As You Like It is a play by William Shakespeare. It was probably written in 1599 and first published in a collection called the First Folio in 1623.

The play follows Rosalind, the main character, as she runs away from danger in her uncle’s court. She is joined by her cousin, Celia, and they travel to the Forest of Arden to find safety and later find love. In the forest, they meet many interesting characters, including a sad traveler named Jaques. Jaques gives one of Shakespeare’s most famous speeches, "All the world's a stage," and his ideas about life are very different from the other characters in the play.

Over time, people have had different opinions about the play. Some believe it is a very valuable work, while others think it is not as strong as other plays by Shakespeare.

The play has been changed into radio plays, movies, and musicals.

Characters

Court of Duke Frederick:
Household of Old Sir Rowland de Boys (also known as "of the woods"):
Exiled group of Duke Senior in the Forest of Arden:
Rural people living in the Forest of Arden:

Source text

The main source of As You Like It is Thomas Lodge Jr.'s Rosalynde, Euphues Golden Legacie, which was written between 1586 and 1587 and first published in 1590. Lodge's story was based upon "The Tale of Gamelyn."

Date and text

As You Like It was first printed in the First Folio, a collection of Shakespeare's plays, in 1623. No copies of the play were published in a format called Quarto. The printers of the First Folio noted that the play was not previously registered to other publishers. Using clues from different sources, experts have estimated the play was written between the end of 1598 and the middle of 1599.

The play was recorded in the Stationers' Company Register on August 4, 1600, as a work that could not be published until the company confirmed the publisher had full copyright. A book titled Thomas Morley's First Book of Ayres, published in London in 1600, includes a musical version of the song "It was a lover and his lass" from As You Like It. This shows the play existed in some form before 1600.

The play was likely written after 1598 because it was not listed in Francis Meres' Palladis Tamia, a book from 1598 that described some of Shakespeare's plays. The new Globe Theatre opened in 1599, and its motto, "Totus mundus agit histrionem" ("All the Globe's a stage"), echoes a line from the play. This suggests the play was written between September 1598 and September 1599.

In Act III, Scene vi, the character Phebe quotes a line from Christopher Marlowe's Hero and Leander, which was published in 1598. The line originally appeared in 1593, before Marlowe's death. A book published in 1598 revived interest in Marlowe's work and his death. In Act IV, Scene i, Rosalind's speech mentions Diana, possibly referencing an image of the goddess in London from 1598. Diana was also a nickname for Queen Elizabeth I. Other references, such as a character's mention of the Marprelate Controversy (a debate from 1588–1589), suggest the play may have been written in 1599–1600. However, the exact date of composition remains uncertain.

Settings

The main events of the story take place in the "Forest of Arden," a setting introduced by Lodge Jr.'s original text. This location is not limited to one specific place or identity. The Arden edition of Shakespeare’s work suggests that the name "Arden" combines elements from the classical region of Arcadia and the biblical garden of Eden. This reflects the blending of classical and Christian ideas in the play.

Shakespeare may have also been influenced by the French Arden Wood from the story Orlando Innamorato, as both Orlando Innamorato and Orlando Furioso share connections with the play. In these stories, Arden Wood is where Merlin’s Fountain is located. This magical fountain causes people to lose love when they drink from it. Many versions of the play keep the spelling "Arden" because the pastoral style of the story creates a world that is not tied to real geography. Additionally, Shakespeare wrote during a time when spelling was not standardized.

The play is set in a duchy in France, beginning in a royal court. The Oxford Shakespeare edition suggests that there was confusion between two different places named Arden. It assumes that "Arden" is a version of the forested Ardennes region of France, where Lodge’s story was set, and changes the spelling to reflect this.

The name "Arden" refers to the Ardennes, a forested area in parts of southeast Belgium, western Luxembourg, and northeastern France. It also brings to mind the English Forest of Arden. At the time, the word "forest" did not always mean a continuous stretch of trees. Instead, it described a large area with many open spaces and farmland.

