As You Like It

by SparkNotes, Ben Florman, David Hopson

Literature Guides
Created by Harvard students for students everywhere, SparkNotes is a new breed of study guide: smarter, better, faster.

Geared to what today's students need to know, SparkNotes provides:

chapter-by-chapter analysis
explanations of key themes, motifs, and symbols
a review quiz and essay topics
Lively and accessible, these guides are perfect for late-night studying and writing papers.

Genres: Classics, Shakespeare, Plays

72 pages, Paperback

Published July 15, 2002

About the author

Many of the editions by this group of authors are actually guides to books rather than the works.

If the author of the SparkNotes is known, they should be the first author. Please leave these SparkNotes Editors as the second author and the author of the original work as the last author. Do not combine with the original work. Do not put the author of the ORIGINAL work first.

Link to discussion.

Reviews

[Slappy McGee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do love these translated books. They are side to side by Shakespeare’s verse and it’s a lot of fun to read it in this manner.

“As you like It” is a good but not great play. It’s light and ethereal very pastoral for sure. It has some fun characters in it as well as some good songs which productions can have a lot of fun with.

My problem with display is that the ending is truly ridiculous and pretty much sweeps the problem antagonist under the rug. As a matter of fact we get almost no resolution with the antagonist. We’re just told that he becomes a monk somewhere off screen with no real reasoning. It’s kind of dumb and very unsatisfying.

But I suppose this place is more about the enjoyment of the characters in the situation rather than the actual plot that’s been established.

[Daiki Goto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Among Shakespeare's favorite men's daughters, Rosalind's charm is particularly outstanding . I thought again. As soon as she escapes to the forest, Rosalind brings out the rigorous foundations, and she is in a position where she can say things that she wouldn't normally be able to say in front of her favorite person. You're obviously enjoying it . (that is so cute). I also like the dizzying feeling of the twisted setting that he actually plays the role of Rosalind as a ganimead. Even if there is no witch, magic is still lurking in the forest (For example, a mean person changes his mind)

[Linda Branton · Rating 5 out of 5]

To prepare for an upcoming Theatre show, I had the chance to quickly read this version of As You Like it. Obviously, I am not going to rate a Shakespeare play, as if it gets 1 or 5 stars. That's just crazy.
But, this little, cheap version of the play was a delight to read. It took me maybe 2.5 hours to read, and just curled up on my oversize chair with a chamomile tea and no background noise, it was a true evening retreat. The modern English translation doesn't always need to be there, if you can read some English and understand it, but there were times where it really helped. Fun.

[Josalyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sparknotes does a great job with this one. The historical notes and clarifications are so helpful. Did you know in Shakespeare’s time men with unfaithful wives were thought to have horns? This little tidbit made a huge passage of the play suddenly make perfect sense.

As You Like It itself is great. Everything that you can expect from a good Shakespearean comedy with great lines like “‘‘twas I but ‘‘tis not I” and “all the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.”

[Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

I tried reading the original, but it was just too difficult. The No Fear version is perfect for people like me: inexperienced in Shakespeare. But if you have the time, you should try and read the original. A lot of Shakespeare's technique is lost in this version. As for the story, it was pretty interesting. My biggest question is how we are supposed to think of Jaques. Is he supposed to be some kind of a Philosopher? Or just a sad man who wants to be a fool?

[Tori · Rating 2 out of 5]

I left this book at my grandmas house and then she died so it took a while for me to get it back. Honestly, not worth it. This book is like very misogynistic. I know it was a different time but it just made me uncomfortable.

[Tanmay Jadhav · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had this play for my 10th grade English literature.

This book helped me a lot in final preps when i wanted to quickly skim through the book and understand small details in the story.

[Rion Park · Rating 4 out of 5]

I pretty like these "No Fear Shakespear" series. It's very easy to understand and helps read quickly. "As You Like It" was pretty fun to read.

[Bob Houlihan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Should it helps to understand the play. 3.6

[Linda · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hate Shakespeare.

[Samantha Aso · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this as a great way to really get to grips with what the text was saying. Informative notes here and there to aid understanding and deepen your enjoyment of this great master's work.

[米占进化史 小 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Famous quote as the world is a stage, men and women its players. But after reading hamlet, the wit here is a bit light.

[Gaby Filippini · Rating 3 out of 5]

While "As You Like It," is certainly funny and enjoyable, it is not one of Shakespeare's more compelling plays.

[Marley · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much easier to understand

[Krissy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good story but much better to watch performed, because there's so much physical comedy and a lot of context that isn't included in the basic script.

12/09/2023: Still a three-star. The actual written text is really boring and feels disconnected, scene-to-scene. I know the visual performance is much more interesting and adds a lot of comedy and context, so I'm excited to see it performed again tonight. I'm glad for the refresher on the text, though.

[Norliza (Oli) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this for my exam paper (It's fun when you're able to understand Shakespeare with a little bit of help). I read this a few times over.

[Sharon]

Entertaining