"And All the Men and Women Meerly Players..."

Touchstone:

Touchstone is the jester, or clown, of the play. "Touchstone of As You Like It is probably the clown who has had most attention from critics" (Videbaek, pg 84). Because Touchstone is not the "typical" clown he has been looked at somewhat more than others. Touchstone is an integral part of the play. He comes in with the main character at the beginning in the court and then travels with Rosalind and Celia to the Forest of Arden. Once in the forest it is almost like he has his own subplot. The audience gets to see Touchstone's wit with a shepherd and then trying to woo a shepherdess. "But first and foremost he is a brilliant stage clown, and his duty as such is in serving the interests of the audience" (Videbaek, pg 86). Touchstone's character provides the perfect amount of entertainment in this play. He is a brilliant part.

Dukes (Frederick and Senior):

The two Dukes are interesting characters. At the beginning of the play you find out that Duke Senior has been banished to the Forest of Arden by his brother Duke Frederick. Duke Frederick is Celia's father and Duke Senior is Rosalind's father. Even though Duke Senior was banished Rosalind was allowed to live in the court still with Celia. However, Duke Frederick's anger causes him to still banish those who were true to Duke Senior. Thus, is Orlando and Rosalind banished as well. In the forest you get to see Duke Senior as a loving man who treats his subjects well. He takes in Orlando and Adam and shares his food with them. In the end Duke Senior does gain his power back and Duke Frederick ends up a better man.

Celia:

 In the court Celia is more out spoken than Rosalind is. She seems to be the one who takes control in the court. However, once the play moves to the forest Celia becomes mainly an observer to Rosalind and her antics with Orlando. She usually on speaks when it is just her a Rosalind. Other than that she does not really speak. She plays a very great contrast to that of Rosalind's character.

Jaques:

Jaques is one of the men that stay with Duke Senior in exile in the forest. He is a broody type of character that finds much joy and entertainment in Touchstone. His character also has many talks with Orlando. The one thing Jaques is most known for though is his speech about the life of a person. He relates the life of a man to that of a "player" on stage. "In his description of the seven ages, Jaques provides us with a series of little character sketches, all self-contained, each stage apparently deriving nothing from the age before" (Greer, pg 52). His character's views on the world are on the sad side of the spectrum, yet with his monologue he hits home with the audience about life and creates a memorable experience.

Sources Cited:

The Stage Clown in Shakespeare's Theatre; Bente A. Videbaek; Greenwood Press; Westport; 1996

Shakespeare: A Very Short Introduction; Germaine Greer; Oxford University Press; New York; 2002