Significance on the Title as You Like It
It is thought that Shakespeare borrowed the title from the Epistle Directorie to the Gentlemen Readers by Lodge. Referring to his novel Lode writes if you like it, so. Shakespeare changed the title to As You Like It because that has more charm. Also, the saying As You Like It implies the freedom of thought and indefference to censure that the characters express throughout the play. Another line of thought is that Shakespeare did not have a title for the play. It was named As You Like It meaning that the audience could title it and think of it as they wished.
Actually, this novel added 2 shakespeare play's under a huge debate...coz,this novel was written simply with no title and no signature at the end(usually the author would sign his name/pen-name at the end of their article)....these two things were actually missing...then finally it was concluded that it may be wriiten by Shakespeare and they left the title to be decided by the readers..thats why, it is named as "AS YOU LIKE IT"-meaning the readers whoever it may be, can title this novel as they like......
Shakespeare's Sources for As You Like It
As his only source for As You Like It, Shakespeare used Rosalynde: Euphues Golden Legacie, a novel written by Thomas Lodge, published in 1590. An introductory remark in Loge's text is "If you like it, so", and this may account for Shakespeare's choice of title. Rosalynde is a pastoral romance, itself based on an earlier poem, The Coke's Tale of Gamelyn, and Shakespeare used the characters of Rosalynde, Celia, Phebe, Corin, and Silvius, inventing the others characters of Touchstone, Jaques, Amiens, Audrey, and Le Beau to facilitate a parody of the traditional and conventional pastoral romance. The pastoral genre, full of fanciful country descriptions, is Greek in origin, beginning with the Idylls of Theocritus, but was called upon by writers throughout the centuries. Virgil employed the pastoral in his Eclogues, and Longus in his Daphnis and Chloe. The pastoral was
Actually, this novel added 2 shakespeare play's under a huge debate...coz,this novel was written simply with no title and no signature at the end(usually the author would sign his name/pen-name at the end of their article)....these two things were actually missing...then finally it was concluded that it may be wriiten by Shakespeare and they left the title to be decided by the readers..thats why, it is named as "AS YOU LIKE IT"-meaning the readers whoever it may be, can title this novel as they like......
Shakespeare's Sources for As You Like It
As his only source for As You Like It, Shakespeare used Rosalynde: Euphues Golden Legacie, a novel written by Thomas Lodge, published in 1590. An introductory remark in Loge's text is "If you like it, so", and this may account for Shakespeare's choice of title. Rosalynde is a pastoral romance, itself based on an earlier poem, The Coke's Tale of Gamelyn, and Shakespeare used the characters of Rosalynde, Celia, Phebe, Corin, and Silvius, inventing the others characters of Touchstone, Jaques, Amiens, Audrey, and Le Beau to facilitate a parody of the traditional and conventional pastoral romance. The pastoral genre, full of fanciful country descriptions, is Greek in origin, beginning with the Idylls of Theocritus, but was called upon by writers throughout the centuries. Virgil employed the pastoral in his Eclogues, and Longus in his Daphnis and Chloe. The pastoral was