As You Like It Group

Question:


ruthschris
Student

What is Touchstone's function in "As You Like It"?

Rate question:

Posted by ruthschris on Friday January 26, 2007 at 2:50 PM and tagged with as you like it, characters, touchstone.

Answers:

  1. mr-robitaille
    mr-robitaille Teacher
    High School - 12th Grade

    To put it simply, Touchstone is a clown. One may also call him, as Rosalind does in his first entrance, a "fool." Shakespearean clowns served to provide comic relief in Shakespeare's tragedies, and in his comedies, such as *As You Like It,* they served to set a light, comedic tone. Touchstone does this, like many of Shakespeare's clowns, by engaging in witty exchanges with the "serious" characters with a mock show of wisdom. He does so with puns, such as that in which he mocks a certain knight who swears "by his honor, [though] he never had any..."

    Rate answer:

    Posted by mr-robitaille on Friday April 25, 2008 at 4:54 AM

  2. revolution
    revolution Teacher
    Doctorate

    He is one of the many "fools" in many of Shakespere plays that had no direct part or participation or central position in the play or does he represent any worldwide view, mortif or any themes regarding to the play itself. His role is to provide some comic relief towards the seriousness of the play with his humor and wit

    Rate answer:

    Posted by revolution on Saturday July 25, 2009 at 8:10 PM