The Deeper Meaning of As You Like It by Shakespeare As You Like It by Shakespeare is a beautiful play that anyone can read or see. Some readers would appreciate one aspect, others another. But everyone, in general, would enjoy the show. Albert Gilman states that Shakespeare intended to imply that all people need to live together in harmony is "good sense, love, humor, and a generous disposition". (Gilman lxvii) This work is deeper than the surface, and that is part of its appeal to all kinds of people. As the title states, this is a work to satisfy all tastes. ".For the simplest, it provides the basic ingredients of romance....For the most sophisticated, p proposes...a question which is up to us to answer: is it/better to live at court or in the country?.... For scholars and men of letters this is one of Shakespeare's most allusive works, combining ancient traditions and playing with them lightly... (Gardner 161) The title of the play comes from a note to his "gentlemen readers" in the book of Thomas Lodge, Rosalynde, in which he said, “If you like it, then.” (Lodge 108) People interpret the different lines and actions of the characters as they wish, and we know that Shakespeare would not object so he says right in the title of the play Actors and directors took this literally and made various changes to the script, such as having Phebe gnaw on a turnip or an apple between her lines and having Rosalind kiss the chain before giving it to Orlando. The characters in As You Like It are easy to understand why they follow their simple desires and do something that suits them; For example, Oliver hates Orlando because he wants to. There is no reason to resent him, absolutely none: "...for my soul, though I know not why, hates nothing more than him." (Shakespeare 8) Duke Frederick banishes Rosalind because the people felt sorry for her for her father's sake. In the end, Rosalind herself had no reason other than a simple whim not to tell Orlando who she really was. Touchstone added humor to the story and Jacques added melancholy. Shakespeare placed both of these characters in the play to balance each other out. He also added Audrey and William to give all the characters someone to love.