William Shakespeare · As You Like It, Act 3, Scene 5. 252 spoken words · approximately 2–3 minutes. Mostly blank verse.
At a glance
- Character: Rosalind — Female character disguised as Ganymede.
- Useful for: Older teens and adults.
- Rehearsal challenge: Intermediate to advanced: two listeners and sharp rhetoric.
- Text: The complete uninterrupted speech identified below, extracted from the public-domain source edition. It is one speech within a longer play.
Timing is an estimate, not an audition guarantee. Time your own delivery with pauses and reactions. The character description explains the play; actors of any gender may explore the role in practice, subject to the requirements of a particular production or audition.
What happens immediately before this speech?
In the forest, Rosalind is dressed as Ganymede. She has watched Silvius plead with Phebe and heard Phebe ridicule the idea that her eyes could hurt him. Rosalind intervenes, attacks Phebe's pride, notices her staring, and then turns her criticism on Silvius for flattering her. Phebe's attraction to Ganymede makes the intervention backfire.
Speaking to: First Phebe, then Silvius, then Phebe again; both remain part of the encounter.
What the character wants: Stop Phebe's cruelty and push both people toward what Rosalind thinks is a sensible match.
A change to explore: A confident rebuke is disrupted by the realization that Phebe may be attracted to the rebuker.
The complete speech
Rosalind · As You Like It, Act 3, Scene 5
And why, I pray you? Who might be your mother,
That you insult, exult, and all at once,
Over the wretched? What though you have no beauty,–
As, by my faith, I see no more in you
Than without candle may go dark to bed–
Must you be therefore proud and pitiless?
Why, what means this? Why do you look on me?
I see no more in you than in the ordinary
Of nature's sale-work. 'Od's my little life,
I think she means to tangle my eyes too!
No, faith, proud mistress, hope not after it:
'Tis not your inky brows, your black silk hair,
Your bugle eyeballs, nor your cheek of cream,
That can entame my spirits to your worship.
You foolish shepherd, wherefore do you follow her,
Like foggy south puffing with wind and rain?
You are a thousand times a properer man
Than she a woman: 'tis such fools as you
That makes the world full of ill-favour'd children:
'Tis not her glass, but you, that flatters her;
And out of you she sees herself more proper
Than any of her lineaments can show her.
But, mistress, know yourself: down on your knees,
And thank heaven, fasting, for a good man's love:
For I must tell you friendly in your ear,
Sell when you can: you are not for all markets:
Cry the man mercy; love him; take his offer:
Foul is most foul, being foul to be a scoffer.
So take her to thee, shepherd: fare you well.
Source: As You Like It, Act 3, Scene 5 in MIT’s Complete Works of Shakespeare. The spoken wording follows that edition; stage directions are omitted. Verse line breaks are retained. Prose is displayed as a paragraph. Other editions may differ in spelling, punctuation or line division.
The thought in plain English
Why treat a suffering person so proudly? Your looks do not give you a reason to be cruel. Why are you looking at me like that? Do not expect me to worship you. Silvius, your flattery encourages her vanity. Phebe, recognize what you are being offered, apologize and accept his love instead of mocking him.
This CueRoom paraphrase is a study aid. The rehearsal demo uses Shakespeare’s wording above.
Words and phrases to understand
- exult
- Gloat or triumph over someone.
- sale-work
- Ordinary goods made for general sale; an insulting comparison here.
- bugle eyeballs
- Eyes compared with shiny black beads.
- properer / lineaments
- More handsome / features or outlines of the face.
- Cry the man mercy
- Ask the man for forgiveness.
Acting questions
- Which moment of Phebe's behavior makes intervention unavoidable?
- What do you see in her gaze when you ask why she looks at you?
- How does speaking to Silvius differ from speaking to Phebe?
- Are the final instructions practical advice, impatience or an attempt to escape?
A rehearsal experiment
Give Phebe and Silvius separate positions. Rehearse each change of addressee until a listener can follow it without an explanatory introduction. Then try reducing the physical turns while keeping each person's reaction alive.
Keep the scene playable
The speech contains insults about appearance and an assumption that Phebe should accept a man's offer. Those are Rosalind's tactics in this encounter, not neutral advice for relationships. Explore whether the sharpness comes from impatience, misplaced confidence or something else supported by the scene.
Rehearse Rosalind’s monologue free in CueRoom
The real rehearsal app opens with this exact speech divided into 6 thought beats. Choose Practice my lines to recall each beat, or Listen to the recording to hear the prepared reading. Prompt plays the current beat; bookmarks help you return to a difficult transition.
No account, purchase or replay credits required. The Studio reading is recorded once. Unlimited replays and prompts use those saved files.
Fixed text and voice; changes stay in this tab. Manual advance and timed hands-free practice are available. Voice Control depends on browser support and optional microphone permission. The reading offers one interpretation, not an authoritative pronunciation or performance guide.
How to memorize this speech
Divide by relationship, not only by sentence: rebuke Phebe, notice her gaze, refuse her interest, confront Silvius and press for a resolution. The attack on appearance contains a list; learn the list accurately without letting it replace the dramatic action.
Try recalling a beat before revealing it, check the exact wording, and then connect it to the following beat. Once the sequence holds, run the whole speech with a listener and intention. Use the monologue preparation plan for a short deadline or the line-learning guide for a longer rehearsal routine.
Choosing it for an audition or class
Choose this if you can make two silent listeners clear. It may be less suitable for a brief asking for a single intimate addressee or a very short classical piece.
Read the surrounding scene and check the audition’s period, duration and edition requirements. Make any permitted cut before learning it. This public demo always uses the complete selected speech shown above.
Related Shakespeare monologues
- Benedick: This can be no trick — Benedick, who has argued against marriage, persuades himself that returning Beatrice's love is the sensible thing to do.
- Viola: I left no ring with her — A returned ring makes Viola realize that Olivia has fallen for Cesario, the identity Viola is using while serving Orsino.
- Helena: How happy some o'er other some can be! — Left alone, Helena tries to explain why Demetrius loves Hermia, then chooses a way to follow him even though it may hurt.
Compare all 12 Shakespeare speeches → · Explore the whole monologue library →
Text and rehearsal-note credits
Speech by William Shakespeare. MIT states that its HTML Shakespeare texts are placed in the public domain. Selection, context, plain-English explanation and rehearsal exercises on this page are prepared for CueRoom. The Shakespeare text is not an original CueRoom monologue or a modern copyrighted edition.
Compare this female Shakespeare role with contemporary originals in Monologues for Women, with playing-age guidance and contrasting audition pairs.
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