wise_fool

The Wise Fool //"Do'st thou call me Fool boy?" (King Lear)//

The History of the Fool
The fool as a member of society was introduced in medieval England in the 13th century. Generally, the fool was used as a means of entertainment; they would be paid for how well they entertained the members of the court to which they belonged. Because of their unique position in society, they were able to pick up the intricacies of the lives lead by those they entertained, and would often hint at the truth. Originally, the fool held a connotation in literature of evil and pretending stupidity, often opposing the figure of the wise or holy man, the antagonist. In medieval English plays, a character, the "vice" which is a version of the fool, was used to connect the audience and their reality to the fictional reality of the play. They would improvise with the audience in order to establish verisimilitude. By the time Shakespeare began his career as a playwright, the vice had been transformed into a recognized anarchist who made aberration obvious by carrying release to absurd extremes [4]. The fool's ability to be privy to the truth because he or she is too inconsequential for society to worry about allows for the fool to retain an important part in many pieces of literature. [12]

The traditional fool, which is the original artificial fool, is the fool which the archetype was based off of, the person who only acts stupid to antagonize the wise man or woman in the play. He or she is often both stupid and cunning at the same time, challenging the wise opponent to a battle of wits which the fool always wins. The fool constantly questions our perceptions of wisdom and truth, relating these perceptions to every day experiences. This type of fool often lifts the 'veil of authority'; he or she is often devoid of decorum, giving the audience the opportunity to look not only at the work in a new light, but to look at their lives in the same light. This fool does not have his or her own convictions; instead, he or she uses the convictions of the characters in the work and turns them upside-down and inside-out. [4]

The two aforementioned sects of fools are the natural fools and the artificial fools. The natural fool cannot help the fact that he or she is a fool. He or she is considered a physically challenged or retarded person [4]. They are considered dim witted and not very bright; retarded in intellectual development or mentally deficient; lacking in understanding; crazy or insane; and/or can be deprived of the use of speech or words. If a character is characterized as crazy, but may not think himself or herself to be crazy, he or she can still be considered a natural fool because the other characters view him or her as crazy [20]. This fool is often exempt from social norms because of their unique position. Because of this, they can easily be used in literature to be a vessel of truths which others cannot or will not believe or say. [4]

The artificial fool is not mentally or physically handicapped. Instead, the artificial fool often looks to the natural fool for inspiration, using the lack of etiquette and a disregard for the social norms as guidance. They are prime examples of freedom of speech, since they completely disregard the hierarchy of society and speak whenever they feel like to whomever they feel like. The clown in literature can often be interchangeable with the artificial fool; they more often than not have similar roles and do not exhibit the characteristics of the natural fool. An artificial fool can also be one who is employed as the fool, therefore needing to act foolish in order to retain his or her job [4]. When one characterizes the artificial fool, generally he or she thinks of the fool as lacking seriousness and given to frivolity, as being noisy and lacking in restraint or discipline when merrymaking, and as being mocking towards others. [20]

The Use of The Wise Fool in //Invisible Man//
//“On his deathbed he called my father to him and said, ’Son, after I’m gone I want you to keep up the good fight. I never told you, but our life is a war and I have been a traitor all my born days, a spy in the enemy’s country ever since I gave up my gun back in the Reconstruction. Live with your head in the lion’s mouth. I want you to overcome ‘em with yeses, undermine ‘em with grins, agree ‘em to death and destruction, let ‘em swoller you till they vomit or bust wide open.’ They thought the old man had gone out of his mind”// (16) [3].
 * Grandfather**

Although the Invisible Man’s history isn’t revealed, his grandfather, ironically, seems to be considered perfectly sane by his successors until he gives them his piece of advice. Although he is described as “an odd old guy” (Ellison 16), he is not considered a fool until he speaks a truth that no one wants to hear [3]. The grandfather was purely used as a literary device to drive the plot forward- if he hadn’t been portrayed as a fool, he would not have been able to say the things he did with such brashness and shamelessness. The Invisible Man grapples with the meaning of his grandfather’s words throughout the novel, misinterpreting them a number of times, before finally discovering their significance during the final battle at Harlem.


 * [[image:im.jpg align="left"]]The Vet**

//"To some, you are the great white father, to others the lyncher of souls..."// (93) [3].

