Touchstone

“Doth my simple feature content you?”Touchstone and Audrey, characters in Shakespeare's As You Like It. Engraving from the late 1800s by Charles Cousen, after a painting by John Pettie.

Touchstone, fictional character, a cynical court jester who comments on human foibles in William Shakespeare’s play As You Like It (performed 1598–1600).

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.
Citation Information
Article Title: Touchstone
Website Name: Encyclopaedia Britannica
Publisher: Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Date Published: 27 November 2018
Access Date: June 15, 2025