wise fools
...and follows with the comment “And mine, but it grows something stale with me” (AYLI: II.iv.58-63). Here, Touchstone is acknowledging his own wit, and the fact that his seeming superiors are ignorant to the level of his wit. Yet, he is doing so in a way that makes him still appear less intelligent. The more noble characters in the play seem to view Touchstone as a genuine and common fool who serves to test the wits of his superiors. When Rosalind says to Touchstone, “Thou speak’st wiser than thou art ware of” (II.iv.58), he supports the somewhat smug superiority of the lady by agreeing with her claims. When Jaques is speaking with the Duke about Touchstone, he claims, “Is this not a rare fellow, my Lord? He’s as good at anything, and yet a fool” (V.iv.104). Touchstone has obviously maintained himself in a manner that seems very intelligent, and displayed himself to be equally, if not more so, capable of “anything”, but still he mockingly allows others to see him as something less than he is. Touchstone states, “The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool” (V.i.31). In this statement, he blatantly acknowledges his status. He claims that a fool will think that he is wise, but will not acknowledge that he is a fool, whereas a truly wise person knows of his wisdom, but is also able to securely recognize their possible perceived status as a fool, as he is able to do. Touchstone knows exactly what he entails as a character. He is fully conscious of his position as a parodist, and does not take himself too seriously. Not only does Touchstone accept his role as the fool, but often times he revels in it. While Touchstone parodies and pokes good-natured fun at the circumstances in Arcadia, Feste upholds the order and status quo of his surroundings. “Feste takes a detached and ironical view of everyone and everything about him” (Goldsmith, 1955, p.100). His wisdom within his foolery can be recognized fairly early in the play from some of his earliest lines: “Wit, and’t be thy will, put me into good fooling! Those wits that think they have thee do very oft prove fools; and I that am sure I lack thee, may pass for a wise man. For what says Quinapalus? ‘Better a witty fool than a foolish wit’” (I.v.32-36). Feste is a very witty man who knows his own worth, yet he does not overly exaggerate it. And for the most part, no one truly seems to doubt Feste’s wits. Like Touchstone, Feste often includes a tone of self-mockery in his foolery. For example, when arguing with Olivia regarding his tardiness, he argues, “bid the dishonest man mend himself...and sin that amends is but patch’d with virtue” (I.v.45-49). In essence, he mockingly calls on the need for his reform, yet questions whether anyone is wise enough or capable enough to enhance his nature to anything better than it already is. However, unlike Touchstone, Feste does not like the fact that he is taken for a fool. This is demonstrated when Viola questions whether or not Feste is Olivia’s fool, and Feste remarks “No, indeed, sir, the Lady Olivia has no folly...I am indeed not her fool, but her corrupter of words” (III.i.32-36). Feste truly desires to be seen for what he is: a wise man. Feste’s role in regards to the relevance of the play is fairly subtle. However, the profound commentary of the Fool on Lear’s plight has great relevance to the action of the play. Paradoxically, Lear’s Fool is really nobody’s fool. He very seldom lapses into nonsense or pointlessness. Of the three wise fools mentioned here, Lear’s Fool is the only one who seems to constantly speak to the point. He also frequently speaks in a language of wise proverbs. In addition, the Fool seems to recurrently hide his meaning in metaphors. “So well does he disguise his thoughtful comments in the veiled language of imagery and old songs that he has misled some observers into actually taking him for a fool...(like Touchstone, he doesn’t mind). To Kent’s grudging admission that ‘this is not altogether fool, my lord’, the Fool responds with characteristic insouciance: ‘no, faith, lords and great men will not let me. If I had a monopoly out, they would have part on’t. And ladies too, they will not let me have all the fool to myself; they’ll be snatching’” (I.iv.151-155) (Goldsmith, 1955, p.63). His comments reveal a man that blatantly points out that there are others around him who are indeed true fools, yet he does so in such a way that is thoughtful and imaginative. Many of this Fool’s remarks display his keen knowledge of the world around him, which is not what is characteristic of a classic fool. Lear’s Fool is a sensible and logical man. He constantly is urging Lear to recognize his daughters’ true natures, and the advice he gives Kent proves he sees the world in a realistic and honest manner. However, unlike Feste and Touchstone, whose faults seemed to rest in their own self-analyses, the only one of his faculties about which there may be any uncertainty is his judgment, especially with regards to his master. His only quality that seems to get the better of his rationale is his loyalty to Lear. For example, this is displayed when the Fool shows that he has reason enough to come out of the rain, but this reason is restrained when the power of his loyalty to Lear holds him back. The Fool “follows and stays with his master until forced to drop ...