Tab Article

ratings: ★★★★☆ (4.4/5)
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Classic

Book Review:
If you want to experience the pure, unadulterated joy of Shakespearean comedy, look no further than As You Like It. This enchanting play is a sun-drenched romp through the Forest of Arden, a place where love blossoms, fools philosophize, and everyone eventually gets what they want. It is quite simply a delight.

The plot is classic romantic comedy. The wicked Duke Frederick banishes his noble niece, Rosalind, from his court. Accompanied by her cousin Celia and the court fool Touchstone, Rosalind flees to the Forest of Arden, disguising herself as a boy named Ganymede for safety. Meanwhile, Orlando, the young man Rosalind loves, has also been forced into exile in the very same forest. The stage is set for a glorious confusion of identities. Orlando, lovesick and writing bad poetry, pours out his heart to the trees, unaware that the witty ''boy'' he befriends is actually his beloved Rosalind. As Ganymede, Rosalind teasingly offers to ''cure'' Orlando of his love by pretending to be Rosalind, leading to some of the most playful and insightful dialogues about love in all of literature.

But the play is so much more than its plot. It features some of Shakespeare's most memorable characters, from the melancholy Jaques, who gives us the famous ''All the world's a stage'' speech, to the rustic simpleton William and the witty shepherdess Phebe. The play is a joyful exploration of love in all its forms: romantic, foolish, and true. It celebrates the freedom of the natural world over the artifice of the court, suggesting that in the right environment, even the most complicated problems can be happily resolved.

This Penguin Popular Classics edition, with its helpful notes and glossary, makes this timeless comedy accessible to everyone. As You Like It is a play that will make you smile, make you think, and leave you with a warm feeling in your heart. It is a true classic, a testament to the enduring power of love and laughter. As Rosalind herself says, ''I would cure you, if you would but call me Rosalind and come every day to my cot and woo me.'' And who could resist such an invitation?