Jaques (As You Like It) Jaques (As You Like It) Jaques () is one of the main characters in Shakespeare's "As You Like It". The 'Melancholy Jaques', as he is known, is one of Duke Senior's noblemen who lives with him in the Forest of Arden (or Ardennes). The role has long been a favourite for famous Shakespearean actors. Jaques' distinguishing characteristic is his unmitigated cynicism. He is the only purely contemplative character in Shakespeare. He thinks, and does nothing. His whole occupation is to amuse his mind, and he is totally regardless of his body and his fortunes. Hazlitt describes him as "the prince
BBC Television Shakespeare characters' "time in the forest appear[ing] to be more an upscale camping expedition rather than exile." The "Prefaces to Shakespeare" episode for "As You Like It" was presented by Janet Suzman, who had played Rosalind in a 1967 RSC production directed by George Rylands. The "Shakespeare in Perspective" episode was presented by novelist Brigid Brophy. Cast Director Herbert Wise felt that "Julius Caesar" should be set in the Elizabethan era, but as per the emphasis on realism, he instead set it in a Roman "milieu". Wise argued that the play "is not really a Roman play. It's an Elizabethan play