As You Like It

by William Shakespeare

RenaissanceDrama
20,692 words23 chapters~83 min read
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Shakespeare's pastoral comedy follows Rosalind as she flees to the Forest of Arden disguised as a young man, where love triangles and witty wordplay unfold among exiled nobles. This Renaissance drama explores themes of identity, gender roles, and the contrast between court life and natural simplicity.

Opening lines

As I remember, Adam, it was upon this fashion bequeathed me by will but poor a thousand crowns, and, as thou sayst, charged my brother, on his blessing, to breed me well; and there begins my sadness. My brother Jaques he keeps at school, and report speaks goldenly of his profit. For my part, he keeps me rustically at home, or, to speak more properly, stays me here at home unkept; for call you that keeping, for a gentleman of my birth, that differs not from the stalling of an ox? His horses are bred better, for, besides that they are fair with their feeding, they are taught their manage and to that end riders dearly hired; but I, his brother, gain nothing under him but growth, for the which his animals on his dunghills are as much bound to him as I. Besides this nothing that he so plentifully gives me, the something that nature gave me his countenance seems to take from me. He lets me fee
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About William Shakespeare

An English playwright and poet from Stratford-upon-Avon (1564-1616) who transformed theater with timeless works like Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, and Macbeth. His profound exploration of human nature, masterful use of language, and innovative storytelling techniques revolutionized drama and continue to captivate audiences worldwide four centuries later. All works by William Shakespeare

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