Plot
Act 1, Scene 1:
In the beginning of “As You Like It,” Orlando confides in his family servant, Adam, about his dissatisfaction with how his brother Oliver is managing their family’s wealth and treating him. Orlando feels neglected, as he is not being educated and worries about his future prospects. His speech establishes a strong connection with his father’s spirit, positioning him as the hero in both a romantic and moral sense.
When Oliver enters, Orlando outsmarts him with clever remarks and then proves his strength, demanding the share of inheritance their late father intended for him. Oliver, seeking to appease Orlando, curses Adam. However, Adam reveals his fond memories of their father, Sir Rowland de Boys, aligning himself with Orlando.
Alone, Oliver summons Charles, a wrestler from the court, who shares news about the ducal court. The elder Duke Senior has been banished by his younger brother Frederick. Rosalind, the daughter of the banished Duke, remains at court due to her close relationship with her cousin Celia. Meanwhile, Duke Senior and his loyal followers have settled in the picturesque Forest of Arden, where they pass time carelessly.
Charles mentions that he will wrestle with a disguised Orlando the next day, and Oliver encourages him to harm Orlando as much as possible. Oliver’s closing monologue reveals his villainous nature, as he despises Orlando solely because he is benevolent and well-liked among the brothers.
Act 1, Scene 2:
When Rosalind and Celia first appear in the play, Rosalind is sad about her father’s absence. Celia tries to cheer her up by focusing on their friendship. Rosalind thinks that falling in love might help her forget her sadness. Celia agrees, but warns against falling too deeply in love. After discussing the goddesses Fortune and Nature, they meet Touchstone, the court jester, who makes a joke about knightly honor. Then, Monsieur Le Beau arrives to tell them about an upcoming wrestling match.
Duke Frederick enters and asks the ladies to convince the young challenger to back down from the match. But they can’t argue against Orlando’s reasons for fighting – he feels he has nothing to lose and wants to test his strength. Orlando ends up defeating the champion, Charles, much to Rosalind’s delight. However, Frederick is disappointed because he didn’t like Orlando’s father. On the other hand, Rosalind’s father, Duke Senior, had great respect for Sir Rowland de Boys, Orlando’s father. The ladies praise Orlando, and Rosalind gives him a chain from around her neck. They leave, and Orlando is left stunned by his growing feelings for Rosalind. Le Beau returns, warning Orlando to leave the dukedom as he has angered Frederick. He also reveals the identities of Rosalind and Celia.
Act 1, Scene 3:
Rosalind talks to Celia about her feelings for Orlando, jokingly referring to him as the potential father of her child. Duke Frederick interrupts the scene, reverting to blank verse, and decides to banish Rosalind, distrusting her intentions. Frederick dislikes her silence and patience, believing it elicits pity from the people. He also tries to convince Celia to see Rosalind as a rival. The two women decide to go to the Forest of Arden disguised as peasants. Rosalind, who is taller, will pretend to be a man named Ganymede, and Celia will pretend to be a woman named Aliena. They gather their jewels, wealth, and the jester Touchstone, and set off.
Act 2, Scene 1:
The second act transitions from the court to the forest. The first scene is in Arden, the second at court, the third at Oliver’s place, and all subsequent scenes are in the forest. Duke Senior, the main figure in the forest, is introduced. He praises the forest but regrets having to kill deer for food. One lord mentions that Jaques, who was seen mourning a dying deer, is particularly upset by their intrusion on nature. Duke Senior and his lords leave to find Jaques for a chat.
Act 2, Scene 2:
In a short scene at the court, Duke Frederick finds out that both his niece and his daughter are missing. He also learns about their fondness for Orlando, who might have gone with them. After learning this, Duke Frederick calls for Oliver.
Act 2, Scene 3:
At Oliver’s house, Adam encounters Orlando and commends his many good qualities, lovingly calling him a “memory / of old Sir Rowland”. He then alerts Orlando that Oliver is plotting to kill him, either by setting a fire or by some other method. Realizing that he couldn’t live as a dishonest thief, Orlando decides to confront his brother. However, Adam steps in and offers his life savings and his services to help Orlando find a safe place and supplies. Together, they leave the house.
