As You Like It Summary

Overview

• Genre: Pastoral Comedy
• Author: William Shakespeare
• Likely Year of Composition: 1598–1600
• First Published: 1623 (in the First Folio)
• Primary Source: Thomas Lodge's prose romance Rosalynde (1590)

Setting

• Primary Location: The Forest of Arden (a fictional, idealized forest blending elements of the Ardennes Forest and Shakespeare's native Warwickshire's Arden forest).
• Contrasting Location: The corrupt, treacherous court of Duke Frederick.

• Five-Act Structure: Follows a clear progression from court to forest and back to a restored order.
• Cross-Dressing: Rosalind's disguise is central to the plot and themes.
• Multiple Plots: Interweaves the stories of the nobles (Rosalind, Orlando, Duke Senior) with the pastoral lovers (Silvius, Phoebe) and the comic Touchstone/Audrey subplot.
• The "Play-Within-a-Play": Rosalind, as Ganymede, stages a mock courtship with Orlando.
• The Deus ex Machina: The sudden, off-stage conversion of the villain Duke Frederick resolves the political conflict.
• The Epilogue: Delivered by Rosalind, directly addressing the audience and blurring the lines between actor and character, performance and reality.

As You Like It Act 1, Scene 1

Summary

Act 1, Scene 1 of As You Like It introduces the central conflict between the brothers Orlando and Oliver de Boys. Orlando complains to the faithful family servant, Adam, that their father’s will granted him a modest inheritance and charged Oliver with educating him as a gentleman. Instead, Oliver has kept him impoverished and untrained, "like a peasant."

When Oliver arrives, their confrontation turns physical. Orlando demands either his proper education or his inheritance money to seek his fortune. Oliver reluctantly agrees to give him part of the money. Once Orlando leaves, however, Oliver reveals his true, malicious character.

He learns from Charles, the duke’s champion wrestler, that Orlando plans to challenge Charles in a public match the next day. Charles warns that Orlando will be seriously injured. Seizing this opportunity, Oliver deliberately lies to Charles, painting Orlando as a vicious, ambitious plotter who will seek Charles’s life if not crippled or killed in the ring. He encourages Charles to be merciless. Oliver’s soliloquy at the end reveals his motive: jealousy of Orlando’s noble nature and popular esteem.

As You Like It  Act 1, Scene 2

Summary

Act 1, Scene 2 shifts to the court of Duke Frederick, the usurper. His daughter, Celia, attempts to cheer up her dearest cousin, Rosalind, who is depressed over her father’s (the rightful Duke’s) banishment. Their intimate, witty banter establishes their deep bond. The court fool, Touchstone, adds comic commentary. The courtier Le Beau arrives with news of a violent wrestling match, which the ladies then witness.

The challenger is Orlando. Both Rosalind and Celia, moved by his youth and courage, try to dissuade him from fighting the brutal champion, Charles. Orlando, resolved, speaks with poignant melancholy about having nothing to lose. He then miraculously defeats Charles.

Duke Frederick, initially pleased, turns cold upon learning Orlando is the son of his old enemy, Sir Rowland de Boys. Rosalind, however, is instantly smitten. She gives Orlando a chain from her neck as a token, and he is left speechless with love. After the Duke departs, Le Beau warns Orlando of the Duke’s volatile anger, advising him to leave. Orlando realizes he now faces danger from both the Duke and his own brother, but his thoughts are consumed by "heavenly Rosalind."

As You Like It Act 1, Scene 3

Summary

Act 1, Scene 3 opens with Celia teasing a lovesick Rosalind about her sudden infatuation with Orlando. Their witty exchange is interrupted by the furious entrance of Duke Frederick. He abruptly banishes Rosalind from court, giving her ten days to leave on pain of death. His only reason is her parentage: "Thou art thy father's daughter."

Celia passionately defends her cousin, but Frederick dismisses her as a fool and insists Rosalind is a manipulative traitor. After he storms out, Celia declares her unwavering loyalty. She chooses exile with Rosalind over staying with her tyrannical father, vowing: "I cannot live out of her company."

