Here is the line-by-line paraphrase of Oliver’s monologue from As You Like It:

Original: When last the young Orlando parted from you
Modern: The last time young Orlando left you

Original: He left a promise to return again
Modern: He promised he would come back

Original: Within an hour; and, pacing through the forest,
Modern: Within an hour; and while he was walking through the forest,

Original: Chewing the food of sweet and bitter fancy,
Modern: Lost in his mixed-up thoughts of love and sadness,

Original: Lo, what befell! he threw his eye aside,
Modern: Look what happened! He glanced to the side,

Original: And mark what object did present itself:
Modern: And notice what he saw:

Original: Under an oak, whose boughs were moss’d with age,
Modern: Under an oak tree whose branches were covered with old moss,

Original: And high top bald with dry antiquity,
Modern: And whose top was bare from being so ancient and dry,

Original: A wretched ragged man, o’ergrown with hair,
Modern: A miserable man in torn clothes, covered with overgrown hair,

Original: Lay sleeping on his back: about his neck
Modern: Was lying asleep on his back: around his neck

Original: A green and gilded snake had wreath’d itself,
Modern: A green and gold-colored snake had wrapped itself,

Original: Who with her head nimble in threats approach’d
Modern: And it was quickly moving its head threateningly toward

Original: The opening of his mouth; but suddenly,
Modern: The opening of his mouth; but all of a sudden,

Original: Seeing Orlando, it unlink’d itself,
Modern: When it saw Orlando, it unwound itself,

Original: And with indented glides did slip away
Modern: And with zigzagging movements it slithered away

Original: Into a bush; under which bush’s shade
Modern: Into a bush; and under that same bush’s shade

Original: A lioness, with udders all drawn dry,
Modern: A lioness, whose teats were completely dried up from nursing,

Original: Lay couching, head on ground, with catlike watch,
Modern: Was crouching with her head on the ground, watching like a cat,

Original: When that the sleeping man should stir; for ‘tis
Modern: Waiting for the sleeping man to move; because it’s

Original: The royal disposition of that beast
Modern: The noble nature of that animal

Original: To prey on nothing that doth seem as dead:
Modern: Not to attack anything that appears to be dead:

Original: This seen, Orlando did approach the man,
Modern: Seeing all this, Orlando walked up to the man,

Original: And found it was his brother, his elder brother.
Modern: And discovered it was his brother, his older brother.

Original: And well he might so do,
Modern: And he had good reason to say that,

Original: For well I know he was unnatural.
Modern: Because I know very well I acted unnaturally.

Original: Twice did he turn his back and purpos’d so;
Modern: Twice he turned away and intended to leave him there;

Original: But kindness, nobler ever than revenge,
Modern: But kindness, which is always more noble than revenge,

Original: And nature, stronger than his just occasion,
Modern: And natural family bonds, stronger than his justified anger,

Original: Made him give battle to the lioness,
Modern: Made him fight the lioness,

Original: Who quickly fell before him: in which hurtling
Modern: Who was quickly defeated by him: in that violent struggle

Original: From miserable slumber I awak’d.
Modern: I woke up from my wretched sleep.

Original: ‘Twas I; but ‘tis not I. I do not shame
Modern: That was me; but I’m not that person anymore. I’m not ashamed

Original: To tell you what I was, since my conversion
Modern: To tell you what I used to be, since my transformation

Original: So sweetly tastes, being the thing I am.
Modern: Feels so good, now that I’m the person I’ve become.

Original: By and by.
Modern: In a moment.

