As You Like It

As You Like It is a comedic play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio, 1623. The play follows Rosalind, a princess of an unnamed European country, as she flees persecution in her uncle's court. Accompanied by her cousin Celia, she finds safety, and eventually love, in the Forest of Arden. The play features numerous lines which have become pop cultural catchphrases, including "All the world's a stage" and "too much of a good thing". It is one of the more frequently performed Shakespeare plays.

As You Like It in Ruled Britannia
If You Like It, by William Shakespeare, was performed often at The Theatre during 1597-8. After one such performance, Lope de Vega went backstage to meet with Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe for the double purpose of scouting out evidence of treason, and recruiting an English playwright to write a eulogy for the dying King Philip.

Literary comment
The scattered references to If You Like It throughout the novel, suggest that it is the same overall story as As You Like It.