The English Forest of Arden was a vast area in Middle England, stretching from the River Trent in the north to the River Severn in the south. It covered much of Warwickshire and parts of Shropshire, Staffordshire, the West Midlands, and Worcestershire. The forest was defined by ancient Roman roads: Icknield Street (west), the Salt Road (south), Fosse Way (east), and Watling Street (north). This area was the home of the Arden family, who lived far north of Stratford, as shown on the Goff Map from the 14th century.

The Arden family was a powerful Anglo-Saxon group that kept its influence after the Norman Conquest. Shakespeare’s mother, Mary Arden, was born and raised on a farm near Stratford-upon-Avon, on land owned by this family. By the 16th century, the Ardens lived mainly at Park Hall in Solihull, but they had owned land across a large region for many years, including areas as far north as Wem in Shropshire before the Norman Conquest.

Synopsis

Frederick has taken over the duchy and forced his older brother, Duke Senior, to leave. Duke Senior's daughter, Rosalind, is allowed to stay at court because she is the closest friend of Frederick's only child, Celia. Orlando, a young man from the kingdom, falls in love with Rosalind at first sight. He is forced to leave his home after being mistreated by his older brother, Oliver. Frederick becomes angry and orders Rosalind to leave court. Celia and Rosalind decide to escape together, accompanied by the court fool, Touchstone. Rosalind disguises herself as a young man, and Celia disguises herself as a poor girl.

Rosalind, now pretending to be Ganymede ("Jove's own page"), and Celia, now pretending to be Aliena (Latin for "stranger"), arrive in the Arcadian Forest of Arden. There, they find the exiled Duke Senior and some of his supporters, including "the melancholy Jaques," a sad and unhappy person who is seen crying over the death of a deer. Ganymede and Aliena do not immediately meet the Duke and his group. Instead, they meet Corin, a poor tenant, and offer to buy his master's simple cottage.

Orlando and his servant Adam find the Duke and his men and soon live with them. They write simple love poems about Rosalind on trees. Rosalind, who is also in love with Orlando, meets him as Ganymede and pretends to help him stop loving her. Ganymede says that "he" will take Rosalind's place and that "he" and Orlando can act out their relationship.

The shepherdess Phebe, who is loved by Silvius, falls in love with Ganymede (Rosalind in disguise), but Ganymede shows no interest in Phebe. Touchstone, the court fool, falls in love with the simple-minded shepherdess Audrey and tries to marry her. He eventually agrees to marry her first. Another shepherd, William, also tries to marry Audrey, but Touchstone threatens to kill him "a hundred and fifty ways."

Later, Silvius, Phebe, Ganymede, and Orlando argue about who will marry whom. Ganymede promises to solve the problem by making Orlando agree to marry Rosalind and Phebe agree to marry Silvius if she cannot marry Ganymede.

Orlando sees Oliver in the forest and saves him from a lioness, which makes Oliver apologize for treating Orlando badly. Oliver meets Aliena (Celia in disguise) and falls in love with her. They agree to marry. In the final scene, Orlando and Rosalind, Oliver and Celia, Silvius and Phebe, and Touchstone and Audrey are all married. They later learn that Frederick has also apologized for his wrongs and decided to restore his brother to the dukedom and live a religious life. Jaques, who is always sad, refuses to return to court and chooses to stay in the forest and live a religious life instead. Finally, Rosalind speaks an epilogue, encouraging the audience to enjoy the play.

Analysis and criticism

Though the play is one of Shakespeare’s most often performed comedies, some people have argued about whether it is a strong work. George Bernard Shaw said the play lacks the high quality of Shakespeare’s best writing. He believed Shakespeare wrote it to please the audience, which is why the title is "As You Like It"—as if the writer didn’t care. Tolstoy disliked the characters’ behavior and the clownish actions of Touchstone. Other critics found value in the play. Harold Bloom said Rosalind is one of Shakespeare’s best and most fully developed female characters.

