As You Like It is one of William Shakespeare's most beloved pastoral comedies. The play is set primarily in the Forest of Arden, where several characters, exiled from the rigid court, seek refuge and find romance. The story follows the witty, disguised heroine, Rosalind, who flees persecution with her cousin Celia and the fool Touchstone. In the forest, she meets her banished love, Orlando. The play is a celebration of rustic life, contrasting the complexities of the court with the freedom and simplicity of the countryside, and is famous for the "All the world's a stage" speech.
