As You Like It (Arden Shakespeare: Third Series) (Paperback)

by William Shakespeare (Author), Juliet Dusinberre (Editor) "As You Like It, with its cross-dressed heroine, gender games and explorations of sexual ambivalence, its Forest of Arden and melancholy Jaques, speaks directly to..." (more)
Key Phrases: dramatic records, court epilogue, exiled courtiers, Forest of Arden, Duke Senior, Duke Frederick (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"This will be the definitive edition of As You Like It for many years to come" - Phyllis Rackin, University of Pennsylvania

Product Description
With its cross-dressed heroine, gender games and explorations of sexual ambivalence, its Forest of Arden and melancholy Jacques, As You Like It speaks directly to the twenty-first century. Juliet Dusinberre demonstrates that Rosalind’s authority in the play grows from new ideas about women and reveals that Shakespeare’s heroine reinvents herself for every age.

But As You Like It is also deeply rooted in Elizabethan culture. Through the concealing medium of literary pastoral, Shakespeare addresses some of the hottest issues of his own time, including the fortunes of the Earl of Essex and the theatre’s confrontation with Puritan disapproval; this new edition connects the play to the Elizabethan court and its dynamic queen and demonstrates that the play’s vital roots in its own time give it new life in ours.

Product Details

• Paperback: 472 pages
• Publisher: Arden Shakespeare; 3rd edition (July 25, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1904271227
• ISBN-13: 978-1904271222
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #392,715 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All the world is a romantic comedy., February 1, 2007

By	G. Merritt (Boulder, CO) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I recently re-read AS YOU LIKE IT prior to attending The Colorado Shakespeare Festival's performance of this play under the summer stars here in Boulder. Shakespeare (1564-1616) produced this romantic comedy in 1599 and published it in the First Folio in 1623.

Summarizing the play is rather challenging. It basically tells the story of Duke Frederick, who has banished his brother, Duke Senior, into the Forest of Arden, thereby usurping the kingdom. In his exile, Duke Senior has found a humble life of merriment with his court. Following a wrestling match, Duke Frederick also banishes Orlando (son of the late Sir Roland de Boys) and Rosalind (daughter of Duke Senior) into the forest. At the match, the two have fallen into love at first sight. Out of friendhip, Duke Frederick's only child, Celia, and the court jester, Touchstone, follow Rosalind (now disguised as a boy, "Ganymede") into the forest. Soon, Orlando, Rosalind, Celia, and Touchstone are all welcomed into the merry life of banished Duke Senior. Orlando, however, is lovesick for Rosalind, and Rosalind (still disguised as a boy) decides to cure Orlando of his lovesickness. While counseling him in the ways of true love, Rosalind (disguised as Ganymede) finds herself falling deeper in love with Orlando. Meanwhile, Celia has fallen in love with Orlando's brother, Oliver. The two decide to get married the next day. Even witty Touchstone has fallen in love with a dull-witted goatherd girl, Audrey. In the final scene, and after many hilarious mixups, all romantic entanglements are resolved by marriage; and after a sudden religious conversion, Duke Frederick returns the throne to his brother--thereby righting all wrongs and uniting all couples by love and happiness.

G. Merritt

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, the third series AYL, April 2, 2007

By	David Cope (Grandville, Mi. USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Over the years, despite the fact that The Riverside Shakespeare is my primary course text, I've found the third series Arden paperbacks as an indispensable source for my college-level Shakespeare classes (the second series versions, of course, feature an older and often quite out-of-date understanding of the criticism and characters). As You Like It is one play that I teach consistently, semester by semester, so I was naturally very pleased when this volume arrived. It does not disappoint: the introductory material is superb and, as always, the notes quite helpful. Viva Rosalind!

1 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars it was alright, November 9, 2006

By	Wing Yan Poon "ycnay" (USA) - See all my reviews

There is an excessive amount of highlighting that I did not expect of.