Original: When from the first to last, betwixt us two,
Modern: When we told each other the whole story, between the two of us,

Original: Tears our recountments had most kindly bath’d,
Modern: Our loving retelling was bathed in tears,

Original: As how I came into that desert place:
Modern: Including how I came to be in that deserted place:

Original: In brief, he led me to the gentle duke,
Modern: To make it short, he brought me to the kind duke,

Original: Who gave me fresh array and entertainment,
Modern: Who gave me new clothes and hospitality,

Original: Committing me unto my brother’s love;
Modern: Entrusting me to my brother’s care;

Original: Who led me instantly unto his cave,
Modern: Who immediately brought me to his cave,

Original: There stripp’d himself; and here, upon his arm
Modern: There he took off his shirt; and here, on his arm

Original: The lioness had torn some flesh away,
Modern: The lioness had torn away some flesh,

Original: Which all this while had bled; and now he fainted,
Modern: Which had been bleeding all this time; and then he fainted,

Original: And cried, in fainting, upon Rosalind.
Modern: And called out Rosalind’s name as he was fainting.

Original: Brief, I recover’d him, bound up his wound;
Modern: To make it short, I revived him and bandaged his wound;

Original: And, after some small space, being strong at heart,
Modern: And after a little while, having regained his courage,

Original: He sent me hither, stranger as I am,
Modern: He sent me here, even though I’m a stranger to you,

Original: To tell this story, that you might excuse
Modern: To tell you this story, so that you would forgive

Original: His broken promise; and to give this napkin,
Modern: His broken promise; and to give you this cloth,

Original: Dy’d in his blood, unto the shepherd youth
Modern: Stained with his blood, to the young shepherd

Original: That he in sport doth call his Rosalind.
Modern: That he playfully calls his Rosalind.

In Act IV, Scene 3 of “As You Like It,” Oliver arrives in the Forest of Arden carrying a bloody handkerchief and searching for Ganymede (Rosalind in disguise) and Aliena (Celia in disguise). He explains that Orlando had encountered a man sleeping under an oak tree, threatened by both a lioness and a snake. Despite recognizing the sleeping man as his brother Oliver, who had wronged him, Orlando chose to save him from these dangers. During the rescue, Orlando was wounded by the lioness, resulting in significant bleeding.

Oliver recounts how this act of mercy and bravery led to a reconciliation between the brothers, with Oliver experiencing a complete transformation of heart. He explains that Orlando, weakened by blood loss, fainted and asked Oliver to deliver the bloody handkerchief to Ganymede as proof of why he could not keep their appointed meeting. Upon hearing this tale and seeing the bloody cloth, Rosalind herself faints, though she quickly attempts to cover her feminine reaction by claiming she was merely counterfeiting. Oliver and Celia both express suspicion about the authenticity of this supposed act, noting that Ganymede’s reaction seemed genuinely distressed rather than performed.

As You Like It follows the story of Rosalind, daughter of the banished Duke Senior, who lives at court with her cousin Celia under the rule of the usurping Duke Frederick. When the young nobleman Orlando defeats the court wrestler Charles, Rosalind and Orlando fall instantly in love. However, Duke Frederick suddenly banishes Rosalind, fearing her popularity threatens his power. Celia chooses to flee with her beloved cousin, and together they escape to the Forest of Arden where Rosalind’s father lives in exile with his loyal followers.

To ensure their safety during their journey and life in the forest, Rosalind disguises herself as a young man named Ganymede, while Celia takes the identity of a shepherdess called Aliena. Meanwhile, Orlando, having been warned by the faithful servant Adam that his jealous older brother Oliver plans to kill him, also flees to the forest. In Arden, Orlando encounters “Ganymede” and, not recognizing his beloved Rosalind, agrees to cure his lovesickness by wooing the disguised young man as if he were Rosalind herself.

The forest becomes a place of romantic confusion and resolution, populated by various couples including the melancholy Jaques, the fool Touchstone (who pursues the country wench Audrey), and the shepherdess Phebe (who falls for “Ganymede” while spurning her devoted Silvius). The play’s complications multiply when Oliver arrives in the forest, transformed by Orlando’s heroic rescue of him from a lioness, and immediately falls in love with Celia. In the final act, Rosalind orchestrates the resolution of all romantic entanglements by revealing her true identity, leading to multiple marriages. Duke Frederick experiences a religious conversion and restores his brother to power, allowing the court characters to choose between returning to civilization or remaining in the pastoral world of Arden.