As You Like It
Story Summary
Rosalind’s father, Duke Senior, has been banished by his younger brother, Frederick, and taken refuge in the Forest of Arden. Rosalind remains at court, being a cherished companion to her uncle’s daughter, Celia. Orlando de Boys, mistreated by his older brother Oliver, comes to Rosalind’s attention during a wrestling match, and they fall in love. When Rosalind is also banished, she and Celia run away from court to the Forest of Arden, disguised as the youth Ganymede and his sister, Aliena, and accompanied by the fool, Touchstone. Unaware of this, Orlando, now out of favour at court, follows too.
Ganymede discovers poetry written by Orlando to Rosalind. ‘He’ persuades Orlando to try to woo him to cure him of his passion. There is much courting going on in the forest, with Touchstone chasing Audrey, a peasant girl, and Silvius, a shepherd, being jilted by Phebe, a shepherdess. More romance is in the air when Oliver, sent by Frederick to capture Orlando, has a change of heart and, encountering Celia, falls in love. Like all Shakespeare’s comedies, everything is tied up neatly at the end, and four couples happily wed.
Homeschool Hints
“As You Like It” is one of Shakespeare’s more popular plays. It is worth watching more than once to allow familiarity with the story to make the wittiness of the text more accessible. The title gives us a clue as to its raison d’etre. G.B. Harrison, a Shakespearean scholar, wrote:
“As You Like It is a lighthearted comedy which appeals to readers at all stages and in all lighter moods. It pleases some by its idyllic romance, others by its optimistic philosophy of simple goodness, and yet others by its cynical irony. Indeed, you can take this play just as you like it.”
—Shakespeare: The Complete Works. New York: Harcourt, 1952 (page 776)
The play begins with a flurry of action as characters are introduced and packed off to the Forest of Arden. This idyllic haven of pastoral life is outside of the normal rules of court and gender roles. Here a girl can woo a boy whose social status is beneath her own, and well-established fraternal feuds can be momentarily whisked away. Rosalind sparkles as the heroine of the story, and her exploitation of Orlando’s infatuation allows Shakespeare to explore the nature of love, whilst the audience relishes the dramatic irony of Ganymede’s real identity. It reminds me of “The Magic Flute”, where the story is merely a foil to the incredible virtuosity of the composer’s music. Similarly, Shakespeare’s genius lies in the dialogue which gives birth to the memorable quotes we are so familiar with. Featuring several well-known songs, the text is well worth studying after watching the play to appreciate its poetry.
Do you not know I am a woman? When I think, I must speak.
Rosalind, Act 3 Scene 2
Jaques famous speech is another good candidate for memorisation:
Notable Quotes
Resources
Well said, that was laid on with a trowel.
(Celia, Act 1 Scene 2)
RSC Education Resources
Beauty provoketh thieves sooner than gold.
(Rosalind, Act 1 Scene 3)
And thereby hangs a tale.
(Jaques, Act 2 Scene 7)
I pray you do not fall in love with me,
(Rosalind, Act 3 Scene 5
For I am falser than vows made in wine.
O, how bitter a thing it is to look into happiness through another man’s eyes!
(Orlando, Act 5 Scene 2)