As You Like It

by William Shakespeare

Published December 1922
The Signet Classics edition of William Shakespeare's comedic play about two enduring human illusions—the dream of a simple life and the ideal of romantic love. 

Banished from her uncle's court, young princess Rosalind disguises herself as a farmer and encounters a memorable cast of characters—including her love Orlando—in the Forest of Arden in this witty, subversive comedy.

This revised Signet Classics edition includes unique features such as:

• An overview of Shakespeare's life, world, and theater
• A special introduction to the play by the editor, Albert Gilman
• Selections from Thomas Lodge's Rosalynd, the source from which Shakespeare derived As You Like It
• Dramatic criticism from Arthur Colby Sprague, Helen Gardener, and others
• A comprehensive stage and screen history of notable actors, directors, and productions
• Text, notes, and commentaries printed in the clearest, most readable text
• And more...

Henry VI, Pt. 2

by William Shakespeare

Published 26 November 2020

William Collins Books and Decca Records are proud to present ARGO Classics, a historic catalogue of classic prose and verse read by some of the world’s most renowned voices. Originally released as vinyl records, these expertly remastered stories are now available to download for the first time.

‘For where thou art, there is the world itself,
With every several pleasure in the world,
And where thou art not, desolation.’

Henry VI Part II is part of Shakespeare’s trilogy centred on the Wars of the Roses.

Against the wishes of the nobles, King Henry marries the penniless Margaret who plots against him with her lover. As tensions between York and Lancaster build, the Duke of York gathers supporters for his claim to the throne. York secretly leads a rebellion, his supporters proclaim him king, and Henry is forced to flee.

All of the Shakespeare plays within the ARGO Classics catalogue are performed by the Marlowe Dramatic Society and Professional Players. The Marlowe was founded in 1907 with a mission to focus on effective delivery of verse, respect the integrity of texts, and rescue neglected plays by Shakespeare’s contemporaries and the less performed plays of Shakespeare himself. The Marlowe has performed annually at Cambridge Arts Theatre since its opening in 1936 and continues to produce some of the finest actors of their generations.

Thurston Dart, Professor of Music at London University and a Fellow of Jesus College Cambridge, directed the music for this production.

The full cast includes: Richard Marquand; David King; Denis McCarthy; Peter Orr; Richard Wordsworth; Patrick Wymark; Roger Croucher; Gary Watson; David Jones; Tony Church; John Shrapnel; John Tydeman; Frank Duncan; Robin Ellis; Miles Malleson; Guy Slater; Michael Turnbull; Bob Jones; David Buck; Terrence Hardiman; Raymond Clarke; Dudley Jones; Bob Jones; Peter Woodthorpe; Terrence Hardiman; David Burke; Philip Strick; Michael Bates; Trevor Nunn; Norman Rossington; Stephen Thorne; David Burke; Mary Morris; Yvonne Bonnamy; George Rylands; Patsy Byrne; Terrence Hardiman.


William Collins Books and Decca Records are proud to present ARGO Classics, a historic catalogue of classic prose and verse read by some of the world’s most renowned voices. Originally released as vinyl records, these expertly remastered stories are now available to download for the first time.

For the first time, the complete works of Shakespeare are available to download as one. This collection includes all 37 plays, 4 narrative poems, and the sonnets.

Performed by an incredible array of the 20th century’s greatest actors, Ian McKellen, Timothy West, Diana Rigg, Derek Jacobi, Roy Dotrice, Prunella Scales, and many others can be heard in these recordings.

All of the Shakespeare plays within the ARGO Classics catalogue are performed by the Marlowe Dramatic Society and Professional Players. The Marlowe was founded in 1907 with a mission to focus on effective delivery of verse, respect the integrity of texts, and rescue neglected plays by Shakespeare’s contemporaries and the less performed plays of Shakespeare himself. The Marlowe has performed annually at Cambridge Arts Theatre since its opening in 1936 and continues to produce some of the finest actors of their generations.

This collection brings together all of Shakespeare’s works, including:
A Lover's Complaint
A Midsummer Night's Dream
All's Well That Ends Well
Antony And Cleopatra
As You Like It
Coriolanus
Cymbeline
Hamlet
Henry IV, Pt. 1
Henry IV, Pt. 2
Henry V
Henry VI, Pt. 1
Henry VI, Pt. 2
Henry VI, Pt. 3
Henry VIII
Julius Caesar
King John
King Lear
Love's Labour's Lost
Macbeth
Measure For Measure
Much Ado About Nothing
Othello
Pericles, Prince Of Tyre
Richard II
Richard III
Romeo And Juliet
Sonnets
The Comedy Of Errors
The Merchant Of Venice
The Merry Wives Of Windsor
The Phoenix and the Turtle
The Rape Of Lucrece
The Taming Of The Shrew
The Tempest
The Two Gentlemen Of Verona
The Winter's Tale
Timon Of Athens
Titus Andronicus
Troilus And Cressida
Twelfth Night
Venus And Adonis

The full casts for each production in this collection can be found in the description of the individual play’s product page.


