Overview
As You Like It
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A comedy by Shakespeare, first printed in the Folio of 1623, registered 1600 and probably written 1599–1600. Shakespeare's chief source was Lodge's Rosalynde.
Frederick has usurped the dominions of the duke his brother, who is living with his faithful followers in the forest of Arden. Celia, Frederick's daughter, and Rosalind, the duke's daughter, living at Frederick's court, witness a wrestling match in which Orlando, son of Sir Rowland de Boys, defeats a powerful adversary, and Rosalind falls in love with Orlando and he with her. Orlando, who at his father's death has been left in the charge of his elder brother Oliver, has been driven from home by Oliver's cruelty. Frederick, learning that Orlando is the son of Sir Rowland, who was a friend of the exiled duke, has his anger against the latter revived, and banishes Rosalind from his court, and Celia accompanies her. Rosalind assumes a countryman's dress and takes the name Ganymede; Celia passes as Aliena his sister. They live in the forest of Arden, and fall in with Orlando, who has joined the banished duke. Ganymede encourages Orlando to pay suit to her as though she were his Rosalind. Oliver comes to the forest to kill Orlando, but is saved by him from a lioness, and is filled with remorse for his cruelty. He falls in love with Aliena, and their wedding is arranged for the next day. Ganymede undertakes to Orlando that she will by magic produce Rosalind at the same time to be married to him. When all are assembled in the presence of the banished duke to celebrate the double nuptials, Celia and Rosalind put off their disguise and appear in their own characters. News is brought that Frederick the usurper, setting out to seize and destroy his brother and his followers, has been converted from his intention by ‘an old religious man’ and has made restitution of the dukedom.
Conversation rather than plot dominates this play, however, much of it provided by the reflections of Jaques and Touchstone, and by the large number of songs, more than in any of Shakespeare's other plays, including such lyrics as ‘Under the greenwood tree’ (which Hardy used as the title for a novel) and ‘Blow, blow, thou winter wind’ (in ii. v and ii. vii respectively).
Subjects: Literature — Shakespeare studies and criticism
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Reference entries
Authors
William Shakespeare (1564—1616) playwright and poet
