As You Like It by William Shakespeare

One of the reasons I do the Literary Exploration Challenge is that it gets me to read things I would probably not otherwise read.  Admittedly, most of the genres in the challenge are ones I am already familiar with and would have read anyone.  Mystery, romance, fantasy, urban fantasy chick-lit, paranormal/supernatural, to name a few, are all things I read all the time.  One genre I don't read all the time, or ever really, is drama or plays.  Reading a play for me is like using muscle I forgot had.  I can't say I love it, but I like the challenge of using a rarely used muscle.  For that I am grateful for the Literary Exploration Challenge. 

With the Challenge, I am slowly making my way through Shakespeare.  Last year I read Macbeth; this year it was As You Like It.  As with most plays, it is probably best enjoyed as a performance than as a book. As You Like It is one of Shakespeare's comedies and it was kind of funny, but not laugh out funny.  It is the one with the "All the world's a stage" line.  One thing I like about reading Shakespeare is discovering the text where so many common phrases and literary tropes came from.

The edition I read is part of the No Fear Shakespeare.  If you're intimidated by Shakespeare, try these editions.  The original text is on the left side of the page and a modernized version of the same is on the right.  It makes it so much easier.