The Power of the Conditional

At the conclusion of As You Like It, Rosalind (as Ganymede) neatly resolves every issue of homoerotic desire that has arisen throughout the tangled lovelines of the play. She has to fix the "problems" of this queer desire and potential queer marriage plot, and the way in which she manages this feat is incredibly similar to Portia's solution in The Merchant of Venice.

Terrible disguise aside, Portia's plot serves her well.

In her plot, Portia uses a strict interpretation of language to force Shylock into sparing Antonio, telling him that "this bond doth give [him] here no jot of blood; / the words expressly are 'a pound of flesh.'." (Merchant of Venice 4.1.306-07). She traps him with the language of the deal, interpreting each clause literally in order to accomplish her goal. It is only when in drag that she is able to exert her power, but what a power that is. Portia's command of language transcends that of anyone else in the play, and she is able to trap Shylock into doing what she wants him to do. Portia's rhetoric is just as powerful as that of any of the lawyers and other men in the play.

Rosalind's plan parallels Portia's almost exactly. She also disguises herself in drag, though her persona Ganymede is much more central to the story than Portia's false identity. Having hidden her female identity, in which her agency would be much more limited, Rosalind is now free to work out a deal. She also makes great use of the conditional here; she traps the duke by getting him to agree that "if [she] bring in [his] Rosalind / [he] will bestow her on Orlando here" (As You Like It 5.4.6-7). Phoebe agrees to marry Ganymede only "if [he] be willing" (AYLI 5.4.11) and that otherwise she will marry Silvius. Her conditionals continue until everyone is trapped into a marriage that abides by the heterosexual norms. In other words, she tricks them into renouncing the queer desire that has permeated the play up to this point.

Don't worry, Orlando: no homo.

In drag, these women are able to fully employ powerful rhetoric and achieve their ends. Though both women clearly have a strong command of language and understand how to use it, their true agency only comes through when in drag. This gender-bending makes a statement about the power dynamics at the time; women lacked only the recognition for their skills, not the intelligence. Both women also demonstrate the overwhelming power of language; each is able to use the conditional and a literal interpretation of contracts in order to achieve their goals. Through this expert use of rhetoric, both women resolve all the issues in their respective plays, saving the day with their wit.