Act 2, Scene 4:
Rosalind, Celia, and Touchstone arrive in the Forest of Arden, extremely tired from their journey. Touchstone, the jester, wishes he hadn’t left the court. Then, the shepherds of the forest, Corin and Silvius, show up. They lighten the atmosphere by talking about love. Silvius shares his love for Phebe and accuses Corin, who is older, of never truly being in love because he doesn’t remember any foolish things he did for love.
This makes Rosalind think about her own love for Orlando, and Touchstone thinks back on a love from his past. Touchstone then calls for Corin, and Rosalind asks about a place to stay and food. With Corin’s help, they manage to buy a small house and a group of sheep.
Act 2, Scene 5:
Amiens and Jaques sing songs about the peacefulness of the forest, where the only enemies are “winter and rough weather”. Jaques expresses his dislike for men, especially their lack of manners, and says he has been avoiding Duke Senior because he finds him “too disputable”.
Act 2, Scene 6:
Adam and Orlando enter the Forest of Arden. When Adam collapses, Orlando goes to find help for him.
Act 2, Scene 7:
Jaques and Duke Senior have a meeting where Jaques shares his previous interaction with Touchstone. During that interaction, Touchstone made some clever remarks about time passing. Duke Senior questions the validity of Jaques’s opinions because of his complicated history.
Orlando shows up next, threatening to assault them and steal their food. However, Duke Senior, being a gentleman, willingly offers him the food. As Orlando leaves to go back to Adam, Duke Senior and Jaques reflect on the drama of life. Jaques delivers the well-known “seven ages” speech, stating that a man experiences seven stages or acts in his life. He says, “All the world’s a stage / And all the men and women merely players.”
Amiens commemorates the meal with a song, “Blow, blow, thou winter wind.” Duke Senior is delighted to meet the son of his dear, late friend Sir Rowland de Boys.
Act 3, Scene 1:
In his palace, Duke Frederick gives Oliver an ultimatum: bring his brother to the court within a year or face exile himself. As Oliver pleads, Duke Frederick criticizes him for being a villain because he never showed love for his own brother.
Act 3, Scene 2:
Orlando is in the forest, hanging love poems for Rosalind on trees and singing about her. When Touchstone, the jester, and Corin, a shepherd, enter, the play changes to a normal conversation. Touchstone asks Corin why he prefers living in the countryside instead of the court. Touchstone gives his own reasons for liking the court, which confuses Corin.
Rosalind comes in reading an anonymous poem about her. Touchstone makes fun of the poem for being boring and makes up his own funny rhymes. Celia arrives with a longer poem that Rosalind finds boring. The women send the men away so they can talk. Rosalind criticizes the poet’s skills. Celia tells Rosalind that she saw the poet hanging up one of the poems and that he was wearing Rosalind’s necklace. Rosalind blushes but doesn’t realize that the man is Orlando. Celia describes him and then reveals his identity, which makes Rosalind very excited.
Orlando comes in talking with Jaques, and the women hide. Orlando talks about his love for Rosalind and answers Jaques’s questions with clever responses. When Jaques leaves, Rosalind, pretending to be Ganymede, comes forward to talk with Orlando. She has a deep conversation about how different people experience time. The conversation is difficult because Rosalind is trying to hide her identity. She says she’s glad she’s not a woman and criticizes Orlando for letting himself fall in love. She sees this more in his poems than in him. Rosalind says she can cure Orlando of his love if he pretends she (Ganymede) is Rosalind. He’s doubtful but agrees, and they go to the women’s cottage.
Act 3, Scene 3:
In the forest, Touchstone and Audrey are in the middle of a romantic relationship, while Jaques observes them secretly. Audrey shows that she doesn’t understand the concept of being “poetical”, while Touchstone shows off his cleverness and doesn’t hide his wish to simply have a physical relationship with Audrey, who is a goatherd.
Touchstone mentions that he has brought a local priest to perform a wedding ceremony to make their relationship official. He talks a lot about animals and men and their horns, keeping up the sexual innuendos. When Sir Oliver Mar-text starts the wedding ceremony, Jaques offers to give the bride away. He then persuades Touchstone that such a boring wedding wouldn’t suit a gentleman like him. Finally, Jaques takes the couple away.
