As You Like It Summary, it is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623.
The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has been suggested as a possibility.
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| As You Like It summary |
As You Like It summary
Orlando, the youngest son of the now deceased Sir Roland de Boys, complains to Adam, the old family retainer, that his eldest brother, Oliver, has kept his Inheritance from him — that is, Oliver has neglected training Orlando to be a proper gentleman.
Oliver arrives on the scene, and a bitter quarrel takes place. Adam parts the fighting brothers, and Oliver coldly promises to give Orlando his due. Learning that Orlando intends to challenge Duke Frederick's champion wrestler, a brute of a man called Charles, Oliver makes plans to have his brother killed in the ring. He convinces the slow-witted Charles that Orlando is plotting against him and that Orlando should be killed.
At the match the next day, Duke Frederick, his daughter Celia, and his niece, Rosalind, watch Charles and Orlando wrestle. Charles has seriously injured his first three opponents, but in the match with Orlando, the young man's great speed and agility defeat the duke's champion.
At first, Frederick is very cordial to Orlando, but when he learns the youth's identity, he becomes furious and leaves. The reason for the duke’s leaving is that Orlando's dead father, Sir Roland de Boys, had at one time been Frederick's bitter enemy.
After Frederick stalks out, Celia and Rosalind congratulate Orlando, and Rosalind makes it clear that she finds him most attractive. Orlando returns her feelings, but he is so tongue-tied with embarrassment that he can say nothing.
At the ducal palace, we discover that Celia and her cousin Rosalind are as close as sisters; Rosalind is the daughter of the rightful duke, Duke Senior, whose throne has been usurped by his brother, Frederick.
Frederick has banished Duke Senior, along with a band of his faithful followers, to the Forest of Arden to live the life of simple foresters. Until now, it is only the strong bond between Rosalind and Celia that prevents Duke Frederick from sending Rosalind away to share her father's exile.
But suddenly, Frederick storms into the palace, accuses Rosalind of plotting against him, and, despite Celia's pleas for her cousin, banishes Rosalind. After her father leaves, Celia decides to go into exile with her cousin, and the girls set out for the Forest of Arden — Rosalind disguised as a young man, "Ganymede," and Celia disguised as a young country lass, "Aliena." Touchstone, Frederick's jester, accompanies them.
Meanwhile, Orlando returns home and is warned by the faithful Adam that Oliver is plotting to kill him. Together, they too decide to set out for the Forest of Arden, hoping that they will find safety there
When his daughter Celia is missed, Frederick sends his men out to find Orlando. When he is informed of Orlando's flight to the Forest of Arden, Frederick assumes that Orlando is responsible for Celia's disappearance, and in a rage he sends for Oliver and commands him to find Orlando or else forfeit his entire estate to Frederick
In the forest, Orlando and Adam join Rosalind's exiled father and his men, while Rosalind and Celia, still in disguise, purchase a little cottage and a small herd of sheep and settle down to a peaceful, pastoral existence. One day, however, Rosalind finds that the trees in the forest are all covered with sheets of poetry, dedicated to her.
The author of these poems, of course, is Orlando. So, still pretending to be the young man Ganymede, Rosalind meets Orlando, who is in the throes of love-sickness for having apparently lost Rosalind. Ganymede offers to cure Orlando of his love-sickness by pretending to be his lady-love, Rosalind. Orlando, she says, should woo Ganymede as though "he" were Rosalind.
In turn, Ganymede will do "his best" to act as moody and capricious as a girl might just do and, eventually, Orlando will weary of all the coy teasing and forget all about love — and Rosalind. Orlando agrees to try the plan.
Rosalind, meanwhile, continues to assume the guise of Ganymede and becomes accidentally involved in yet another complication: Silvius, a young shepherd, falls in love with Phebe, a hard-hearted shepherdess, but Phebe rejects Silvius' attentions and falls in love with the young, good-looking Ganymede.
In the midst of all this confusion, Oliver arrives in the Forest of Arden. He tells Ganymede of a near escape he has just had with death. His brother, Orlando, he says, saved him from being poisoned by a deadly snake as he slept, and later, Orlando killed a lioness that was ready to pounce on Oliver.
Oliver then tells Ganymede that he has been sent to this part of the forest to seek out a young man known as Ganymede and tell him that Orlando cannot keep his appointment with him. And there is more news: while saving Oliver's life, Orlando was wounded. Hearing this, Ganymede swoons.
Later, in another part of the forest, Oliver and Celia meet and fall in love at first sight, and the jester, Touchstone, falls in love with a homely, simple-minded young woman named Audrey, who tends a herd of goats.