The story includes many changes in gender roles, which interest modern studies about gender. In the play, Rosalind, who would have been played by a boy in Shakespeare’s time, disguises herself as a boy. The character Phebe, also played by a boy, falls in love with Rosalind’s disguise, called "Ganymede," a name with meanings related to same-sex attraction. In the play’s ending, Rosalind tells the audience she is not a woman (or at least the actor playing her is not). In some scenes, "Ganymede" pretends to be Rosalind, meaning a boy actor would play a girl pretending to be a boy pretending to be a girl.

The play ends with four weddings and a celebration led by Hymen, a god of marriage, before the exiled court returns to the kingdom and their old positions are restored.

The play starts in a royal court where fighting, betrayal, and disorder are shown. Most of the story takes place in the countryside, where harmony is restored after chaos.

People in Duke Frederick’s court suffer from unfair treatment and even threats of death. Those who fled with the old duke to the forest live freely, though they face some hardship. A scene between Touchstone, the jester, and Corin compares the happiness of country life to the artificial, perfumed life at court. At the end, Duke Frederick and Jaques choose to stay in the forest.

Usurpation and unfairness are important themes. Duke Frederick takes over from his older brother, Duke Senior, and Oliver treats his younger brother Orlando unfairly, forcing him to leave. Both men find safety in the forest, where justice is restored through nature.

Love is the main theme of the play, like in other Shakespearean romantic comedies. Love at first sight happens between Rosalind and Orlando, Celia and Oliver, and Phoebe and Ganymede. The love between Audrey and Touchstone is a humorous version of real love. Another type of love is the strong bond between Rosalind and Celia.

The play shows examples of people losing their titles or property and facing unfair social systems. These problems are resolved through forgiveness and reconciliation. Duke Frederick is changed by a hermit and returns the kingdom to Duke Senior, who then returns the forest to the deer. Oliver learns to love Orlando and gives him their father’s inheritance. The play ends with happiness and celebration.

The characters find happiness through love, but the play also mentions that life has many sad moments. The forest offers freedom from the dangers of court life.

In one scene, a snake is seen threatening a man, but it runs away when Orlando appears. This might symbolize how the presence of actors on stage removes envy. Rosalind, disguised as Ganymede, challenges social rules about how women should act. She shows that women can be smart and independent, which goes against old ideas that women should be gentle and passive.

Some scholars say the ending supports old ideas about men controlling society. For example, Kay Stanton argues that Orlando and Rosalind miss the old, kinder system where men had more power. She also notes that Celia, who imagines a world where women support each other, does not speak in the final act.

A professor named Richard Knowles wrote that the play includes references to myths, such as Eden and Hercules.

The play is called a musical comedy because it has many songs. These songs take place in the forest of Arden and include:

• "Under the Greenwood Tree," sung by Amiens, which praises country life over court life.
• "Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind," sung by Amiens, which says suffering from cold is better than suffering from people’s unkindness.
• "What Shall He Have That Killed the Deer," which creates a peaceful, pastoral scene.
• "It Was a Lover and His Lass," which celebrates spring and the idea of new beginnings.

Shakespeare used prose (regular speech) for about half the play and verse (poetic lines) for the other half. Some critics say the prose is clear and helps tell the story, while the verse is more decorative. In Shakespeare’s time, court characters usually spoke in verse, and country characters in prose. However, in this play, Rosalind, a noble character, speaks in prose, which shows her direct and honest nature. Love scenes between Rosalind and Orlando are in prose, while Silvius’s love for Phebe is in verse. Characters may switch between prose and verse depending on their emotions.

Performance history

There is no clear record of any performance before the Restoration.

Scholars have suggested two specific dates for the first court performance of the play. However, there is no clear evidence because the records do not mention the name of the play performed. The earlier date is Shrove Tuesday, 20 February 1599, at Richmond Palace, performed before Elizabeth I by the Lord Chamberlain's Men. The later date is 2 December 1603 at Wilton House, Wiltshire, which was the home of Mary Sidney. The play was

Adaptations

Thomas Morley (around 1557–1602) wrote music for the song "It was a lover and his lass." He lived in the same area as Shakespeare and sometimes composed music for Shakespeare's plays.

Roger Quilter created a version of "Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind" for voice and piano in 1905. This song was part of his collection of three Shakespeare songs called Op. 6.

