As You Like It

All the world's a stage And all the men and women merely players'Rosalind banished by her cruel uncle travels secretly to the Forest of Arden where her exiled father holds court. There dressed as a boy to avoid discovery she encounters the man she loves - now a fellow exile - and resolves to remain in disguise to test his feelings for her. One of Shakespeare's most sunny fast-paced and accessible comedies As You Like It is an exuberant combination of concealed identities and verbal jousting burlesque and pastoral dream reconciliations and multiple weddings.Used and Recommended by the National TheatreGeneral Editor Stanley WellsEdited by H. J. Oliver Introduction by Katherine Duncan-Jones About the Author William Shakespeare was born to John Shakespeare and Mary Arden in late April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon. He wrote about 38 plays (the precise number is uncertain) many of which are regarded as the most exceptional works of drama ever produced includingRomeo and Juliet (1595)Henry V (1599)Hamlet (1601)Othello (1604)King Lear (1606) andMacbeth (1606) as well as a collection of 154 sonnets which number among the most profound and influential love poetry in English. Shakespeare died in Stratford in 1616.|William Shakespeare was born in late April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon and died in 1616. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. Stanley Wells is Emeritus Professor of the University of Birmingham and Honorary President of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.Katherine Duncan-Jones is a Fellow of Somerville College.H. J. Oliver was Professor of English at the University of New South Wales.|'All the world's a stage And all the men and women merely players'­Rosalind banished by her cruel uncle travels secretly to the Forest of Arden where her exiled father holds court. There dressed as a boy to avoid discovery she encounters the man she loves - now a fellow exile - and resolves to remain in disguise to test his feelings for her. One of Shakespeare's most sunny fast-paced and accessible comedies As You Like It is an exuberant combination of concealed identities and verbal jousting burlesque and pastoral dream reconciliations and multiple weddings.Used and Recommended by the National TheatreGeneral Editor Stanley WellsEdited by H. J. Oliver Introduction by Katherine Duncan-Jones