A faithful lord to Duke Senior, Jaques has an exaggeratedly melancholy disposition and is a devoted though cynical observer of the world that surrounds him. His meeting with Touchstone inspires him to become a fool, so that he may make use of his critical eye. However, Jaques's extreme melancholy often seems to indicate a degree of foolishness rather than the counterintuitive wisdom of the true fool. In the end of the play, his consistently external, observing position is further confirmed by his decision to join Duke Frederick in a monastery.
Jaques Quotes in As You Like It
The As You Like It quotes below are all either spoken by Jaques or refer to Jaques. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Act 2, Scene 5
Quotes
I can suck melancholy out of a song as a weasel sucks eggs.
Related Characters:
Jaques (speaker)
Related Themes:
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Explanation and Analysis:
Act 2, Scene 7
Quotes
When I did hear the motley fool thus moral on the time, my lungs began to crow like chanticleer that fools should be so deep contemplative.
Related Characters:
Jaques (speaker), Touchstone
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players; they have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
Related Characters:
Jaques (speaker)
Related Themes:
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Explanation and Analysis:
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Jaques Character Timeline in As You Like It
The timeline below shows where the character Jaques appears in As You Like It. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Act 1, Scene 1
...estate to his other son, Oliver, and instructed him to raise his brothers, Orlando and Jaques, well. While treating Jaques fairly, however, Oliver has routinely denied Orlando all of the money,...
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Act 2, Scene 1
...they go hunt for venison, and the First Lord agrees, though adds that “the melancholy Jaques, one of the duke’s lords (not to be confused with Jaques de Boys), is known...
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Act 2, Scene 5
...an ode to nature, which invites its listener to “come hither” to the greenwood tree. Jaques persistently begs Amiens to keep singing, despite Amien's warning that it will make him melancholy...
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Jaques hands Amiens a poem he’s written, which describes a man who leaves his wealth to...
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Act 2, Scene 7
...anywhere. Just as he is ordering his lords to go find this missing man, however, Jaques, the man in question, approaches. Jaques proceeds to describe a fool he rant into in...
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Jaques concludes by declaring his own wish to be a fool and his ambition to have...
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Duke Senior accuses Jaques of being hypocritical in pointing out the sins of others, having himself committed sins of...
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...enters and orders, “eat no more!” With drawn sword he demands food. Duke Senior and Jaques are taken aback, and the former inquires if the intruder is distressed or simply poorly...
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Duke Senior and Jaques comment on how their own unhappiness is matched by the unhappy situations of so many...
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Act 3, Scene 2
Orlando and Jaques enter, bickering. Jaques insults Rosalind’s name, and tells Orlando that being in love is the...
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Act 3, Scene 3
...already beautiful, and it is excessive to be both honest and beautiful. Throughout their exchange, Jaques stands nearby and makes occasional asides about Audrey’s stupidity.
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...and inquires if there is anyone to give away the woman in the marriage ceremony. Jaques steps forward and offers to do it, but then convinces Touchstone that the marriage should...
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Act 4, Scene 1
Jaques approaches "Ganymede," wanting to get better acquainted. Rosalind calls Jaques a “melancholy fellow,” and Jaques...
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Act 4, Scene 2
Jaques addresses the First Lord, who has killed a deer, and suggests that he present his...
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Act 5, Scene 4
Duke Senior, Amiens, Jaques, Orlando, Oliver, and Celia (as Aliena) enter. In response to Duke Senior’s questions about Ganymede’s...
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Touchstone enters with Audrey, and Jaques identifies him as the fool he had mentioned meeting earlier in the forest. Touchstone claims...
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Jaques de Boys enters and reports that Duke Frederick, who had been on his way to...
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Everyone rejoices that they can return to the royal court, except for Jaques who announces that he will go join Duke Frederick in his life of contemplation at...
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