As You Like It characters

Appears from the start

The daughter of the banished Duke Senior, allowed to remain at court because of her close bond with her cousin Celia. Intelligent, emotionally direct, and quick in conversation, she is shaken by her father's exile but finds new hope after meeting Orlando.

Appears from the start

Duke Frederick's daughter and Rosalind's devoted cousin. She treats Rosalind as a sister and refuses to let their fathers' political division separate them. Warm and decisive, Celia is prepared to give up the security of court rather than abandon her cousin.

Appears from the start

The youngest son of the late Sir Rowland de Boys. Kept without education or position by his older brother Oliver, Orlando possesses natural courtesy and remarkable strength. He wants the upbringing due to his birth and is willing to risk himself publicly rather than accept continued neglect.

Appears from the start

Orlando's eldest brother and controller of the family estate. He has withheld the education and income their father intended for Orlando and resents the younger man's popularity. His hostility leads him to encourage a dangerous wrestling match.

Appears from the start

The ruler who displaced his older brother Duke Senior and took control of the court. Suspicious and changeable, he keeps Rosalind nearby for Celia's sake but remains uneasy about the affection people bear her exiled father.

Appears from the start

The court fool, licensed to mock rank and convention through jokes and arguments. Loyal enough to accompany Rosalind and Celia when they leave safety behind, he applies the habits of courtly debate to every new person he encounters.

Appears from the start

A professional wrestler in Duke Frederick's service. Famous for injuring opponents, he warns Oliver that Orlando may be badly hurt in their coming match, not knowing that Oliver actively desires that outcome.

Appears from the start

An elderly servant of the de Boys family who remembers Sir Rowland and remains loyal to Orlando. He offers the young man honest warning and the savings of a lifetime when Oliver's hostility makes the household unsafe.

First appears in chapter 2

Rosalind's father and the rightful duke, living in exile with loyal followers in the Forest of Arden. He adapts to hardship by finding fellowship and moral instruction in country life rather than dwelling only on his lost court.

First appears in chapter 2

A reflective lord in Duke Senior's company, drawn to melancholy and to the follies he observes in others. He can turn a wounded deer, a song, or a fool's performance into a meditation on human behavior.

First appears in chapter 2

A singer among Duke Senior's followers in Arden. Amiens contributes music and companionship to the exiled court and accepts forest life more readily than the habitually dissatisfied Jaques.

First appears in chapter 2

An older shepherd in Arden, poor in property but rich in practical understanding. He helps the disguised cousins find food and a place to live and speaks plainly about labor, age, and the conditions of rural service.

First appears in chapter 2

A young shepherd consumed by unreturned love for Phebe. Earnest and persistent, he accepts rebuffs that onlookers regard as needlessly cruel and makes pastoral love as complicated as the romances brought from court.

First appears in chapter 3

A shepherdess pursued by Silvius. Proud of her power over him and unimpressed by his devotion, she changes attention when a sharp-tongued stranger challenges her behavior.

First appears in chapter 3

A country woman who attracts Touchstone in Arden. Straightforward and largely untouched by his elaborate verbal games, she accepts his proposal while others question how lasting the match will be.