As You Like It, Act 5 scene 1 - the wise man knows himself to be a fool

As You Like It

Please see the bottom of the page for extensive explanatory notes and other helpful As You Like It resources.

ACT V SCENE I	The forest.
[Enter TOUCHSTONE and AUDREY]
TOUCHSTONE	We shall find a time, Audrey; patience, gentle Audrey.
AUDREY	Faith, the priest was good enough, for all the old
	gentleman's saying.
TOUCHSTONE	A most wicked Sir Oliver, Audrey, a most vile
	Martext. But, Audrey, there is a youth here in the
	forest lays claim to you.
AUDREY	Ay, I know who 'tis; he hath no interest in me in
	the world: here comes the man you mean.
TOUCHSTONE	It is meat and drink to me to see a clown: by my	10
	troth, we that have good wits have much to answer
	for; we shall be flouting; we cannot hold.
[Enter WILLIAM]
WILLIAM	Good even, Audrey.
AUDREY	God ye good even, William.
WILLIAM	And good even to you, sir.
TOUCHSTONE	Good even, gentle friend. Cover thy head, cover thy
	head; nay, prithee, be covered. How old are you, friend?
WILLIAM	Five and twenty, sir.
TOUCHSTONE	A ripe age. Is thy name William?	20
WILLIAM	William, sir.
TOUCHSTONE	A fair name. Wast born i' the forest here?
WILLIAM	Ay, sir, I thank God.
TOUCHSTONE	'Thank God;' a good answer. Art rich?
WILLIAM	Faith, sir, so so.
TOUCHSTONE	'So so' is good, very good, very excellent good; and
	yet it is not; it is but so so. Art thou wise?
WILLIAM	Ay, sir, I have a pretty wit.
TOUCHSTONE	Why, thou sayest well. I do now remember a saying,
	'The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man
	knows himself to be a fool.' The heathen
	philosopher, when he had a desire to eat a grape,	32
	would open his lips when he put it into his mouth;
	meaning thereby that grapes were made to eat and
	lips to open. You do love this maid?
WILLIAM	I do, sir.
TOUCHSTONE	Give me your hand. Art thou learned?
WILLIAM	No, sir.
TOUCHSTONE	Then learn this of me: to have, is to have; for it
	is a figure in rhetoric that drink, being poured out
	of a cup into a glass, by filling the one doth empty
	the other; for all your writers do consent that ipse
	is he: now, you are not ipse, for I am he.
WILLIAM	Which he, sir?	44
TOUCHSTONE	He, sir, that must marry this woman. Therefore, you
	clown, abandon,--which is in the vulgar leave,--the
	society,--which in the boorish is company,--of this
	female,--which in the common is woman; which
	together is, abandon the society of this female, or,
	clown, thou perishest; or, to thy better
	understanding, diest; or, to wit I kill thee, make
	thee away, translate thy life into death, thy
	liberty into bondage: I will deal in poison with
	thee, or in bastinado, or in steel; I will bandy
	with thee in faction; I will o'errun thee with
	policy; I will kill thee a hundred and fifty ways:
	therefore tremble and depart.	56
AUDREY	Do, good William.
WILLIAM	God rest you merry, sir.
[Exit]
[Enter CORIN]
CORIN	Our master and mistress seeks you; come, away, away!
TOUCHSTONE	Trip, Audrey! trip, Audrey! I attend, I attend.
[Exeunt]

Next: As You Like It, Act 5, Scene 2
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Explanatory notes for Act 5, Scene 1
From As You Like It. Ed. Samuel Thurber, Jr. and Louise Wetherbee. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1922.
(Line numbers have been altered.)
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A note of comedy to relieve the somewhat serious close of Act IV is this opening scene of the last act. We welcome our absurd lovers again and enjoy William while we are sorry for him.

Line 1. Is Touchstone still in love?

4. How old is Jaques?

5. Even Audrey has her admirers here in this forest of lovers, but it is not to be wondered at that the man from the world outside is her choice.

10. meat ... me: a familiar modern expression. Can you think of another like it?

12. we ... flouting: we must mock.

14. God ... even: Our good evening is from this expression. How do the two conduct themselves?

15. sir: Touchstone has evidently impressed William. What is Touchstone's manner?

31. The heathen philosopher: Shakespeare may have taken this from the novel where Lodge says: "Phebe is no latice for your lips and her grapes hang so high, that gaze at them you may, but touch them you cannot."

40. Touchstone evidently wishes to impress William and therefore shows off what, to him. is his wisdom. Is William altogether impressed?

42. ipse: Latin for himself.

46. Can you see Touchstone crowding William off the stage with his boastful threats?

48. female: Touchstone evidently thinks this a finer term than woman.

53. bastinado: to beat with a cudgel especially on the soles of the feet. steel: a sword. bandy ... faction: strive with you in a conspiracy.

58. God ... merry: a common form of farewell. How does William leave?

QUESTIONS

1. How is the scene made amusing?

2. For what part of his audience did Shakespeare put it in?

3. What effect does another admirer have upon Touchstone's feeling for Audrey?

4. What is Audrey's manner towards William?

5. What characteristics of Touchstone does this scene bring out?

6. What becomes of William?

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How to cite the explanatory notes:
Shakespeare, William. As You Like It. Eds. Samuel Thurber, Jr. and Louise Wetherbee. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1922. Shakespeare Online. 10 Aug. 2010. (date when you accessed the information) < http://www.shakespeare-online.com/plays/asu_5_2.html >.

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