William Collins Books and Decca Records are proud to present ARGO Classics, a historic catalogue of classic prose and verse read by some of the world’s most renowned voices. Originally released as vinyl records, these expertly remastered stories are now available to download for the first time.

All 6 of Shakespeare’s ‘Problem Plays’ are collected here, performed by the celebrated Marlowe Dramatic Society and Professional Players.

Mystery, power, and malevolence are present in these plays, all of which subvert the happy endings that one would expect in a comedy, and the tragic effect one would expect in a tragedy, to pose deeper, moral questions that echo modern society. Performed by an incredible array of the 20th century’s greatest actors, Marlowe alumni including Roy Dotrice, Prunella Scales, Ian McKellen, Michael Hordern, and Derek Jacobi can be heard in these recordings.

All of the Shakespeare plays within the ARGO Classics catalogue are performed by the Marlowe Dramatic Society and Professional Players. The Marlowe was founded in 1907 with a mission to focus on effective delivery of verse, respect the integrity of texts, and rescue neglected plays by Shakespeare’s contemporaries and the less performed plays of Shakespeare himself. The Marlowe has performed annually at Cambridge Arts Theatre since its opening in 1936 and continues to produce some of the finest actors of their generations.

Thurston Dart, Professor of Music at London University and a Fellow of Jesus College Cambridge, directed the music for this production.

This collection includes all 6 plays considered as Shakespeare’s Problem Plays:
All’s Well That Ends Well
Measure For Measure
The Merchant of Venice
Timon of Athens
Troilus and Cressida
The Winter’s Tale

The full casts for each production in this collection can be found in the description of the individual play’s product page.


William Collins Books and Decca Records are proud to present ARGO Classics, a historic catalogue of classic prose and verse read by some of the world’s most renowned voices. Originally released as vinyl records, these expertly remastered stories are now available to download for the first time.

All 4 of Shakespeare’s plays that are considered to make up The Masque Quartet, performed by the celebrated Marlowe Dramatic Society and Professional Players.

Comedy, tragedy, and folklore are played out in this quartet, all of which utilise the masque in unique and revelatory ways. Performed by an incredible array of the 20th century’s greatest actors, Marlowe alumni including Ian McKellen, Prunella Scales, Michael Hordern, and Patrick Wymark can be heard in these recordings.

All of the Shakespeare plays within the ARGO Classics catalogue are performed by the Marlowe Dramatic Society and Professional Players. The Marlowe was founded in 1907 with a mission to focus on effective delivery of verse, respect the integrity of texts, and rescue neglected plays by Shakespeare’s contemporaries and the less performed plays of Shakespeare himself. The Marlowe has performed annually at Cambridge Arts Theatre since its opening in 1936 and continues to produce some of the finest actors of their generations.

Thurston Dart, Professor of Music at London University and a Fellow of Jesus College Cambridge, directed the music for this production.

This collection includes all 4 plays considered to form Shakespeare’s Masque Quartet:
Henry VIII
A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream
Romeo and Juliet
The Tempest

The full casts for each production in this collection can be found in the description of the individual play’s product page.


William Collins Books and Decca Records are proud to present ARGO Classics, a historic catalogue of classic prose and verse read by some of the world’s most renowned voices. Originally released as vinyl records, these expertly remastered stories are now available to download for the first time.

All 10 of Shakespeare’s timeless tragedies, performed by the celebrated Marlowe Dramatic Society and Professional Players.

Power, excess, and betrayal are played out in these tragedies that continue to hold modern resonance. Performed by an incredible array of the 20th century’s greatest actors, Marlowe alumni including Ian McKellen, Diana Rigg, Derek Jacobi, and Prunella Scales can be heard in these recordings.

All of the Shakespeare plays within the ARGO Classics catalogue are performed by the Marlowe Dramatic Society and Professional Players. The Marlowe was founded in 1907 with a mission to focus on effective delivery of verse, respect the integrity of texts, and rescue neglected plays by Shakespeare’s contemporaries and the less performed plays of Shakespeare himself. The Marlowe has performed annually at Cambridge Arts Theatre since its opening in 1936 and continues to produce some of the finest actors of their generations.

Thurston Dart, Professor of Music at London University and a Fellow of Jesus College Cambridge, directed the music for this production.

This collection includes 10 tragedies:
• Antony and Cleopatra
• Coriolanus
• Hamlet
• Julius Caesar
• King Lear
• Macbeth
• Othello
• Romeo and Juliet
• Timon of Athens
• Titus Andronicus

The full casts for each production in this collection can be found in the description of the individual play’s product page.


