Who’s the fool now?

Many aristocratic households during the Renaissance kept a court, and while Shakespeare's comedies usually feature at least one, his tragedies sometimes have one as well. The purpose of the court jester, also known as a fool or clown, was to amuse his noble masters and to tell the truth when no one else would think of telling it—but usually in an amusing way that subtly hid the credibility of his statements. In both Twelfth Night and King Lear, court jesters play a key role in the plot. by relying on their dual nature, pretending to be simpleminded to get away with saying things that others would certainly be punished for, when in fact they demonstrate themselves to be highly intelligent professionals who know how to manipulate their masters and speak truth to power.
In King Lear, the fool observes human nature and embodies the principles of worldly wit and wisdom. He disguises his wit through songs and riddles. So the fool also gets things across by not directly stating what h...