As You Like It by William Shakespeare Review
As I am and have been for quite some time a Shakespeare fan, choosing to read William Shakespeare’s As You Like It was a simple choice. The Shakespearean comedy was written between 1599 and 1600, though it was not published until 1623. Shakespeare weaves an enticing tale of love at first sight, and what it takes to truly prove one’s affections. Rosalind, our protagonist, falls for the handsome but naïve Orlando when he wins a wrestling match. Rosalind is banished to the Forest of Arden; her cousin, Celia, accompanies her. They two women dress in disguises and take up a new life in the forest. Orlando and his elderly servant Adam soon venture into the forest as well; however, Orlando hangs love poems about Rosalind on many trees. Rosalind, disguised as her male alter-ego Ganymede, speaks to Orlando about love and tells him she could cure him of it. She is testing his devotion to her. The play also explores several other love stories such as Silvius and Phebe, Touchstone and Audrey, and Celia and Oliver. Shakespeare truly is the master of love stories after all.
I have to admit I fell in love with Rosalind’s character. For that time period she was outspoken, cunning, and incredibly strong-willed. Her decision to use her disguise to test Orlando’s love was nothing short of brilliant. Moreover, Orlando’s hopelessly in love persona is also heart-warming. Even though he was utterly delusional and temporarily blinded by Rosalind’s beauty, he managed to win over the girl of his dreams. I could go on but suffice it to say every character had such a hint of dimension that the story really consumes its readers.
I am well aware As You Like It is categorized as a comedy, which it certainly is at certain times, but I can’t help but notice the enthralling theme surrounding love. As the melancholy Jaques tells Duke Senior, “The world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players” (Shakespeare,96). Besides the traditional and ever present romantic love, Shakespeare also showcases the bond between two women, Rosalind and Celia.
I cherished the play. Every aspect of it was so full of emotion yet so poised that it created a climatic experience the whole way through. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone searching for a traditional, enjoyable love story with a humorous yet thought-provoking plot. I believe almost everyone can relate to Orlando, the hopeless romantic. Whether you love a girl, or a boy, or a song, or a place, or life itself, being human means feeling things on an exponential scale. Isn’t that all humanity truly is?
Thus, in my opinion this is easily one of the best works of literature ever written. Because in all honesty, “love is merely a madness” (Shakespeare,136).