Jacques The Antagonist?

In any form of literature, the antagonist is a person who actively opposes or is hostile to someone or something. Jacques is considered a stock figure, which is a fictional character based on a common literary or social stereotype; in the case of Shakespeare’s play As You Like It, Jacques’ social stereotype is a hopeless melancholy man. Jacques prefers to observe and criticize others, illustrating his open opposition towards other characters in the play. In Act IV Scene I, Jacques empathizes with the deer that has been killed in the Forest of Arden, moaning and weeping for its death. While the others in Duke Senior’s band find Jacques behavior to be hilarious, Jacques is disturbed and irritated by the deer’s death.

Jacques is constantly a “sour apple” throughout the entire play, and a truly pessimistic individual. At the wedding festivities during the climax of the play, while everyone is participating in the festivities, Jacques announces that he plans to return to Duke Senior’s “abandoned cave” (Act V, Scene I, Line 11). However, there is a clear distinction between being a pessimistic character, and an antagonist. Although it is true that Jacques has a well-deserved reputation of being a melancholy individual, he does openly display hostility towards any of the protagonists such as Rosalind or Orlando, at least in the common manner of an antagonist. From my interpretation of As You Like It, I agree that Jacques is a somber, grumpy, and desolate character; however, he is more of a cynic than a typical antagonist. The characters don’t take much notice of him not because they view him as the “bad guy”, but rather because they do not want to be involved with his persistent pessimism.

Despite his constant melancholic attitude, Jacques is quite insightful. Jacques most famous phrase from As You Like It is possibly one of Shakespeare’s more memorable quotes: “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” (Act II, Scene VII, Lines 142-147). His statement signifies that life itself is like a theatre performance. In fact, Jacques wishes to be like Touchstone, the court jester, demonstrating that Jacques does have a potential lighter side: “O worthy fool! One that hath been a courtier…O that I were a fool! I am ambitious for a motley coat” (Act II, Scene VII, Lines 36-43).

Jacques is a harmless character, but nevertheless plays an important role. He is not a participating member of the final celebrations and decides to remain in the Forest of Arden to assume a solitary life rather than follow Duke Senior’s return to the court. Yet, his presence in the play serves to highlight the difference between love and depression. Essentially, Jacques is a foil because he brings out certain characteristics in other characters which the audience would not observed had it not been for his presence in the play. As As You Like It is a pastoral comedy that portrays the situation of love in a rustic setting, we as the audience must recognize the love that Rosalind and Orlando share for one another, and an effective way to highlight one element in a piece of literature is to simultaneously portray the exact opposite to bring to light the contrast.