As you Like It Flashcards
Learn character names, and roles within the play
Role: Jaques
Jaques is one of Duke Senior’s loyal followers in the Forest of Arden. He is a philosopher who often dwells on life’s miseries and human folly.
Significance: Jaques
Jaques represents the theme of melancholy and philosophical reflection. His cynical view of life contrasts with the more optimistic characters like Rosalind. While he does not actively participate in the central romance, he provides a comic, philosophical, and sometimes critical perspective on the world around him.
Role: Touchstone
The court fool who accompanies Rosalind and Celia into the Forest of Arden
Significance: Touchstone
Touchstone brings humor and social commentary to the play. He acts as a foil to the other characters, offering a more grounded or cynical perspective. Through his witty remarks, he satirizes court life, shepherds, and even his own relationship with Audrey, providing both humor and insight into the social structures of the play.
Role: Audrey
Audrey is a naive and somewhat unrefined shepherdess with whom Touchstone falls in love. Despite Touchstone’s mockery of her simplicity, she agrees to marry him in a comic subplot.
Significance: Audrey
Audrey serves as a contrast to the more refined and intellectual women in the play, such as Rosalind. Her relationship with Touchstone is a source of humor, and their impending marriage satirizes the idea of courtly romance. Audrey also represents the pastoral simplicity of life in the Forest of Arden.
Role: Corin
Corin is an experienced and wise old shepherd who offers advice to Rosalind and Celia when they are in the forest. He provides them with shelter and food and acts as a guide to the pastoral life.
Significance: Corin
Corin is a symbol of the natural and simple life in the forest. He contrasts with the artificiality of court life and helps to highlight the theme of the idealized “golden world” of the forest. His presence reinforces the play’s celebration of nature and rural life.
Role: Sir Oliver Martext
Sir Oliver Martext appears in Act 5 when Touchstone seeks to have his marriage to Audrey solemnized. He is an incompetent parson who provides comic relief when he fails to recognize the absurdity of the situation.
Significance: Sir Oliver Martext
Sir Oliver Martext adds to the humor of the play, particularly in his role in the marriage of Touchstone and Audrey. His clumsy and somewhat comical nature serves as a satirical jab at religious or formal ceremonies, and his incompetence adds to the pastoral comedy of the play.
Role: Le Beau
Le Beau is a minor character who serves as a messenger and is present in the early scenes of the play. He describes the hostility between the two dukes and the troubles in the court. He is also the one who informs Rosalind about her father’s exile.
Significance: Le Beau
Le Beau plays a small role in establishing the conflict at court, which sets the stage for the pastoral exile to the Forest of Arden. His function in the play is primarily to advance the plot in the early scenes, particularly with regard to Rosalind’s relationship with Orlando.
Role: Charles
Charles is a professional wrestler who challenges Orlando to a match. Although he is initially set to win, Orlando defeats him, sparking Duke Frederick’s anger and setting Orlando on his journey into the Forest of Arden.
Significance: Charles
Charles serves as a catalyst for the action. His wrestling match with Orlando establishes Orlando as a capable and strong character, creating the initial attraction between him and Rosalind. Charles’ defeat also introduces the theme of competition and proves the strength of the “true man” against brute force.
Role: Dennis
Dennis is a minor character who briefly appears when he informs Rosalind and Celia that Duke Frederick has ordered them to leave the court. He represents the arbitrary nature of Duke Frederick’s rule and contributes to the characters’ decision to flee to the forest.