Act 3, Scene 4:
In the morning at their cottage, Rosalind is eagerly waiting for Orlando. She talks to Celia about his hair color and admires his clear innocence. Celia confesses that she’s not sure if his love is genuine, which makes Rosalind ask more questions. Rosalind also says that she met her father the previous day and was able to keep up her disguise.
When Corin comes to take them to see Silvius trying to woo Phebe, the text changes to blank verse. This is the first time such a change is used for a commoner. Rosalind comments that she might end up playing a big role in their drama.
Act 3, Scene 5:
Silvius pleads with Phebe for even a small sign of affection. Rosalind, Celia, and Corin arrive and watch this. Phebe turns Silvius down, saying that no man should be truly hurt by emotional disappointment. As Silvius loses hope, Rosalind steps in. She first teases Phebe about her looks and then suggests to Silvius that he might be better off finding someone else. She even suggests that they could get together, even if it might result in “ill-favored children” (53).
However, Phebe immediately takes a liking to Ganymede, perhaps because of his assertiveness. When Silvius and Phebe are left alone again, Phebe agrees to love Silvius, but not in a romantic way. She also agrees to hire him. Then, she asks about Ganymede and talks about how attractive she finds his gentler qualities. Finally, remembering Ganymede’s harshness and claiming to be upset by him, Phebe asks Silvius to deliver a letter to Ganymede that she will write.
Act 4, Scene 1:
Jaques is having a conversation with Rosalind and Celia, who are disguised. He justifies his melancholy, partly blaming it on his travels. Rosalind says that she prefers the amusement of a fool to the sadness brought on by experience. When Orlando appears, Jaques leaves, allowing Rosalind to scold Orlando for being late to a meeting with someone he supposedly loves. After unfavorably comparing him to a snail, which at least has a home and horns on its head, Rosalind urges Orlando to try and woo her. They joke about kissing and chastity, then Rosalind repeats Phebe’s earlier remarks about no man having ever truly died from love.
When Orlando objects to Rosalind’s lamenting tone, she becomes more pleasant, and they engage in a mock wedding ceremony. However, she again becomes negative, listing ways in which she would disappoint Orlando as a wife. She ultimately asserts that above all, she would not abandon her wit, and if her husband tried to dismiss her, she would simply turn to another man. Orlando then leaves to join the duke at dinner, promising that he will return in two hours. Rosalind remarks that if he breaks that promise, he will be thoroughly out of favor. Celia then scolds Rosalind for her disparaging remarks about women, to which Rosalind responds only by celebrating the depth of her love for Orlando.
Act 4, Scene 2:
Jaques and a few lords are found celebrating their successful deer hunt, even though Jaques had earlier mourned the death of a hunted deer. One of the lords offers a song ritualizing the wearing of the deer’s horns, which are portrayed as almost sacred.
Act 4, Scene 3:
Celia and Rosalind are wondering why Orlando hasn’t returned on time when Silvius shows up. He gives Rosalind, who is still pretending to be Ganymede, a letter from Phebe that is supposed to be harsh. However, the letter is actually full of love. Rosalind teases Silvius by first saying that a man, probably him, must have written the harsh words in the letter. She then reads the letter out loud, revealing its true loving message. In the end, she sends Silvius away, even though he is deeply in love with Phebe.
Then, Oliver comes looking for the cottage and the women who are in disguise. He has a blood-stained handkerchief with him. He tells them how Orlando found a man sleeping under a tree with a snake around his neck and a lioness hiding nearby. The snake slithered away, and Orlando realized that the man was his older brother, Oliver. After some hesitation, Orlando scared away the lioness, saving Oliver’s life. When they reached the safety of Duke Senior’s territory, Orlando collapsed from a wound he had. He asked Oliver to give the handkerchief to Rosalind as a sign. Hearing this, Rosalind faints, which makes Oliver doubt her disguise as a man. She hopes that Oliver will tell Orlando that she only pretended to faint.
