AS YOU LIKE IT

As You Like It by William Shakespeare is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The plays first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has been suggested as a possibility.

As You Like It follows its heroine Rosalind as she flees persecution in her uncles court, accompanied by her cousin Celia to find safety and, eventually, love, in the Forest of Arden. In the forest, they encounter a variety of memorable characters, notably the melancholy traveller Jaques, who speaks many of Shakespeares most famous speeches (such as "All the worlds a stage", "too much of a good thing" and "A fool! A fool! I met a fool in the forest").Jaques provides a sharp contrast to the other characters in the play, always observing and disputing the hardships of life in the country.

Historically, critical response has varied, with some critics finding the play a work of great merit and some finding it to be of lesser quality than other Shakespearean works. The play has been adapted for radio, film, and musical theatre.

The play is set in a duchy in France, but most of the action takes place in a location called the Forest of Arden. This may be intended as the Ardennes, a forested region covering an area located in southeast Belgium, western Luxembourg and northeastern France, or Arden, Warwickshire, near Shakespeares home town, which was the ancestral origin of his mothers family—whose surname was Arden.

Frederick has usurped the duchy and exiled his older brother, Duke Senior. Duke Seniors daughter, Rosalind, has been permitted to remain at court because she is the closest friend of Fredericks only child, Celia.

Orlando, a young gentleman of the kingdom who at first sight has fallen in love with Rosalind, is forced to flee his home after being persecuted by his older brother, Oliver. Frederick becomes angry and banishes Rosalind from court. Celia and Rosalind decide to flee together accompanied by the court fool, Touchstone, with Rosalind disguised as a young man and Celia disguised as a poor lady.