They devise a plan to flee to the Forest of Arden to seek Rosalind's banished father. For safety, they decide to disguise themselves: Rosalind, being tall, will dress as a young man named "Ganymede," and Celia will pose as his sister, "Aliena." They also agree to persuade the court fool, Touchstone, to accompany them. The scene ends with them preparing for a journey they frame not as banishment, but as a quest for "liberty."

As You Like It Act 2, Scene 1

Summary

Act 2, Scene 1 transports us to the Forest of Arden. Duke Senior, the rightful duke now living in exile, opens the scene with a lyrical speech to his loyal followers. He celebrates the virtues of their simple, natural life in the forest, contrasting its honest hardships with the flattery and danger of the "envious court." He finds moral and spiritual lessons in nature: "Sermons in stones, and good in everything."

The mood shifts when the Duke proposes hunting deer. A Lord reports that the melancholic courtier Jaques has been deeply affected by the sight of a wounded stag, abandoned by its herd and weeping by a stream. Jaques, in a fit of moralizing, compared the stag's plight to human ingratitude and condemned the exiles as usurpers and tyrants for hunting the forest's native inhabitants—a crime he deems worse than Duke Frederick's usurpation. Intrigued by Jaques' philosophical ranting, Duke Senior asks to be taken to him.

As You Like It Act 2, Scene 2

Summary

In this brief but pivotal scene at Duke Frederick’s court, the Duke discovers that Celia, Rosalind, and the fool Touchstone are missing. A lord reports that Hisperia, a gentlewoman, overheard the two women praising Orlando, the wrestler who recently defeated Charles. Based on this, the Duke immediately assumes Orlando is with them.

Enraged and paranoid, Frederick orders his men to find Orlando and bring him to court. If Orlando cannot be found, they are to bring his brother, Oliver, instead, compelling him to produce Orlando. The Duke commands a relentless search for the "foolish runaways."

As You Like It Act 2, Scene 3

Summary

Act 2, Scene 3 takes place outside Oliver’s house. Adam, the faithful old servant, intercepts Orlando with urgent news. He reveals that Oliver, enraged by Orlando’s public praise after the wrestling match, has plotted to murder him that very night by burning down his lodgings.

Adam pleads with Orlando to flee immediately. Orlando, despairing, sees no good options—he refuses to become a beggar or a thief, yet returning home means death. In a moving act of loyalty, Adam offers his life savings of five hundred crowns, money he had saved for his own retirement. He begs to accompany Orlando as his servant, pledging his strength and loyalty despite his age. Deeply touched by this embodiment of "the constant service of the antique world," Orlando accepts. They decide to leave together in search of a new, humble life.

As You Like It  Act 2, Scene 4

Summary

Rosalind (disguised as Ganymede), Celia (Aliena), and Touchstone arrive in the Forest of Arden, exhausted and disillusioned by travel. Their initial weariness undercuts the pastoral ideal. They overhear a conversation between an old shepherd, Corin, and a young shepherd, Silvius, who is desperately, poetically lovesick for the shepherdess Phoebe. Silvius’s extravagant lament about the absurdities of love deeply resonates with Rosalind, who sees her own feelings for Orlando reflected in him.

After Silvius rushes off, Celia, near fainting, begs for food. Touchstone rudely accosts Corin, but Rosalind (as Ganymede) politely intervenes. Corin explains he is a poor servant to a churlish master and cannot offer hospitality, but he reveals his master’s cottage, flocks, and pastures are for sale. With Celia’s gold, they arrange for Corin to purchase the property on their behalf, securing a home and livelihood in the forest. Corin agrees to become their faithful servant.

As You Like It Act 2, Scene 5

Summary

In the Forest of Arden, Amiens sings a pastoral song ("Under the greenwood tree") celebrating the simple, carefree life of those who shun ambition and are content in nature, where the only enemies are "winter and rough weather." The melancholic Jaques eagerly requests more, claiming he can "suck melancholy out of a song." He avoids Duke Senior, finding him "too disputable."

After the group sings another stanza, Jaques offers a mocking, cynical parody of the song. His version suggests that anyone who leaves wealth and ease for the forest life is a fool ("turn ass"), and he invents a nonsense refrain, "ducdame," which he claims is a "Greek invocation to call fools into a circle." He then exits to sleep or rant, while Amiens goes to join the Duke.

