Metaphor in As You Like It

Jaques uses cosmopolitan and monetary language to refer to the deer and their fallen comrade: the fleeing deer are “citizens” who follow the “fashion” to look upon the dead; the fallen deer is “bankrupt.” Notice that though this account of his language comes from the Lords, it is filtered through their perspective. This either signals that the Lords have shaped his woe into their own frame of reference, the moral landscape of the city, or that Jaques had to explain his woe using their frame of reference. Jaques’ language, imagined or real, reveals the Lords’ distance from the green world.

The image of “diverted blood” is a subtle metaphor that operates on several levels. “Diverted blood” refers to Oliver, also called the “bloody brother” here. The word “diverted” suggests that the proper du Boys bloodline has been diverted, wrongly altered to put Oliver in a place of power. “Diverted blood” also suggests bloodshed, blood “diverted” from its normal course. The accompanying image of Oliver as “bloody brother” hints at a situation in which he is bloodied by violence.

These lines create a metaphor that compares real life to the theatrical world. On one level, these lines are self-consciously about the theater and speaking explicitly to the audience watching the play. This theater, meaning the theater in which they sit, will display “more woeful pageants” than the ones in which audience members will “play.” In other words, the theater displays how much worse life could be and therefore no one in the theater should feel self-pity.

This metaphor that "all the world's a stage" touches on the theme of wearing costumes and “playing parts” in order to shape the way in which one is perceived. To “play many parts” is to put on multiple costumes and have multiple identities, much like an actor within a play.

This famous line spoken by Jaques creates a metaphor that links everyday life to the events in a play. It fashions people as “merely” players, meaning each person’s purpose is no greater than playing a part. This metaphor suggests that life is ephemeral and has no greater meaning. It therefore functions as a lesson in humility that points out man’s lack of inherent purpose.

Celia’s claim that Rosalind’s love is “bottomless” suggests that her infatuation with Orlando is less about him and more about a desire to be in love. In this metaphor, Rosalind “pours affection” into the vessel that is Orlando. Yet the more she pours, the less substantial their love is.

Here, Rosalind claims that a snail is a better wooer than Orlando because he “carries his house” with him. Rosalind’s humorous metaphor here suggests that a woman looks for security when considering marriage and love; she needs the promise of a secure “destiny.”

“His” in this context refers to the Duke. Jaques suggests that they arrange the deer’s horns on top of the Duke’s head to signify the Duke’s victory. However, horns were also symbolic of being cuckolded. Metaphorically, Jaques gives the horns to the Duke because something has been taken from him—his throne and title.

Jaques uses the metaphor of Noah’s ark—a tale originally from the Book of Genesis—to describe the procession of couples headed to the wedding. The “flood toward” does not have a specific tenor, but connotatively suggests a raising of tension as the plot draws to a close.

Orlando’s metaphor for his willingness to marry Rosalind carries an important connotation. The image of Orlando being “of all kingdoms king” foreshadows Orlando’s return to a state of grace.