Readers and audiences have long greeted As You Like It with delight. Its characters are brilliant conversationalists, including the princesses Rosalind and Celia and their Fool, Touchstone. Soon after Rosalind and Orlando meet and fall in love, the princesses and Touchstone go into exile in the Forest of Arden, where they find new conversational partners. Duke Frederick, younger brother to Duke Senior, has overthrown his brother and forced him to live homeless in the forest with his courtiers, including the cynical Jaques. Orlando, whose older brother Oliver plotted his death, has fled there, too.

Commentaries. From Shakespeare and the actors / Arthur Colby Sprague -- "As you like it" / Helen Gardner -- From Sexual politics and social structure in As you like it / Peter B. Erickson -- Cross-dressing in As you like it / Jean E. Howard -- As you like it on stage and screen / Sylvan Barnet.