As You Like It  Act 2, Scene 6

Summary

In a remote part of the Forest of Arden, the exhausted and starving Adam collapses, declaring he can go no further and is near death. Orlando, showing newfound strength and resolve, refuses to accept this. He comforts Adam, urging him to hold on. Promising to return with food—or die trying—Orlando carries the old man to shelter before venturing off alone into the savage forest on a desperate hunt for sustenance.

As You Like It Act 2, Scene 7

Summary

Act 2, Scene 7 is a pivotal scene that unites the exiles and delivers some of the play's most famous philosophical speeches. It opens with Duke Senior seeking the melancholic Jaques, who arrives elated. He describes meeting a motley fool (Touchstone) in the forest, who delivered a witty, nihilistic commentary on time ("we ripe and ripe... and then we rot"). Jaques, enthralled, declares his ambition to wear a fool's motley himself to "Cleanse the foul body of th' infected world" with satirical criticism. The Duke critiques this as hypocritical.

Their debate is interrupted by Orlando, desperate and brandishing a sword, demanding food for his starving self and Adam. The Duke responds with remarkable gentleness, disarming Orlando's aggression. Moved, Orlando explains his plight and goes to fetch Adam. During his absence, Jaques delivers the iconic "All the world's a stage" soliloquy, reducing human life to seven meaningless, declining stages.

Orlando returns with Adam, and they are welcomed to the feast. Amiens sings "Blow, blow, thou winter wind," a song asserting that nature's cruelty is kinder than human ingratitude. Finally, Duke Senior recognizes Orlando as the son of his beloved friend, Sir Rowland, offering full sanctuary and promising to hear his story.

As You Like It Act 3, Scene 1

Summary

Act 3, Scene 1 returns to Duke Frederick’s court. The Duke confronts Oliver, who has failed to produce his brother Orlando. Enraged, Frederick gives Oliver an ultimatum: he has one year to find Orlando, “dead or living.” In the meantime, Frederick seizes all of Oliver’s lands and property. When Oliver protests that he never loved his brother, the Duke, in a twist of irony, calls him a “villain” for this admission and orders him banished and dispossessed until he can clear his name by producing Orlando.

As You Like It Act 3, Scene 2

Summary

Act 3, Scene 2 is a pivotal, extended scene that drives the central romantic plot forward in the Forest of Arden.

·        Orlando's Poems: The scene opens with Orlando carving love poems to Rosalind on the trees, establishing his lovesick, Petrarchan devotion.

·        Pastoral Debate: Touchstone and Corin engage in a comic debate about the merits of the shepherd's life versus court life. Touchstone uses twisted logic to mock both, while Corin defends his simple, honest contentment.

·        Discovery: Rosalind (as Ganymede) and Celia (as Aliena) discover Orlando's poems. After much playful teasing, Celia reveals the poet is Orlando. Rosalind is overcome with a flurry of excited questions.

·        Jaques' Interruption: Orlando enters, briefly conversing with the melancholic Jaques. Their exchange is a clash of worldviews: the earnest lover versus the cynical philosopher. Jaques departs, disliking both love and company.

·        "The Cure": Rosalind, in her Ganymede disguise, approaches Orlando. She teasingly lectures him on the nature of time and love, then claims she can cure his lovesickness. Her method: he must pretend that Ganymede is Rosalind, and visit daily to "woo" him. Orlando, intrigued and desperate, agrees. The scene ends with him promising to court "Ganymede" as his stand-in Rosalind.

As You Like It Act 3, Scene 3

Summary

Act 3, Scene 3 presents the low-comedy subplot of Touchstone and Audrey, a naive and simple goatherd. Touchstone, desiring Audrey, has arranged a makeshift wedding in the forest with the unqualified vicar, Sir Oliver Martext. Their dialogue highlights their mismatch: Touchstone speaks in witty, often lewd puns and classical allusions, while Audrey understands only literal honesty.

Touchstone jokes about cuckoldry ("horns") and the informality of the wedding. As Martext is about to perform the ceremony, Jaques emerges from hiding. He interrupts, persuading Touchstone that a wedding under a tree by an incompetent priest is fit only for beggars and will lead to a flawed marriage. He advises them to find a proper church and priest. Touchstone agrees, seeing Jaques' logic and perhaps also seeing the advantage of a shaky marriage he can later abandon. They all leave, and the deflated Martextexits alone.