Touchstone chases off Audrey's suitor, a lout named William, and although he realizes that he will never instill in Audrey any understanding of, or love for, such things as poetry, he still feels that he must have her.
Duke Frederick, meanwhile, is alarmed by the daily exodus of so many of the best men of his court to the alliance that is growing in the Forest of Arden; he therefore decides to journey to the forest himself and put a stop to all this business. At the forest's edge, however, he meets an old religious hermit and is miraculously converted.
At this point, Rosalind, still disguised as Ganymede, promises to solve the problems of everyone by magic. Shedding her male attire in private, she suddenly appears as herself, and the play comes to a swift close as she and Orlando, Oliver and Celia, Silvius and Phebe, and Touchstone and Audrey are married.
Rosalind's father, the rightful duke, is joyous at finding his daughter again and is returned to his ducal status. Frederick's conversion is so complete that he renounces the world. At the end of the play, Rosalind comes forward and addresses the audience in a short but charming epilogue. In particular, she talks to all the lovers in the audience and wishes them well.
You may also like to read: Hamlet Play Summary
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| As You Like It Short Summary |
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| As You Like It Synopsis |
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| As You Like It Shakespeare Summary |
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| AsYou Like It Plot Summary |
Questions about As You Like It Plot
What is As You Like It about short summary? A wrestling match, Orlando de Boys, the youngest son of the late Sir Rowland de Boys, has been kept in poverty by his brother Oliver since his father's death. Orlando decides to wrestle for his fortune at Frederick's court, where he sees Rosalind and they fall in love.
What is the main point of As You Like It? Love is the central theme of As You Like It, like other romantic comedies of Shakespeare. Following the tradition of a romantic comedy, As You Like It is a tale of love manifested in its varied forms. In many of the love-stories, it is love at first sight.
What is the Short summary of As You Like It as a pastoral comedy? As You Like It is a pastoral comedy with major themes of love, gender, sexuality, and injustice. Duke Frederick usurps the dukedom from his brother, the rightful Duke Senior, and banishes him. Several of the characters seek refuge in the Forest of Ardenne where they learn of love and forgiveness in nature.
What is the poem As You Like It about? As You Like It is a play of boundaries, exploring the spaces between gender identities, the worlds of rural and courtly life, and the fantasies and realities of love. It begins after Duke Senior is exiled by his older brother Frederick to the forest of Arden.
What is the theme of love in As U Like It? The play represents passionate love on the one hand, as well as disguised, blind and even manipulated love on the other hand. Love as a state of being is omnipresent throughout As You Like It. As the play's major theme, love is illustrated essentially by eight characters who all marry at the end of the play.
Why is it called As You Like It? The title of Shakespeare's play As You Like It, immediately suggests that the notion of liking and likeness will be a central theme. We find that who we like is based on a person's similarity to other people we like. Identifying a likeness of qualities between people helps us establish who we like.
Who is the central character in As You Like It? Rosalind is the heroine and protagonist of the play As You Like It (1600) by William Shakespeare.
Who does Celia fall in love with? She is the cousin and best friend of Rosalind. When Rosalind is banished from the court by Duke Frederick, Celia decides to go with her to the Forest of Arden and disguises herself as a shepherdess called 'Aliena'. In the forest she meets Oliver, who she falls in love with and ultimately marries.
Is As You Like It a comedy or tragedy? As You Like It, five-act comedy by William Shakespeare, written and performed about 1598–1600 and first published in the First Folio of 1623.
What are the romantic elements in As You Like It? As You Like It has a loose structure. However, the most striking romantic element in the play is its theme of youthful love and the passion of love that has a universal appeal. Rosalind falls in love with Orlando at first sight and he falls in love with her at the same instant.
What kind of a comedy is As You Like It? As You Like It is most definitely a comedy. More specifically, it's a pastoral comedy.
What is the message of the poem? The theme of a poem is the message an author wants to communicate through the piece. The theme differs from the main idea because the main idea describes what the text is mostly about. Supporting details in a text can help lead a reader to the main idea.
Who is the main male character in As You Like It? Orlando is the youngest son of Sir Rowland de Bois. He falls in love with Rosalind as soon as he sees her but is forced to run away to escape his brother.
What is a main message of the story? Theme is the main or central idea in a literary work. It is the unifying element of a story. A theme is not a summary of characters or events. Rather, it is the controlling idea or central insight of the story.
Is As You Like It a satire? As You Like It is simultaneously a satire and celebration of love. Love, and those in it, are both mocked and cherished throughout the play. You might identify with characters like the cynical Touchstone and melancholy Jaques or you might relate stronger to the idealistic Orlando and self-aware Rosalind.