As You Like It | Criticism

  • Alliance of Seriousness and Levity in As You Like It
    In this brief excerpt, Cesar Lombardi Barber discusses the structure of As You Like It and the purpose of the joyful Forest of Arden.
  • Overviews
    In the first excerpt, Sylvan Barnet presents a succinct overview of As You Like It in relation to Much Ado About Nothing and Twelfth Night. In the second selection, Alfred Harbage provides a scene-by-scene summary of As You Like It.
  • Pastoral Conventions
    In the first excerpt, Brigid Brophy surveys the elements of pastoralism in As You Like It and discusses the comedy in relation to its source, Thomas Lodge's novel Rosalynde. In the second excerpt, Kenneth Muir contends that Shakespeare did not intend As You Like It to be a traditional pastoral but a work suited to his own dramatic purposes. Muir also emphasizes the irony throughout the play.
  • Dualities
    In the first excerpt, George Ian Duthie discusses As You Like It in light of the opposition of order and disorder generally found in Shakespeare's comedies. In the second excerpt, John A. Hart maintains that Shakespeare depicts two contrasting worlds in As You Like It: Duke Frederick's court, which is governed by Fortune, and Arden forest, which is dominated by Nature. In the third excerpt, John Shaw focuses on the meaning of Rosalind's and Celia's debate over Fortune and Nature (I. ii. 40ff.). Shaw examines how the properties of both godesses affect the plot and character development of As You Like It, asserting that each of the major characters is in some way affected by the conflicts between them.
  • Disguise and Role-Playing
    In the first excerpt, Nancy K. Hayles discusses Shakespeare's use of sexual disguise in As You Like It, arguing that this device is developed in distinct stages. In the second excerpt, Thomas F. Van Laan points out several instances where the characters in Arden either take part in or discuss role-playing sessions, proposing that the forest in a sense becomes the stage for these brief "playlets," and that Shakespeare composed variations of this theme to explore the circumstances surrounding the way in which the play's four couples fall in love.
  • Time
    In the first excerpt, Jay L. Halio describes time's two functions in As You Like It. Halio focuses on Rosalind's awareness of time and notes that Rosalind is strongly influenced by time's regenerative power, particularly as it concerns lovers. In the second excerpt, Frederick Turner maintains that the concept of measurable, social time prevalent at Duke Frederick's court is suspended by the holiday atmosphere of Arden, and that time in the forest is a more natural time, governed by the seasons, not the clock. Turner then examines different characters' perspectives of time and examines the idea of musical time in the play's final songs and dances.
  • Orlando
    In this excerpt, Thomas Kelly provides an extensive analysis of Orlando's character, asserting that Orlando is distinct from Shakespeare's other romantic heroes, who, as a rule, tend to be portrayed as inept and slightly ridiculous.
  • Rosalind
    In the first excerpt, Lorentz Eckhoff examines Rosalind's character, particularly the "sparkling gaiety and wit" she maintains even in the face of adversity. In the second excerpt, Clara Claiborne Park maintains that Shakespeare belongs to a small minority of authors in the history of western literature who created influential woman characters in his works.
  • Touchstone
    In the first excerpt, John Palmer discusses Touchstone's character in As You Like It. Palmer sees Touchstone as a wise fool who acts as a kind of guide or point of reference throughout the play, putting everyone, including himself, to the comic test. In the second excerpt, Enid Welsford regards Touchstone as a kind of intermediary between the playwright and the audience, and is literally what his name implies: a "test of the quality of men and manners."
  • Jaques
    In the first excerpt, Oscar James Campbell interprets Jaques from a historical perspective, noting events in Shakespeare's own lifetime that strongly influenced his dramatization of the character. In the second excerpt, Harold C. Goddard maintains that Jaques cannot completely withdraw from the society he hates because he needs an audience for his tirades against humanity.

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