diff --git a/Lib/shutil.py b/Lib/shutil.py
--- a/Lib/shutil.py
+++ b/Lib/shutil.py
@@ -302,17 +302,17 @@ def copytree(src, dst, symlinks=False, i
     os.makedirs(dst)
     errors = []
     for name in names:
         if name in ignored_names:
             continue
         srcname = os.path.join(src, name)
         dstname = os.path.join(dst, name)
         try:
-            if os.path.islink(srcname):
+            if os.path.islink(srcname) and not os.path.isdir(srcname):
                 linkto = os.readlink(srcname)
                 if symlinks:
                     # We can't just leave it to `copy_function` because legacy
                     # code with a custom `copy_function` may rely on copytree
                     # doing the right thing.
                     os.symlink(linkto, dstname)
                     copystat(srcname, dstname, follow_symlinks=not symlinks)
                 else:
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_shutil.py b/Lib/test/test_shutil.py
--- a/Lib/test/test_shutil.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_shutil.py
@@ -632,16 +632,31 @@ class TestShutil(unittest.TestCase):
         self.assertTrue(os.path.isfile(os.path.join(dst_dir, 'test_dir',
                                                     'test.txt')))
         actual = read_file((dst_dir, 'test.txt'))
         self.assertEqual(actual, '123')
         actual = read_file((dst_dir, 'test_dir', 'test.txt'))
         self.assertEqual(actual, '456')
 
     @support.skip_unless_symlink
+    def test_copytree_symbolic_directory(self):
+        # see issue 21697
+        tmp_dir = self.mkdtemp()
+        src_dir = os.path.join(tmp_dir, 'src')
+        dst_dir = os.path.join(tmp_dir, 'dst')
+        sub_dir = os.path.join(src_dir, 'sub')
+        os.mkdir(src_dir)
+        os.mkdir(sub_dir)
+        src_link = os.path.join(src_dir, 'link')
+        os.symlink(sub_dir, src_link)
+        shutil.copytree(src_dir, dst_dir)
+        self.assertTrue(os.path.isdir(os.path.join(dst_dir, 'sub')))
+        self.assertTrue(os.path.isdir(os.path.join(dst_dir, 'link')))
+
+    @support.skip_unless_symlink
     def test_copytree_symlinks(self):
         tmp_dir = self.mkdtemp()
         src_dir = os.path.join(tmp_dir, 'src')
         dst_dir = os.path.join(tmp_dir, 'dst')
         sub_dir = os.path.join(src_dir, 'sub')
         os.mkdir(src_dir)
         os.mkdir(sub_dir)
         write_file((src_dir, 'file.txt'), 'foo')