Act 4, Scene 2

Another part of the Forest.

Word definitions on hover

Notes

TLN 1910historical topical
“present him to the duke, like a Roman conqueror”
A Roman general who won a major victory was awarded a 'triumph' — a formal parade through Rome with his army, spoils, and captives. Jaques adapts the ceremony for a hunt: the man who killed the deer will be presented to Duke Senior with the animal's horns on his head, as a captured enemy's spoils might crown a triumphant soldier.
historical The Roman Triumph
TLN 1911cultural context
“deer's horns upon his head for a branch of victory”
Victorious Roman generals were crowned with a wreath of laurel, and any outstanding deed of arms earned a special 'crown' of leaves or grass — a 'branch of victory.' Here Jaques proposes the deer's antlers as a substitute garland, turning the hunt into a mock-triumph and setting up the horn-song's joke about cuckolds.
TLN 1920wordplay
“It was a crest ere thou wast born”
A 'crest' is the decorative device on top of a heraldic coat of arms — the family badge worn on a helmet. The song claims the horn is the hunter's hereditary crest, meaning he was born into it; his family has 'worn the horn' for generations. The joke is that a crest is a mark of lineage and pride, while the cuckold's horn is a mark of shame — yet the song insists they are the same thing, and every family has one.