Were it not better,
Because
that I am more than common tall,
That
I did suit me all points like a man?
A
gallant curtle-axe upon my thigh,
A
boar-spear in my hand; and- in my heart
Lie
there what a hidden woman’s fear there will-
We’ll
have a swashing and a martial outside;
As
many other mannish cowards have
That
do outface it with their semblances.
-Rosalind
As You Like It Act I, Scene iii, Line 119
Yup, that’s
right, I gave you the whole paragraph instead of a line. But it’s pretty short,
and pretty understandable. Rosalind’s just been banished from the court, so she
and her cousin are talking about taking off on their own. Celia suggests that
they give themselves a dirty appearance so as not to be taken advantage of
since they will be two women traveling alone. Rosalind has a better idea:
Wouldn’t it be better, since I’m so tall,
that I disguise myself as a man? An axe on my thigh and a spear in my hand,
and, regardless of the woman’s fears in my heart, I’ll have a swaggering and valiant
appearance; much like many cowardly men who have a manly look to them.
That’s my paraphrasing of today’s lines. It just seemed that whole little speech was better intact. Also, regardless of the fact that I paraphrased it for you, the original text is pretty understandable to me. What do you think?
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