Discuss the Role of the Fool in Twelfth Night

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Discuss the Role of the Fool in Twelfth Night

In English Literature, a fool is a person professionally counterfeits folly for the entertainment of others. They are always regarded as comic figures, which provide mediation under tensional circumstances. As Twelfth Night is an atypical romantic comedy, the jester is not the only fool who is subject to foolery, many other characters are subject to foolery by their silly acts as well. There are two types of fool in the play, namely Feste the professional jester who is in fact quite intelligent, and the non-jester fools, who are not fools but act like fools. Since Feste is the only designed fool in the play, the role of Feste will be explored in the following.

Feste is more of the comic truth of the comedy. Since Feste is a licensed fool, his main role is to speak the truth. Feste plays the role of a humble jester employed by Olivia's father. "Feste the jester... a fool that the Lady Olivia's father took much pleasure in", Feste is "an allowed fool", meaning he is licensed, privileged critic to speak the truth of the people around him. In Act1 Sc5, Olivia is proved to be a true fool by Feste when she is asked what she was mourning about, there is no point for Olivia to mourn for a person’s soul in heaven, “The more fool, madonna, to mourn for your brother's soul, being in heaven”.

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Feste is a comedic character who is extremely intelligent. From the very beginning of the play, the fact that Feste is intelligent had already been well established by the light-hearted and witty conversation between Maria and Feste. Initially, Maria threatens Feste because he was not where he should have been. By then, Feste is defined as the fool as he subverts her threats and comically replies, “Let her hang me: he that is well hanged in this world needs to fear no colours.” It is said that self-proclaimed wits are often foolish, “Better a witty fool, than a foolish ...

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