As You Like It Plot Summary
Here is a short plot summary of As You Like It:
Orlando, the youngest son of Sir Roland de Boys, is ill treated by his brother Oliver. When he responds to the general challenge issued by the Duke’s wrestler, Charles, Oliver tells Charles to injure Orlando if he can manage it. The Duke’s daughter, Celia, and her cousin, Rosalind, watch the match and Rosalind falls in love with Orlando. Orlando wins but the Duke gets angry when he discovers that Orlando is the son of his old enemy, Sir Roland de Boys. Rosalind gives Orlando a chain to wear and he falls in love with her.
The Duke unexpectedly banishes Rosalind and she decides to find her father, the real Duke, who has been overthrown by his brother, Celia’s father, Frederick. Duke Senior lives in the forest of Arden. Together with the court jester, Touchstone, the girls set out, disguised as a country boy, Ganymede, and his sister, Aliena. Co-incidentally, Orlando, fearing for his life, has also left home, accompanied by his father’s servant, Adam.
In the forest, the group from the court encounter a young shepherd, Silvius, and watch him being rejected by a shepherdess, Phoebe, as he declares his love for her. They meet an old shepherd, Corin, who is looking for someone to take over the sheep farm. Ganymede, who wants to settle in the forest, buys the lease.
Duke Senior, unaware that his daughter is looking for him, is living a simple life with some courtiers and huntsmen. One of them is the melancholy Jaques, who reflects constantly on life. Orlando and Adam arrive and the outlaws welcome them and feed them.
Orlando hangs some love poems that he has written to Rosalind from the branches of trees. Rosalind and Aliena find them. Ganymede helps him to cure his lovesickness by wooing him, Ganymede, as though he/she were Rosalind. A country girl, Audrey, falls in love with Touchstone and abandons her faithful William because of her love for the fool.
Oliver is searching for his brother. He has an accident and Orlando saves his life. Orlando is slightly injured and when he tells Ganymede about it she faints. Oliver and Celia fall in love. Phoebe falls in love with Genymede. It all becomes very complicated. Hymen leads a masque; Rosalind re-emerges as a woman and her father gives her to Orlando; Phoebe accepts Silvius; Orlando’s older brother returns from university with the news that Celia’s father, Frederick, has retired as Duke to become a hermit; Jaques goes to join him. There is a joyful dance to celebrate the four marriages and the happy ending.
16 Responses to As You Like It Plot Summary
I like ‘as you like it’ so much . It is a good love story. It teaches women not to be proudy but to be humble like Rosalind
Thank you for publishing these summaries. I enjoyed them. Methinks I found a misspelling in the summary for “as you like it”, in paragraph 4. The word “relect” should be replaced by “reflect”. Regards, – Dan
Thanks Dan – As You Like It summary typo now fixed
Thanks a lot – this helped me so much with my English presentation
Nicely done summary. I like it ‘as You like it’
really nice summary. it helped me with my English project.
what a summary…i liked it very much…thank u whoever the writer is….this helped in making a good ppt for my project…thanks..
summary was great !!! it made my English project easy
this summary is written cleary . it helped me a lot.
this is very informative and trust me the simplest short summary…………….:)
wow!!
a very nice story and is presented also very nicely !!!
thanx for making my holiday homework very easy !!!
Love the summary..
Made writing an analysis on the play so much easier! =D
thanks for my homework ;D
As You Like It is a good comedy I love it the idea & concept of 4 marriages taking place in the end .Summery is concise & precise.
what a nice story,,,
In paragraph four the word melancholy should be melancholic, since it’s an adjective (“melancholic Jaques”)
The summaries are easy to understand. They’re a great help to people like me who need to go over a lot of info within a short time.