The variety of love relationships in As You Like It by ShakespeareOne of the main concerns of man over the centuries has probably been to define the concept of love and understanding the complexities that regulate love relationships between people. William Shakespeare seems to be fully aware of the need for and interest in love, as his work transcends time and place. Love is the central concern in As You Like It. This play presents different attitudes towards love, which may arise from the conversations between its characters and the romantic attachments depicted in it. By comparing the different love relationships present in the work, one can further appreciate important facts about the concept of love. Furthermore, love is also described as the force that governs all types of human bonds other than romantic ones, namely family bonds and friendship. The purpose of this article is to analyze the concept of love depicted in As You Like It and explore the different varieties of love relationships between its characters. A reading of As You Like It can lead us to an understanding of the concept of love as embodying different ideas, which could be observed through the characters in the work. These ideas, the richness of love, the truth of love, and the order of love, are expressed in the characters' perception of love and how they relate to each other. One of the interpretations attributed to the concept of love in this play, and often depicted in In the Plays of Shakespeare, is that of love as a kind of wealth, as a business enterprise in which men and women trade. In this light, the bond of defeated lovers acquires a mercantilist value and can therefore be considered a kind of contract... medium of paper... represented in Shakespeare's As You Like It, and to examine the love relationships in it. Through careful observation of the characters' perceptions of love and the way they engage in love relationships, we can conclude that different meanings can be attributed to the concept of love, depending on individual and personal beliefs. Our conclusion can be derived from the various types of comic relationships: familial, sexual, romantic and friendship. Works Cited and Consulted Howard, Jean E., "Introduction to As You Like It." The Norton Shakespeare edition. Stephen Greenblatt, et al. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1997.Shakespeare, William. As you like it. The Norton Shakespeare. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt. New York: W. W. Norton Company, 1997.Sparknotes. As You Like It, by William Shakespeare. November 8, 2004 http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/asyoulikeit/