As You Like It

In Short

This pastoral comedy follows the journey of Rosalind, who flees her usurping uncle’s court for the safety of the Forest of Arden. There, she encounters her love, Orlando, but keeps her identity hidden, testing his devotion through witty games. Featuring a colorful cast of exiles, philosophers, and shepherds, the play explores the absurdity of love, the artifice of social roles, and the restorative power of nature. Its enduring appeal lies in its sparkling language, profound insights into human behavior, and the triumphant, harmonious resolution that restores order to both heart and state.

The Story

The story begins in the household of the young and virtuous Orlando, who suffers under the cruelty of his elder brother, Oliver. Seeking to prove his worth, Orlando enters a wrestling match at the court of Duke Frederick, the man who has usurped the throne from his own brother, Duke Senior. At the court, Orlando encounters Rosalind, the banished Duke’s daughter, and her devoted cousin Celia. The two fall instantly in love, though their burgeoning happiness is soon cut short by the suspicious Duke Frederick, who banishes Rosalind on pain of death. Refusing to let her cousin face exile alone, Celia flees with her, and the two travel to the Forest of Arden—Rosalind disguised as a youth named Ganymede, and Celia as a simple shepherdess.

In the forest, the exiled Duke Senior and his lords live a life of rustic simplicity. They encounter the melancholic Jaques, who finds delight in his own cynicism, and the court jester Touchstone, who eventually finds a wife in the country girl Audrey. When Orlando flees his brother’s malice and enters the woods, he begins pinning love poems to the trees in praise of Rosalind. Rosalind, still in her guise as Ganymede, happens upon him. She proposes a game: if he will pretend that she is his beloved Rosalind, she will "cure" him of his lovesickness through playful, often sharp-tongued lessons in courtship. Orlando agrees, unaware that he is wooing his actual love in disguise.

Complications multiply as others enter the fray. A local shepherdess, Phebe, becomes infatuated with the disguised Rosalind, cruelly ignoring the patient, long-suffering shepherd Silvius. Meanwhile, Oliver enters the forest, intent on killing his brother, but is saved from a lioness by Orlando. Following this act of mercy, Oliver undergoes a profound change of heart. He meets Celia—still in her shepherdess disguise—and they fall in love, planning to marry and settle in the woods.

As the pieces align, Rosalind prepares to end the masquerade. She promises all parties that she will produce the real Rosalind by the following day. When the group gathers before the Duke, she reveals her identity. With the truth unveiled, the couples are united: Rosalind marries Orlando, Celia marries Oliver, Phebe accepts Silvius, and Touchstone marries Audrey. The news arrives that the usurping Duke Frederick has had a religious conversion and restored the throne to his brother, bringing the exiles back to court. The play concludes with a celebratory dance and a request for the audience’s approval.

How It Unfolds

The court in turmoil The narrative establishes the cruelty of the usurper and the precarious position of his victims. Orlando, Rosalind, and Celia are each driven from their homes by the malice of those in power.

The shift to nature The focus moves from the rigid, dangerous hierarchy of the court to the fluidity of the Forest of Arden. Here, old identities are shed, and the characters begin to redefine themselves through experience rather than status.

The courtship game Rosalind’s disguise as Ganymede allows her to critique the folly of traditional romantic tropes while maintaining a genuine emotional connection with Orlando. This central conceit creates a space where both characters can express their vulnerabilities under the safety of fiction.

The restoration of balance Through a series of meetings and transformations, the various subplots—the shepherd’s devotion, the jester’s pragmatism, and the brother’s redemption—intersect. The chaotic energy of the forest eventually forces a reckoning that prepares the characters for their return to society.

The final harmony The play concludes with a formal resolution where all marriages are sanctioned and the political order is corrected. The epilogue breaks the fourth wall, inviting the audience to reflect on the play’s themes of love and performative gender.

The People

Rosalind is the heart of the play. Witty and resilient, she uses her disguise not just for safety, but to navigate the emotional complexities of her relationship with Orlando. Her journey transforms her from a grieving, exiled princess into a confident woman capable of shaping her own fate.

Orlando is a young man of noble spirit hampered by lack of education and opportunity. His initial, earnest devotion to Rosalind provides the necessary contrast to her playfulness. By the end, his growth—from an impulsive youth to a man who can show mercy to his treacherous brother—marks his maturation.

Celia is the loyal, pragmatic counterpart to Rosalind. Her choice to abandon her privilege to follow her cousin proves her character, and her romance with Oliver serves as a grounded, secondary plot that mirrors the main themes of sudden change and reconciliation.

Jaques acts as the cynical, detached observer. He stands apart from the joy of the others, finding his satisfaction in "sucking melancholy" from his surroundings. He provides a necessary, if gloomy, counterpoint to the romantic idealism of the forest.

Touchstone is the witty jester whose presence reminds the audience of the absurdity of all human behavior. His marriage to the rustic Audrey highlights the gap between courtly expectations and the messy realities of life.

In Its Own Voice

"Unless you could teach me to forget a banished father, you must not learn me how to remember any extraordinary pleasure."

In the early scenes, Rosalind explains to her cousin why she cannot find joy while her father remains in exile.

"Your virtues, gentle master, are sanctified and holy traitors to you."

Adam warns Orlando that his innate goodness is exactly what makes him a target for his jealous brother.

"Heigh-ho! sing heigh-ho! unto the green holly. Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly."

The foresters sing a song that captures the melancholic, reflective tone of their life in exile.

What It's Really About

At its core, this play is a meditation on the masks people wear. Whether it is the literal disguise of the protagonist or the performance of gender and social roles, the story argues that we often learn the most about ourselves when we step outside our assigned stations. By placing characters in the "unpeopled" space of the forest, the play asks whether human nature is inherently shaped by our environment or if our virtues are immutable. It examines the nature of love—mocking its excesses while celebrating its capacity for transformation—and suggests that true wisdom comes from balancing the cynicism of a Jaques with the hopeful, active engagement of a Rosalind.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy quick-witted dialogue and stories of self-discovery will find this play deeply rewarding. It offers a rare, expansive look at gender performance, as the heroine spends the majority of the play masquerading as a man, which provides for sharp, modern-feeling commentary on the expectations placed upon both sexes. The humor is sophisticated, particularly in the exchanges between the jester and the other characters, and the shifting moods—from the bitter cold of human ingratitude to the "jolly" warmth of the forest—resonate with anyone who has navigated personal or professional loss.

However, modern readers should be prepared for the Elizabethan language and the period’s specific conventions of verse, which can occasionally make the rhythm feel dense. Some of the social attitudes, particularly the dismissive treatment of the shepherdesses or the quick, sometimes abrupt resolutions to complex problems, reflect the time in which the play was written. Yet, the core experience—the feeling of stepping into a wild, temporary space to escape the pressures of a rigid, unfair world—remains timeless. It is a play that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the necessity of finding joy, even when life feels like an "erring pilgrimage."