How many lines does Touchstone have in As You Like It?
The size of the part, every scene it speaks in, its longest speeches, and how long it takes to learn.
The Offbook team
Oct 8, 2026
Touchstone has about 270 lines in As You Like It: 2,374 words in 74 speeches, 11.2% of the play, and the third-largest part. The role speaks in 7 of the 23 scenes, and its longest wait is 5 scenes in a row without a line.
Touchstone is almost all prose, about a ninth of the words, and the part depends on timing as much as on speeches. His longest speech, on horns, comes as he waits to marry Audrey in Act 3, Scene 3. He then sits out the whole fourth act and returns for three scenes in Act 5, including his comic routine on the seven degrees of the lie.
- Lines
- 270
- Words
- 2,374
- Share of play
- 11.2%
- Speech time
- 17 min
5% of the words are verse. 74 speeches means about 74 cues to learn.
Scene by scene
| Scene | Words | Minutes |
|---|---|---|
| Act 1, Scene 2 | 203 | 1.4 |
| Act 2, Scene 4 | 206 | 1.5 |
| Act 3, Scene 2 | 493 | 3.5 |
| Act 3, Scene 3 | 579 | 4.1 |
| Act 5, Scene 1 | 375 | 2.7 |
| Act 5, Scene 3 | 67 | 0.5 |
| Act 5, Scene 4 | 451 | 3.2 |
The longest speeches
| Speech | Scene | Words |
|---|---|---|
| “Amen. A man may, if he were of a fearful heart, st…” | Act 3, Scene 3 | 179 |
| “Upon a lie seven times removed:—bear your body mor…” | Act 5, Scene 4 | 144 |
| “O sir, we quarrel in print, by the book; as you ha…” | Act 5, Scene 4 | 128 |
| “He, sir, that must marry this woman. Therefore, yo…” | Act 5, Scene 1 | 110 |
| “Truly, shepherd, in respect of itself, it is a goo…” | Act 3, Scene 2 | 105 |
| “And I mine. I remember, when I was in love I broke” | Act 2, Scene 4 | 103 |
| “For a taste:” | Act 3, Scene 2 | 84 |
| “God “ild you, sir; I desire you of the like. I pre…” | Act 5, Scene 4 | 77 |
How many lines a day to learn
New lines a day to be off book in time, learning five days a week. Review what you already know on the other days.
| Time until off book | New lines a day |
|---|---|
| 2 weeks | 27 |
| 3 weeks | 18 |
| 4 weeks | 14 |
| 6 weeks | 9 |
More from As You Like It
- How many lines does Rosalind have?
- How many lines does Celia have?
- How many lines does Jaques have?
- Every role in As You Like It, by size
Questions actors ask
How many lines does Touchstone have in As You Like It?
About 270 lines: 13 lines of verse and 2,253 words of prose. That is 2,374 words in 74 speeches, 11.2% of the play and the third-largest part.
How long is Touchstone’s longest speech?
179 words, in Act 3, Scene 3, beginning “Amen. A man may, if he were of a fearful heart, stagger in this attempt; for here we have no temple but the wood, no assembly but horn-beasts. But what though? Courage! As horns are odious, they are necessary. It is said, “many a man knows no end of his goods:” right; many a man has good horns, and knows no end of them. Well, that is the dowry of his wife; ’tis none of his own getting. Horns? Even so. Poor men alone? No, no; the noblest deer hath them as huge as the rascal. Is the single man therefore blessed? No: as a walled town is more worthier than a village, so is the forehead of a married man more honourable than the bare brow of a bachelor; and by how much defence is better than no skill, by so much is a horn more precious than to want. Here comes Sir Oliver.” At 140 words a minute it runs about 1.3 minutes.
How long does it take to learn Touchstone?
To be off book in three weeks, learning five days a week, plan on about 18 new lines a day, plus time to review what you already know. Start with your longest speeches and the scenes with the most cues.
Keep reading
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