William Collins Books and Decca Records are proud to present ARGO Classics, a historic catalogue of classic prose and verse read by some of the world’s most renowned voices. Originally released as vinyl records, these expertly remastered stories are now available to download for the first time.

All 4 of Shakespeare’s plays that are considered to form The Rome Quartet, performed by the celebrated Marlowe Dramatic Society and Professional Players.

Power, tragedy, and hubris are played out in this quartet, all of which are set in the febrile political atmosphere of Ancient Rome. Performed by an incredible array of the 20th century’s greatest actors, Marlowe alumni including Ian McKellen, Prunella Scales, Patrick Wymark, and William Devlin can be heard in these recordings.

All of the Shakespeare plays within the ARGO Classics catalogue are performed by the Marlowe Dramatic Society and Professional Players. The Marlowe was founded in 1907 with a mission to focus on effective delivery of verse, respect the integrity of texts, and rescue neglected plays by Shakespeare’s contemporaries and the less performed plays of Shakespeare himself. The Marlowe has performed annually at Cambridge Arts Theatre since its opening in 1936 and continues to produce some of the finest actors of their generations.

Thurston Dart, Professor of Music at London University and a Fellow of Jesus College Cambridge, directed the music for this production.

This collection includes all 4 plays considered to form Shakespeare’s Rome Quartet:
Antony and Cleopatra
Coriolanus
Julius Caesar
Titus Andronicus

The full casts for each production in this collection can be found in the description of the individual play’s product page.


William Collins Books and Decca Records are proud to present ARGO Classics, a historic catalogue of classic prose and verse read by some of the world’s most renowned voices. Originally released as vinyl records, these expertly remastered stories are now available to download for the first time.

All 17 of Shakespeare’s timeless comedies, performed by the celebrated Marlowe Dramatic Society and Professional Players.

Young love, bawdiness, and exuberance are played out in these comedies that continue to make us laugh and cheer. Performed by an incredible array of the 20th century’s greatest actors, Marlowe alumni including Ian McKellen, Diana Rigg, Derek Jacobi, and Prunella Scales can be heard in these recordings.

All of the Shakespeare plays within the ARGO Classics catalogue are performed by the Marlowe Dramatic Society and Professional Players. The Marlowe was founded in 1907 with a mission to focus on effective delivery of verse, respect the integrity of texts, and rescue neglected plays by Shakespeare’s contemporaries and the less performed plays of Shakespeare himself. The Marlowe has performed annually at Cambridge Arts Theatre since its opening in 1936 and continues to produce some of the finest actors of their generations.

Thurston Dart, Professor of Music at London University and a Fellow of Jesus College Cambridge, directed the music for this production.

This collection includes 17 comedies:
All’s Well That Ends Well
As You Like It
Comedy of Errors
Cymbeline
Love’s Labour’s Lost
Measure for Measure
The Merry Wives of Windsor
The Merchant of Venice
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Much Ado About Nothing
Pericles, Prince of Tyre
The Taming Of The Shrew
The Tempest
Troilus And Cressida
Twelfth Night
The Two Gentlemen of Verona
The Winter’s Tale

The full casts for each production in this collection can be found in the description of the individual play’s product page.


William Collins Books and Decca Records are proud to present ARGO Classics, a historic catalogue of classic prose and verse read by some of the world’s most renowned voices. Originally released as vinyl records, these expertly remastered stories are now available to download for the first time.

All 10 of Shakespeare’s timeless histories, performed by the celebrated Marlowe Dramatic Society and Professional Players.

Politics, power, and the tragedy of war are played out in these sweeping histories that continue to surprise and entertain. Performed by an incredible array of the 20th century’s greatest actors, Marlowe alumni including Ian McKellen, Derek Jacobi, Prunella Scales, William Squire, and Timothy West can be heard in these recordings.

All of the Shakespeare plays within the ARGO Classics catalogue are performed by the Marlowe Dramatic Society and Professional Players. The Marlowe was founded in 1907 with a mission to focus on effective delivery of verse, respect the integrity of texts, and rescue neglected plays by Shakespeare’s contemporaries and the less performed plays of Shakespeare himself. The Marlowe has performed annually at Cambridge Arts Theatre since its opening in 1936 and continues to produce some of the finest actors of their generations.

Thurston Dart, Professor of Music at London University and a Fellow of Jesus College Cambridge, directed the music for this production.

This collection includes 10 histories:
Henry IV Part I
Henry IV Part II
Henry V
Henry VI Part I
Henry VI Part II
Henry VI Part III
Henry VIII
King John
Richard II
Richard III

The full casts for each production in this collection can be found in the description of the individual play’s product page.