As You Like It Act 3, Scene 4

Summary

Act 3, Scene 4 finds Rosalind (as Ganymede) in a state of anxious despair because Orlando has failed to show up for their first arranged "wooing" session. She is near tears, which Celia reminds her is unbecoming for a man. Their conversation is a masterclass in playful contradiction: Rosalind defends Orlando's honor and appearance, while Celia sarcastically undermines him, comparing his hair to Judas's and his vows to a dishonest bartender's. Rosalind's irritation reveals the depth of her feelings.

The shepherd Corin arrives and interrupts their bickering. He invites them to observe a live "pageant" of love: the lovelorn Silvius desperately courting the disdainful Phoebe. Intrigued, and acknowledging that "The sight of lovers feedeth those in love," Rosalind agrees to go, promising to become "a busy actor in their play."

As You Like It In Act 3, Scene 5

Summary

In Act 3, Scene 5, the pastoral subplot of Silvius and Phoebe unfolds before Rosalind (as Ganymede), Celia (as Aliena), and Corin. Silvius, in exquisite Petrarchan agony, pleads for Phoebe's pity. Phoebe, however, is scornful and cruel, mocking the very idea that her eyes could wound him.

Rosalind intervenes. Adopting a blunt, unflattering manner, she chastises Phoebe for her pride despite her lack of beauty, and scolds Silvius for debasing himself. She urges Phoebe to recognize her good fortune in being loved and to accept Silvius. However, her plan backfires spectacularly. Phoebe, far from being humbled, is captivated by the handsome, commanding youth "Ganymede." After Rosalind leaves, Phoebe quotes Marlowe ("Who ever loved that loved not at first sight?"), revealing she has fallen in love with her critic.

Phoebe then enlists the hapless Silvius to deliver a taunting letter to Ganymede, claiming she intends to scorn him, though her own contradictory speech betrays her infatuation. Silvius, ever devoted, agrees to serve even in this painful capacity.

As You Like It Act 4, Scene 1

Summary

Act 4, Scene 1 is a central scene where Rosalind's "cure" of Orlando is fully enacted, blending role-play, psychological insight, and sharp social commentary. It opens with a brief encounter between Jaques and Rosalind (as Ganymede). Jaques expounds on his unique, self-indulgent melancholy, which Rosalind mockingly dismisses, suggesting he’s a pretentious traveler who gained nothing but sadness from his journeys.

Orlando arrives, an hour late. Rosalind, as Ganymede pretending to be Rosalind, scolds him for his tardiness with brilliant wit, arguing that a true lover would not break even a fraction of a minute. Their “wooing” session becomes an elaborate mock wedding. With Celia acting as priest, Orlando pledges himself to “Rosalind” (Ganymede), and “Rosalind” pledges herself to Orlando.

Rosalind then uses her role to educate Orlando about the realities of married life, warning him she will be jealous, moody, and capricious. She delivers the famous line: "Men are April when they woo, December when they wed." After Orlando leaves, pledging to return at two o'clock, Rosalind drops her disguise with Celia and confesses the overwhelming depth of her love, which she claims is "bottomless."

As You Like It Act 4, Scene 2

Summary

In a brief interlude, Jaques and some foresters celebrate the killing of a deer. Jaques proposes they treat the successful hunter like a Roman conqueror and crown him with the deer's antlers as a "branch of victory." He requests a song, and the foresters sing a mocking tune titled "What shall he have that killed the deer?" The song's refrain insists that the hunter should wear the horns proudly, as they are a traditional crest, and are "not a thing to laugh to scorn."

As You Like It Act 4, Scene 3

Summary

In Act 4, Scene 3 of As You Like It, Rosalind (disguised as Ganymede) and Celia (as Aliena) are waiting for Orlando, who is late for his wooing lesson. Silvius arrives with a letter from Phoebe to Ganymede. Rosalind reads it aloud: though Phoebe begins with insults, the letter is actually a love poem in which she declares her passion for Ganymede. Rosalind mocks both the letter and Silvius’s blind devotion, sending him back with the message that Ganymede will only accept Phoebe if she agrees to love Silvius.

