William Shakespeare, As You Like It
Lesson plans and teaching resources

"All the world's a Stage"
Hypertext of the speech by Jacques.

"All the world's a Stage"
A link to the text of the monologue and 4 creative activities exploring it.

As You Like It
Summary, themes, imagery, symbolism, more.

As You Like It
This 30-page document is a performance guide for a middle-school production. Access requires Adobe Reader or compatible application.

As You Like It
Summary, 4 lessons, and commentary. Access to this 51-page document requires Adobe Reader or compatible application.

As You Like It Teaching Guide
Introduction, scene-by-scene synopsis, teaching activities, genre studies, themes, language, act-by-act discussion questions, projects, and more. Requires Adobe Reader or compatible application for access.

As You Like It Word Plays
The students explore Jaques' "Seven Ages of Man" speech by creating word plays. The goal is to get the students to think about the sounds and shapes of individual words in a monologue and to put actions with those words.

"Come, sing. And you that will not, hold your tongues."
Students write lyrics and music for a version of Jaques' "Seven Ages of Man" speech in order to give a sense of the roles music could play in a production of As You Like It.

Folger Study Guide: As You Like It
Plot summary, a list of characters, background information, interactive activities, and discussion questions.

A Guide to Teaching the Interpretation of Shakespeare's As You Like It
These 8 lessons were designed for inner-city high school students. Students work with vocabulary words, character traits, reading comprehension skills, and seeing parallels between the events of the play and modern life. A final assignment asks students to use the writing process to write a review.

Introduction to As You Like It
Using costume pieces and selected lines, students create a tableau which serves as an introduction to characters and plot.

The (Ir)Responsible Daughter
Students will read an excerpt from a 1603 primary source concerning the duties and instruction of daughters, and use this context to analyze a relationship between two women.

Sculptures of the Seven Ages
Using a partner as "clay," students sculpt concepts from Jaque's soliloquy.

The Seven Ages - Remixed, Remade, Remodeled
After careful analysis of Jaque's soliloquy, students rewrite it with a more positive outlook.

She's a Lady...Or is She? Examining dress and behavior in As You Like It and The Merchant of Venice
In this unit, students will analyze the dress and behavior of Portia in The Merchant of Venice and Rosalind in As You Like It. Students will read a primary source to understand the expectations of women in the sixteenth century and help them understand how transgressive dressing as a man would have seemed. Students will analyze the characters' choices, their effects, and their implications for themselves and others.

www.AsYouLikeIt
Students use online resources to examine patterns of imagery in As You Like It. By comparing these patterns to those of other Shakespeare plays, the students will draw conclusions about the different reasons Shakespeare uses imagery in the play.