# As You Like It: Touchstone and the Function of Shakespeare's Fools (Episode 150!)

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Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/shakespeare-anyone-2709617/as-you-like-it-touchstone-and-the-function-of-shakespeare-s-fools-episode-150.md
Podcast: [Shakespeare Anyone?](https://stenobird.com/podcast/shakespeare-anyone-2709617)
Published: 2026-07-15T07:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://shakespeareanyone.libsyn.com/as-you-like-it-touchstone-and-the-function-of-shakespeares-fools-episode-150
Audio file: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/traffic.libsyn.com/secure/shakespeareanyone/SA_AYLI_Fools_Final_Cut_with_Bells_and_Whistles.mp3?dest-id=2528357
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Duration seconds: 3348

## Resource

Want to support the podcast? Join our Patreon or buy us a coffee. As an independent podcast, Shakespeare Anyone? is supported by listeners like you. In this episode, we turn our attention to Touchstone, the sharp-tongued clown who trades the court for the Forest of Arden. We begin by revisiting what we already know about fools in Shakespeare's plays and the real-life clowns and jesters of early modern England. This sets the stage for us to explore what makes Touchstone stand apart from the rest of Shakespeare's fools. We then dig into how Touchstone functions less as pure comic relief and more as a fun-house mirror for the play itself, parodying the romantic entanglements and pastoral fantasies unfolding around him. Finally, we consider the meaning behind his name and what it reveals about his behavior throughout the play and what it means to be a touchstone in the Forest of Arden. And a special note: this is our 150th episode! Thank you for everyone who has listened and supported us along the way! Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. For updates: Join our email list Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod Visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com Support the podcast: Become a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone Buy us a coffee Bookshop.org : Since 2020, Bookshop.org has raised more than $38 million for independent bookstores. Shop our Shakespeare Anyone? storefront to find books featured on the podcast, books by our guests, and other Shakespeare-related books and gifts. Every purchase on the site financially supports independent bookstores. Libro.fm : Libro.fm makes it possible to purchase audiobooks through your local bookshop of choice. Use our link for 2 free…

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