Oliver then arrives searching for Ganymede. He reveals that Orlando, while coming to meet Ganymede, saved his brother Oliver from a deadly lioness. Orlando was wounded in the fight and sent Oliver with a blood-stained handkerchief as proof and apology for his delay. Upon hearing this and seeing the handkerchief, Rosalind faints. She tries to pass it off as skillful counterfeiting, but Oliver and Celia see through the disguise. Oliver agrees to accompany them, and Rosalind promises to devise an excuse for Orlando.

As You Like It Act 5, Scene 1

Summary

In Act 5, Scene 1, Touchstone and Audrey are discussing their postponed marriage when Audrey’s other suitor, the simple countryman William, appears. Touchstone engages him in a mock-scholarly conversation, feigning politeness while exposing William's naivete. He then aggressively and verbosely orders William to abandon his claim on Audrey, threatening him with elaborate, comic violence. William, overwhelmed and confused, meekly departs. Corin then enters to summon Touchstone and Audrey to their employers, ending the brief scene.

As You Like It Act 5, Scene 3

Summary

Orlando and Oliver discuss Oliver's sudden, deep love for Aliena (Celia) and their immediate plans to marry. Orlando, though envious of his brother's happiness, consents. When Rosalind (as Ganymede) arrives, Orlando expresses his despair at being without his own Rosalind. Ganymede, claiming magical powers learned from a non-demonic magician, promises to produce the real Rosalind for Orlando to marry the next day. Phoebe and Silvius then arrive, leading to a comic "chain of love" recital where each character declares who they love (Silvius for Phoebe, Phoebe for Ganymede, Orlando for Rosalind, and Ganymede for no woman). Rosalind, still in disguise, issues commands to all: Orlando will get Rosalind, Phoebe will marry Ganymede or else accept Silvius, and Silvius will get Phoebe. All agree to meet the next day for the resolution.

As You Like It Act 5, Scene 3

Summary

In the brief Act 5, Scene 3, Touchstone and Audrey anticipate their wedding the next day. Audrey expresses her simple hope to become a respectable married woman ("a woman of the world"). They are approached by two pages from the banished Duke's court. Touchstone asks for a song, and the two pages sing "It was a lover and his lass," a pastoral lyric celebrating springtime, young love, and seizing the moment ("take the present time"). Afterward, Touchstone dismisses their performance as a foolish waste of time, and he and Audrey exit.

As You Like It Act 5, Scene 4

Summary

In the play’s climax, all parties assemble in the forest. Rosalind (as Ganymede) enters with Silvius and Phoebe, confirming the promises made by the Duke, Orlando, Phoebe, and Silvius. She then exits with Celia, ostensibly to perform the "magic." In her absence, Touchstone and Audrey arrive, and Touchstone delivers a long, witty disquisition on the "seven degrees of the lie" used in courtly quarrels. Hymen, the god of marriage, then enters with the restored Rosalind and Celia. The Duke recognizes his daughter, Orlando his Rosalind, and Phoebe, seeing Ganymede is a woman, relinquishes her claim and agrees to marry Silvius. Jaques de Boys (the middle brother of Oliver and Orlando) arrives with the news that Duke Frederick, on his way to attack the forest, was converted by a religious man and has abdicated, restoring the dukedom to Duke Senior and returning all lands. Duke Senior invites everyone to celebrate the weddings. Jaques decides to join the converted Frederick, while the others prepare for a dance and festive conclusion.

As You Like It Act 5, Epilogue

Summary

Rosalind steps forward to deliver the Epilogue, breaking the fourth wall. She playfully acknowledges the unconventionality of a woman giving the epilogue. She claims a good play shouldn’t need one, but then argues that good plays, like good wine with a sign (bush), can benefit from one. Pleading she is neither a good epilogue nor a good beggar, she instead "conjures" the audience: she charges the women, for the love they bear men, to like the play, and charges the men, for the love they bear women, to ensure the play pleases everyone. She ends with a flirtatious hypothetical, stating that if she were a woman, she would kiss all the agreeable men in the audience, and hopes those men will applaud her in return.