Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
After Orlando rumbles with Charles during the big wrestling scene in Act 1, Scene 2, the characters just can't resist the urge to turn the wrestling match into a metaphor for romance. Rosalind gushes to dreamy Orlando, "Sir, you have wrestled well, and overthrown/ More than your enemies" (1.2.254-255). (Translation: "I have a crush on you.") A few lines later, Orlando says to himself, "O poor Orlando! Thou art overthrown" (1.2.260). What's Orlando been defeated by? Love, of course. This kind of talk continues through the play, and, as silly as it might seem, it actually makes a lot of sense. Falling in love with a crush is pretty exciting (especially for the first time) and the emotion involved can be as dramatic and painful as, well, a wrestling match.