Act 5, Scene 1:
Audrey and Touchstone are having a conversation. Audrey expresses regret that they weren’t married earlier by a proper priest. She then acknowledges that William “lays claim to” her but “has no interest in” her. Touchstone gets ready to mock him with his cleverness. After a meaningless conversation, Touchstone, playing the fool, ends by warning the unfortunate William that he could face death if he tries to continue his relationship with Audrey.
Act 5, Scene 2:
Oliver talks to Orlando about his newfound love for Celia, who is disguised as Aliena. He also tells Orlando that he plans to stay in the forest and live as a simple shepherd. If he does this, Orlando will inherit their father’s property.
When Rosalind arrives, Orlando talks about the “greater wonders” (27) his brother told him about, which might mean he knows about Rosalind’s disguise. He’s upset that his brother gets to be with his love right now. Orlando says he “can live no longer by thinking” (50), meaning he can’t stand being away from his love. Rosalind, pretending to be Ganymede, tells him that she has been talking to a magician for a long time. She promises to bring the real Rosalind the next day.
Silvius and Phebe come in next. Silvius declares his love for Phebe, but she says she loves Ganymede. Orlando once again declares his love for Rosalind. Rosalind promises to solve all their love problems the next day. She presents the expected outcome in such a clever way that everyone is happy.
Act 5, Scene 3:
Touchstone and Audrey are excited about their upcoming wedding. Two of Duke Senior’s pages come and sing a song for everyone about love and the spring season. After the song, Touchstone makes some sarcastic comments about how he just wasted his time.
Act 5, Scene 4:
In the final scene, Duke Senior, Jaques, Orlando, Oliver, Silvius, Phebe, Celia, and Rosalind gather. Rosalind, still disguised, gets everyone’s agreement to the proposed marriages. The two disguised women then leave, and Duke Senior and Orlando comment on Ganymede’s resemblance to Rosalind.
Touchstone and Audrey then arrive, and Jaques praises Touchstone’s wit. Touchstone presents his acceptance of Audrey as a noble act, then recounts a quarrel he had, naming all the comebacks and criticisms according to the rules of rhetoric. Jaques is interested enough to ask for an explanation of the “seven degrees of the lie”.
Finally, Rosalind and Celia arrive undisguised, led by Hymen, the Greek god of marriage, who speaks in blank verse with three or four feet per line, unlike Shakespeare’s usual iambic pentameter, which has five feet. After Duke Senior and Orlando express their joy at seeing Rosalind, Hymen proceeds to marry the four couples: Orlando and Rosalind, Oliver and Celia, Silvius and Phebe, and Touchstone and Audrey. After a “wedding hymn”, Jaques de Boys, the middle brother between Oliver and Orlando, arrives to announce news: Duke Frederick, who had gone on a military expedition into the forest to find the banished Duke Senior, was converted to goodness by “an old religious man” and gave back the crown and all his land to his brother. Duke Senior encourages everyone to fully enjoy the “rustic revelry” before returning to court life. The philosophical Jaques then says goodbye to the group, listing the good fortunes that all the men have come upon, to join the converted Duke Frederick, from whom he expects “there is much matter to be heard and learned”. The play ends with dancing.
Epilogue
The character of Rosalind ends the play by saying goodbye to the audience. She hopes that both women and men enjoyed the play. Since a man played Rosalind in Shakespeare’s time, he mentions that if he were a woman, he would have even kissed some of the men in the audience. Instead, he just asks them to say goodbye to him.
MEDIA ADAPTATIONS
There have been several notable film adaptations of “As You Like It”. One of the most significant was produced by International Allied in 1936, directed by Paul Czinner. This version starred the famous Laurence Olivier as Orlando, marking his first Shakespearean role on film, and Elisabeth Bergner as Rosalind.
In 1969, BHE Education produced an educational video titled “As You Like It: An Introduction”. This video showcased performances of key scenes from the comedy, accompanied by brief explanatory narratives.
The British Broadcasting Corporation produced a television adaptation of “As You Like It” in 1979, distributed by Time-Life Video. This version was directed by Brian Coleman and featured Helen Mirren in the role of Rosalind.
In 2006, Kenneth Branagh directed a film version of “As You Like It”, produced by Picturehouse. This adaptation starred Bryce Dallas Howard as Rosalind, Kevin Kline as Jaques, and Alfred Molina as Touchstone.
