As You Like It Lesson Plan

What is William like as a character, and how do Touchstone and Audrey interact with him? Why do you think Shakespeare decided to create the character of William?

From the very little we see of him, William is simple and mild-mannered, much like Audrey. Though he is supposedly a rival for Audrey's love, she claims to have little interest in him, and he doesn’t protest at all when Touchstone aggressively lays claim to Audrey, whether because of cowardice or a lack of true interest. Touchstone is snide as he questions William, establishing their relative positions by dumbing down his language as if William is too stupid to understand more sophisticated words. This scene is...