Touchstone (As You Like It)
Touchstone stands in the court of Duke Frederick, a usurper who seized power from his brother. He wears the motley cap and bells that mark him as a licensed fool. His job is to speak truth to power while wearing a mask of nonsense. Sometimes he tells jokes about bodily functions or vulgar matters to make the audience laugh. Other times he offers sharp observations on the people around him. He mocks Jaques for being too melancholy and pokes fun at Corin the shepherd. Touchstone acts as a foil to the other characters. He observes their actions and comments on them with a cynical eye. This role allows him to move freely between different social groups in the play.
A dull-witted goat girl named Audrey catches the eye of the jester. William, an oafish country boy, tries to woo her with clumsy compliments. Touchstone drives William away by threatening to kill him one hundred fifty ways. The jester marries Audrey despite the lack of genuine affection between them. She does not love him in the real sense of the feeling. Her goal is simply to become a courtly lady through marriage. Touchstone himself seems willing enough to take this rustic countrywoman as his wife. Their union stands out because it lacks the poetic romance found elsewhere in the forest of Arden. A prediction suggests the relationship will not last long after the wedding day arrives.
Rosalind and Celia joke that Touchstone is actually a natural fool sent by Fortune. They claim that Fortune makes Nature's natural the cutter-off of Nature's wit. Another character calls him a tool used for sharpening the wits of others. Touchstone hears these accusations and tries to prove he possesses true intelligence. He attempts to show off his cleverness by making wise comments on various topics. The debate questions whether he is truly smart or just a fool playing at being smart. This tension defines much of his interaction with the other characters in the play. He walks the line between being an object of ridicule and a source of insight.
Touchstone compares himself to figures from Ovid's Metamorphoses to elevate his own status. Jaques likens him to Jove, the king of gods in Roman mythology. The word touchstone appears in Book II of the second 1575 edition of Arthur Golding's translation. In this story Mercury tricks Battus into revealing the whereabouts of stolen cattle. Mercury punishes Battus by turning him into a touchstone stone. Touchstone uses this mythological reference to frame his own role as a judge of truth. He positions himself as someone who can test the value of words and actions. These literary allusions add layers of meaning to his simple jester persona.
David Wiles suggests that Robert Armin played the part of Touchstone in the first productions of As You Like It. The addition of Armin to the Chamberlain's Men occurred in 1599. This character marked the beginning of a series of court fool characters in Shakespearean theater. These new fools differed greatly from earlier roles typically played by William Kempe. Their humor is mainly derived from the fool's wit and intellect rather than physical comedy. The earlier fools of this period were often nothing but stooges for other characters. Armin brought a new level of intellectual depth to the role of the jester. His performance style influenced how future playwrights wrote fool characters for the stage.
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Common questions
Who is Touchstone in As You Like It?
Touchstone stands in the court of Duke Frederick as a licensed fool wearing a motley cap and bells. He speaks truth to power while masking his words with nonsense and jokes about bodily functions.
When did Robert Armin play Touchstone in As You Like It?
David Wiles suggests that Robert Armin played the part of Touchstone in the first productions of As You Like It. The addition of Armin to the Chamberlain's Men occurred in 1599.
Why does Touchstone marry Audrey in As You Like It?
The jester marries Audrey despite the lack of genuine affection between them because she wants to become a courtly lady through marriage. Their union lacks the poetic romance found elsewhere in the forest of Arden.
What mythological reference does Touchstone use in As You Like It?
Touchstone compares himself to figures from Ovid's Metamorphoses where Mercury punishes Battus by turning him into a touchstone stone. This word appears in Book II of the second 1575 edition of Arthur Golding's translation.
How does Touchstone differ from earlier fools in Shakespearean theater?
These new fools differed greatly from earlier roles typically played by William Kempe because their humor is mainly derived from wit and intellect rather than physical comedy. Earlier fools were often nothing but stooges for other characters while Armin brought intellectual depth to the role.