Florence Wickham wrote both the music and lyrics for her opera Rosalind, which is based on Shakespeare's As You Like It. The opera premiered at the open-air Rockridge Theater in Carmel, New York, in August 1938.

In 1942, Gerald Finzi included a version of "It was a lover and his lass" (from Act V, Scene iii) in his song cycle Let Us Garlands Bring, which features songs based on Shakespeare's texts.

Cleo Laine performed a jazz version of "It was a lover and his lass" on her 1964 album Shakespeare… and all that Jazz. The composer of this version is credited as "Young."

Donovan wrote and recorded a song version of "Under the Greenwood Tree" for his 1968 album A Gift from a Flower to a Garden.

Hans Werner Henze included a section called "Touchstone, Audrey and William" in the fifth movement of his 1976 sonata Royal Winter Music. This piece portrays Shakespearean characters.

Rush's drummer and composer Neil Peart used lines from Shakespeare's As You Like It in the lyrics for the song "Limelight" on their 1981 album Moving Pictures. The lines include: "All the world's indeed a stage / And we are merely players…"

John Rutter composed a version of "Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind" for a choir in 1992.

In 2005, the band Barenaked Ladies created and released a full album for a play. The album was recorded for and only released at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival.

Michael John Trotta composed a version of "Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind" for a choir in 2013.

In 2017, The Public Theater's Public Works program presented a musical adaptation of As You Like It. The original music and lyrics were written by Shaina Taub.

In 2018, Vancouver's Bard on the Beach introduced a musical version of As You Like It. The production included songs by The Beatles performed by the cast. It broke box office records for Shakespeare productions and returned to Vancouver in 2023.

On March 1, 2015, BBC Radio 3 broadcast a new production of As You Like It. The production was directed by Sally Avens and featured music composed by Johnny Flynn, an actor and singer from the folk rock band Johnny Flynn and The Sussex Wit. The cast included Pippa Nixon as Rosalind, Luke Norris as Orlando, Adrian Scarborough as Touchstone, William Houston as Jaques, Ellie Kendrick as Celia, and Jude Akuwudike as Corin.

The 1936 film adaptation of As You Like It was Laurence Olivier's first Shakespeare film. Olivier only acted in the film, playing the role of Orlando. J. M. Barrie, the author of Peter Pan, wrote the film's story. The film was made in England and starred Elisabeth Bergner, who played Rosalind with a German accent. Unlike Hollywood films of the time, this production was not well-received by critics or Olivier.

In 1978, Helen Mirren played Rosalind in a BBC videotaped version of As You Like It. The production was directed by Basil Coleman.

In 1992, Christine Edzard made another film version of As You Like It. The film featured James Fox, Cyril Cusack, Andrew Tiernan, Griff Rhys Jones, and Ewen Bremner. The story was set in a modern, bleak urban environment.

A 2006 film adaptation of As You Like It was set in 19th-century Japan and directed by Kenneth Branagh. The film starred Bryce Dallas Howard, David Oyelowo, Romola Garai, Alfred Molina, Kevin Kline, and Brian Blessed. It was shown in European theaters and later premiered on HBO in the United States in 2007. Kevin Kline won a Screen Actors Guild Award for his role as Jaques, even though the film was not made for television.

In 2022, CBeebies produced a version of As You Like It adapted for children.

The 1902 Broadway musical Tommy Rot used a play-within-a-play structure, where the story took place during a performance of As You Like It. The musical The Seven Doors of Danny, by Ricky Horscraft and John McCullough, was based on the "Seven Ages of Man" speech from As You Like It. It premiered in April 2016.

The artist Salvador Dalí created costume and set designs for As You Like It when it was directed by Luchino Visconti at the Teatro Eliseo in Rome in 1948.

Many artists have been inspired to paint scenes from As You Like It. These artists include:
• John William Waterhouse
• Daniel Maclise
• Francis Hayman
• Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale
• Margaret Gillies
• William Hodges
• John Pettie
• Robert Smirke
• John Collier
• Walter Deverell
• William Hamilton