‘As You Like It’ — THE SYNOPSIS

Act I — Orlando, youngest son of Sir Rowland de Boys, reports that his older brother Oliver has ignored their late father's will, withholding Orlando's inheritance, denying him an education, and treating him like a peasant. Oliver appears and they fight. Oliver plots to get rid of Orlando, and engages the wrestler, Charles, to kill Orlando.

Duke Frederick's daughter, Celia, attempts to cheer her cousin, Rosalind, who is depressed that her father, the usurped Duke Senior, has been banished to the Forest of Arden.

Duke Frederick's court arrives, accompanied by Charles and Orlando who are to wrestle. Rosalind and Celia, taken by Orlando's youth and beauty, attempt to dissuade him from wrestling. Orlando insists he will wrestle, and surprisingly, Orlando wins the match. Rosalind gives Orlando her necklace and attempts to converse further, but the tongue-tied Orlando cannot respond. LeBeau returns and warns Orlando that the Duke, angry at Orlando's father's allegiance to Duke Senior, intends evil towards him. Orlando flees.

As Rosalind tells Celia of her love toward Orlando, the Duke announces that Rosalind is banished because her father was his enemy. Celia volunteers to share her cousin's exile, and they decide to join Rosalind's father in the Forest of Arden. Rosalind will disguise herself as a young man and take the name Ganymede, while Celia will pose as her sister, Aliena. They decide to take Touchstone, the fool, with them.

Act II — Duke Frederick discovers Celia's absence and mistakenly believes that she and Rosalind are with Orlando. He sends men to arrest Orlando or, if he has fled, Oliver.

An old family servant, Adam, meets Orlando to warn him that Oliver intends to kill him. Adam volunteers to flee with Orlando, offering his savings as a means of support.

Weary with travel, the disguised Rosalind, Celia, and Touchstone arrive in Arden, where they overhear Silvius, a young shepherd, and Corin, an older man, talking about the shepherdess Phoebe. Rosalind learns Corin's master's house and land are for sale, purchases them, then hires Corin to continue tending the sheep.

At the banished court of Duke Senior, Amiens, a lord in the Duke's court, sings a song of the virtues of woodland life. Jaques, another lord, mocks all courtiers who embrace rural life.

Duke Senior and his men are eating dinner when Orlando appears, demanding food at swordpoint. The duke offers him a place at the table, and Orlando apologizes for his thievish conduct, explaining his and Adam's desperation for food and drink. The Duke invites both to eat and drink and Orlando goes to fetch Adam.

Act III — Orlando hangs a love poem to Rosalind on a tree and decides to decorate the forest with as many poems as he can. Rosalind finds one of the poems and reads it out loud, while Touchstone parodies the love poem with one he makes up. Celia enters with another poem she has found and tells Rosalind she has seen Orlando sleeping nearby. Just then, Orlando appears and Rosalind, as Ganymede, interrogates Orlando about the depth of his love for the maid. She proposes to cure him of his lovesickness by posing as Rosalind and he agrees to call on Ganymede each day and pretend to woo him as if he were Rosalind.

Jaques overhears Touchstone wooing the simple goatherd Audrey into marriage. Touchstone has already sent for a country parson Sir Oliver Martext, who then arrives to perform the ceremony. Jaques objects to a country vicar performing the rite and escorts the couple away.

Orlando is late for his first meeting with Ganymede and she is angry. Celia accuses all men of being dishonest breakers of appointments. Rosalind and Celia overhear the shepherdess Phoebe rejecting the shepherd who loves her, Silvius. Rosalind steps forward and reprimands the young women for disdaining a good lover. Phoebe instantly develops a crush on Ganymede. Angry about the reprimands but still in love, Phoebe decides to write Ganymede a letter and asks Silvius to deliver it.

Act IV — Orlando finally appears and Ganymede scolds him for being late. She then asks Celia to perform a mock marriage ceremony between them, after which Orlando announces he has a meeting with Duke Senior, but will return. Rosalind confides to Celia that her passion for Orlando grows more intense.

Silvius arrives with the letter from Phoebe. Ganymede sends Silvius back to Phoebe with the message that Ganymede rejects her love. Orlando's brother Oliver appears, seeking Ganymede and Aliena. He explains that Orlando will not be able to keep their appointment because while he was walking through the forest he had seen a sleeping man stalked by a lion. He recognized the man as his despised elder brother. Though Orlando contemplated allowing the lion kill him, instead he had mercy, drove the lion away, but suffered injuries in the process. Oliver produces a bloody bandage as proof. Ganymede faints.

Act V — Touchstone and Audrey encounter William, a shepherd who is also a suitor of Audrey. Touchstone threatens William and drives him away.

Orlando and Oliver, now reconciled, discuss Oliver's love for Aliena, which she has returned. Oliver asserts that he will surrender all of their father's estate to Orlando and remain with Aliena, whom he believes to be a shepherdess. Ganymede appears and Orlando declares that his lovesickness for the absent Rosalind is so great that he can no longer accept the masquerade of Ganymede as his lover. Ganymede declares he knows magic and can summon Rosalind. He promises that Orlando can marry her at Oliver and Aliena's wedding the next day. Silvius and Phoebe arrive, and Ganymede promises Phoebe that, if he will marry any woman, he will marry her; but if she sees that Ganymede will not marry any woman, she must accept Silvius. She agrees.

Ganymede, along with Phoebe and Silvius, appear in front of the Duke and gain his assurance that his daughter Rosalind will be allowed to marry Orlando, if he can produce her. Ganymede asks Phoebe to reaffirm her promise to marry Silvius if she is refused by Ganymede. Ganymede leaves to find Rosalind.

Hymen, the Roman god of marriage, appears and leads a festive song and dance. Rosalind, appearing as herself, enters and identifies herself as the Duke's daughter and Orlando's bride. Phoebe sees that she must marry Silvius and agrees with good will. Jaques de Boys, brother of Orlando and Oliver, arrives with the news that Duke Frederick, having come to Arden with the intention of killing Duke Senior, has been reformed by a holy man. He has accordingly restored the Duchy to his banished brother and intends to retire to a monastery. The melancholy Jaques decides to join him, preferring a solitary life of contemplation to the festive court. He leaves as the wedding celebration begins with a dance.