1. Which characters in As You Like It function as foils to which other characters?

What does the

comparison of these parallel characters bring to the understanding of the play as a whole?
2. Note the use of the words "nature," "natural," and "unnatural. Now, consider the symbolic
function of the final celebration. Is love the "natural" antidote to "unnatural" hatred? Explain.
3. How does Rosalind differ from the conventional romantic heroine?
4. Why might Shakespeare have given Rosalind the play's epilogue?
5. Jaques is a conventional stereotype of the melancholic in Renaissance literature while
Touchstone represents a different Shakespearean convention the court jester who speaks truth
through apparently nonsensical utterances. Why is Touchstone's role so attractive to Jaques?
6. To what extent is As You Like It a play about language? Note in particular, conversations or
statements concerning language how ideas are, can, or should be expressed; a given character's
difficulty in understanding language (or in being understood); the tension between literal and
figurative speech; the importance of saying what one means.
7. Note also the presence of several poetic debates. What does Shakespeare seem to be saying by
this emphasis on language?
8. What features of the pastoral mode lend themselves to social criticism? What does the play
criticize?
9. As You Like It is full of characters pretending to be someone other than themselves. To what
degree are the characters aware that they are role-playing? Does their acting have serious
consequences or is it merely a game?
10. How can As You Like It be applied to modern day life and society?