As You Like It Play by Shakespeare

As You Like It the play by William Shakespeare 

Introduction  

This section is dedicated to As You Like It, the play by William Shakespeare. The picture is 18th century and image displayed represents the essence of the play which, we hope, will bring to life a famous scene or character from the play. The information provided on this section of william-shakespeare.info includes famous quotes / quotations from As You Like It, summary of the plot or story, facts about the play, a list of the cast and characters and access to the full text - script of As You Like It play by William Shakespeare 
Summary of the plot or story  

 As You Like It is considered by many to be one of Shakespeare's greatest comedies, and the heroine, Rosalind, is praised as one of his most inspiring characters and has more lines than any of Shakespeare's female characters. Rosalind, the daughter of a banished duke falls in love with Orlando the disinherited son of one of the duke's friends. When she is banished from the court by her usurping uncle, Duke Frederick , Rosalind switches genders and as Ganymede travels with her loyal cousin Celia and the jester Touchstone to the Forest of Arden, where her father and his friends live in exile. Observations on life and love follow (including love, aging, the natural world, and death) friends are made, and families are reunited. By the play's end Ganymede, once again Rosalind, marries her Orlando. Two other sets of lovers are also wed, one of them Celia and Orlando's mean older brother Oliver . As Oliver becomes a gentler, kinder young man so the Duke conveniently changes his ways and turns to religion and so that the exiled Duke, father of Rosalind, can rule once again. 

Information provided about the As You Like It play 
William Shakespeare never published any of his plays and therefore none of the original manuscripts have survived. Eighteen unauthorised versions of his plays were, however, published during his lifetime in quarto editions by unscrupulous publishers (there were no copyright laws protecting Shakespeare and his works during the Elizabethan era). A collection of his works did not appear until 1623 ( a full seven years after Shakespeare's death on April 23, 1616) when two of his fellow actors, John Hemminges and Henry Condell, posthumously recorded his work and published 36 of William’s plays in the First Folio. Some dates are therefore approximate other dates are substantiated by historical events, records of performances and the dates plays appeared in print.

Date first performed

  
It is believed that As You Like It was first performed between 1599 and 1600. In the Elizabethan era there was a huge demand for new entertainment and As You Like It would have been produced immediately following the completion of the play.
Famous Quotes / Quotations 

"All the world 's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts" As You Like It - (Act II, Scene VII). 

"Can one desire too much of a good thing?". As You Like It (Act IV, Scene I). 

"True is it that we have seen better days". As You Like It - Act II, Scene VII). 

"For ever and a day". As You Like It - (Act IV, Scene I).

"The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool". (Act V, Scene I).