Duke Senior
The elder brother to Duke Frederick, he is living in banishment since his brother usurped his throne. Duke Senior inhabits a cave in the forest of Ardenne where he spends time with other noblemen who have joined him. He is described as living like Robin Hood with his band of men.
Rosalind
the daughter of Duke Senior, she still lives with her cousin Celia and Duke Frederick at the beginning of the play. After Duke Frederick banishes her, she disguises herself as a young man named Ganymede and flees to the forest of Ardenne. She is in love with Orlando and marries him at the end.
Amiens
a lord attending on Duke Senior in the forest of Ardenne.
Jaques
a lord attending on Duke Senior, he is a melancholy character who sits in the forest of Ardenne brooding over life. When he meets Touchstone the fool he wishes that he could also be a fool and say witty things.
Two Pages
two young men who sing a song in the play.
Duke Frederick
the younger brother of Duke Senior, he usurped his position and banished his brother. He loses his daughter Celia when she runs away with Rosalind at the beginning. In his efforts to get her back he starts marching towards the forest of Ardenne with an army. On the way he meets a holy man and converts, in the process agreeing to give back the dukedom to Duke Senior.
Celia
the daughter of Duke Frederick, later disguised as Aliena. She leaves her home to join Rosalind in the forest of Ardenne and later falls in love with Orlando's brother Oliver, whom she marries at the end.
Le Beau
a courtier attending on Duke Frederick.
Charles
Duke Frederick's wrestler. He visits Oliver and tries to dissuade him from allowing Orlando to wrestle with him. Oliver instead encourages Charles to seriously hurt Orlando. However, Orlando wins the wrestling match and Charles must be carried away.
Touchstone
a court fool and a clown. He often speaks truth in the play. Touchstone leaves the court along with Rosalind and Celia and joins them in the forest of Ardenne. He falls in love with a goatherd named Audrey and marries her at the end.
Oliver
eldest son of Sir Rowland de Bois. He despises Orlando in the beginning and essentially forces Orlando to run away to the forest of Ardenne. After Duke Frederick orders Oliver to find his brother he goes into the forest as well. Oliver is saved from a snake and a lioness by Orlando and becomes friendly with his brother again. He falls in love with Celia and marries her at the end.
Jaques De Bois
a younger brother of Oliver, he reports that Duke Frederick has converted to a religious life at the end.
Orlando
a younger brother of Oliver. He wrestles and defeats Charles, the wrestler of Duke Frederick. Orlando falls in love with Rosalind but is forced to flee to the forest of Ardenne where he composes poems to her on the bark of the trees. She meets him while she is pretending to be Ganymede and gets him to pretend that Ganymede is Rosalind. After Orlando's love for Rosalind matures during the course of the play, she reveals herself to him at the end.
Adam
a former servant of Sir Rowland, he is an old man but Orlando takes him along into the forest of Ardenne when he flees.
Denis
Oliver's servant.
Sir Oliver Martext
a country clergyman, he is supposed to marry Touchstone and Audrey.
Corin
an old shepherd, he is put in charge of the sheep after Celia and Rosalind purchase the farm from his former master.
Silvius
a young shepherd, in love with Phoebe, he dotes on her like a Petrarchian lover.
Phoebe
a shepherdess, she scorns Silvius and falls in love with Ganymede. Rosalind tricks her into marrying Silvius in the end.
William
a countryman, in love with Audrey. Touchstone threatens to kill him if he does not leave Audrey alone, after which he disappears.
Audrey
a goatherd, betrothed to Touchstone.
Hymen
god of marriage, Hymen only shows up in the last scene to marry all four couples.
