William Shakespeare is one of the most influential playwrights of all time; and his stories have been enjoyed by the masses since their conceptions. As You Like It, is an example of one of Shakespeare’s plays that has survived the ages and is still highly popular. The characters of this play and the changes they go through speak to generations of people. The situations that are forced upon them and the emotions they experience relate so closely to the journeys everyone make toward adulthood. As You Like It has remained relevant as an audience we can relate to the characters, emotions and situations Shakespeare crafts.
The characters of the play draw the readers in the force them to care about the individual characters ambitions and stations in society. Rosalind, Celia, and Orlando …show more content…
Like any good story the characters face challenges and have adapt or overcome them. After being usurped by his brother, Duke Senior copes by gallivanting through the forest of Ardenne with “many merry men...like the old Robin Hood of England” (1.1.100-01). The female cousins are beginning their own journey into the unknown, with Rosalind, “suite at all points like a man” (1.3.110); and Celia makes dirty jokes, and teases Rosalind about how Orlando, “writes verses, speaks brave words, swears braves oaths, and breaks them quite bravely” (3.4.35-36). Even poor Orlando is forced to run away or face “butchery” (2.3.28) at the hands of his brother. The play is the story of people, young, old, male, and female finding their place in the world. They have to face adversity and conquer their troubles. Those types of situations resonate with people because, at its heart, As You Like It is a very funny, very unusual, coming of age tale. The characters are so relevant and relatable because, just like the readers, they are trying to figuring out who they really