5 of 7 in Act 2 of As You Like It.
Scene length vs. play average
At 57 lines, this scene is shorter than the As You Like It average scene in As You Like It (~122 lines).
Adjacent scenes
Previous: Act 2 Scene 4 · Next: Act 2 Scene 6
About Act 2 Scene 5 of As You Like It
Who carries Act 2 Scene 5 of As You Like It?
Jaques, with 40 lines — about 70% of the scene.