As You Like It

As You Like It

• Genre: Fiction; drama; pastoral comedy
• Originally Published: 1599 (First Folio)
• Reading Level/Interest: Grades 9-12; college/adult
• Structure/Length: 5 acts; page length varies depending on edition; approximately 2 hours, 30 minutes of running time
• Protagonist/Central Conflict: The play revolves around Rosalind, the daughter of a banished duke, and her love for Orlando. They, along with other characters, find themselves in the Forest of Arden, escaping the politics and restrictions of the court. Here, Rosalind, under the guise of a man named Ganymede, tests Orlando’s love. The play addresses general themes of love in its many forms, the contrasts between urban and rural life, and the nature of freedom.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Deception and disguise; gender role reversals; light-hearted mockery of romance

William Shakespeare, Author

• Bio: Born 1564; died 1616; English playwright, poet, and actor; often regarded as the greatest writer in the English language; authored works that are translated into every major language and performed more than those of any other playwright; co-owner of the Globe Theatre; works include tragedies, comedies, and histories
• Other Works: A Midsummer Night's Dream (1595); Romeo and Juliet (1597); Hamlet (1600); Othello (1603); King Lear (1605); Macbeth (1606); The Tempest (1611)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Guide:

• The Fluidity of Gender Roles
• The Many Types of Romantic and Platonic Love
• Court Versus Country Life

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Teaching Guide, students will:

• Gain an understanding of the cultural and social contexts of the setting of the play.
• Discuss paired texts and other brief resources to make connections via the text’s themes of The Fluidity of Gender Roles, The Many Types of Romantic and Platonic Love, and Court Versus Country Life.
• Explore the ways in which Shakespeare uses fools or jesters to convey messages by composing and performing a fool’s speech.
• Evaluate the themes, symbols, and motifs of the play in structured essay responses on the convention of primogeniture, gender roles, and other topics.