The vet shocks Mr. Norton when he speaks to him honestly. As a wealthy, powerful white man, Mr. Norton is usually praised, and others go to great ends to please him; they would never upset him. The vet is refering to the dual image of Mr. Norton, calling into question his true character. To the narrator, the black college students, and many others, he is regarded fondly. They view him as someone who is changing the world and helping black people gain influence, power, and a better life through education. The vet believes this image is false. The college and its associates, including Mr. Norton, only blind the black people and kill their souls. The college tricks them into believing that they are being helped; meanwhile, they are actually taught to accept and keep their place in society.

//"You see... [the narrator] has eyes and ears and a good distended African nose, but he fails to understand the simple facts of life. Understand. Understand? It's worse than that. He registers with his sense but short-circuits his brain. Nothing has meaning. He takes it in but he doesn't digest it. Already he is--well, bless my soul! Behold! A walking zombie! Already he's learned to repress not only his emotions but his humanity. He's invisible, a walking personification of the Negative, the most perfect achievement of your dreams, sir! The mechanical man!"// (94) [3].

The vet believes the narrator is unable to comprehend his own situations and surroundings. He has been taught to think and act how others want him to. He agrees with and accepts the ideas of white men, without much questioning of their judgment, to the point that he views Mr. Norton as "a God" (95) [3]. The vet mocks Mr. Norton, saying that, as an unquestioning individual, the narrator is exactly who the college wants him to be. This emphasizes that the college is not a wonderful place of learning and opportunity, as many believe; it is a place to gain control of young, intelligent black minds. Furthermore, Mr. Norton does not actually care about the lives of the students, such as the narrator. Each is just "a mark on the scoreboard" of his achievements. The narrator and Mr. Norton do not view each other as equal individuals, and, thus, do not really see each other.

//"All right, forget what I've said. But for God's sake, learn to look beneath the surface... Come out of the fog, young man. And remember, you don't have to be a complete fool in order to succeed. Play the game, but don't believe in it - that much you owe yourself. Even if it lands you in a strait jacket or a padded cell. Play the game, but play it your own way - part of the time at least"// (153) [3]//.//

The vet, who is previously characterized as crazy, as an natural fool, is speaking to the Invisible Man in a way which most others wouldn't speak to him. He is being spoken to in a very direct, very ambiguous way which leaves more questions asked than answered, but also hints at a truth that it will take the Invisible Man until the end of the book to realize. He is telling the Invisible Man to look past the surface, to look behind the actions of others to see their true motives. The Invisible Man grapples with this throughout the entirety of the novel, but if he had listened to the vet, many of his harships would have been avoided. He then tells the Invisible Man to "play the game but don't believe in it." He is telling the Invisible Man to do what Dr. Bledsoe did; he is telling the Invisible Man to succeed while pretending to be subordinate to whites. At the end of the novel, the Invisible Man realizes this when he says that he should yes the principle, though not necessarily believe in what others are doing to work towards the same principle. If the Invisible Man had listened to the truths that the vet told him instead of seeing it as a crazy man's rambling, he would have avoided many of the troubles he faced. Even though the Invisible Man did not listen to the vet's truths, the vet was able to speak those truths because of his status as a crazy war veteran who was allowed to defy social norms and speak of these truths in public.

//"You're hidden right out in the open - that is, you would be if you only realized it. They wouldn't see you because they don't expect you to know anything, since they believe they've taken care of that..."// (154) [3].

This is one of the few moments where someone directly brings up the idea of invisibility to the Invisible Man. His forthright speech is attributed to his craziness. His idea of craziness is the same idea which the Invisible Man comes up with in the end of the novel; he speaks about how because no one notices him, he is invisible. Since nothing is expected of him, no one cares enough to notice him. The vet speaks the truth in this quote as well; if the Invisible Man had listened to this truth, his trials and tribulations would have been meaningless because he would have already realized his importance in life, he would have already realized how to live his life the way he was meant to. The Invisible Man shrugs this off as merely insane babbling, just as he shakes off the last quote, but if he were to truly listen to the words, he would see the truth to them and the craziness of the speaker would be irrelevant.

//"They? Why the same **they**// //we always mean, the white folks, authority, the gods, fate, circumstances - the force that pulls your strings until you refuse to pull anymore"// (154) [3].

Once again, the vet is speaking a truth which the Invisible Man does not listen to at the moment it is spoken, but realizes later in the novel. The vet speaks about how the white men will pull the strings, will control your destiny until you realize you can control it yourself. Mr. Norton controlled the Invisible Man's destiny by telling him where to go and inadvertantly getting him expelled. Kimbro helped the Invisible Man on his way toward's his destiny by forcing him to work with Lucius Brockway. Lastly, and most importantly, Brother Jack, as the head of the Brotherhood, controls everything that the Invisible Man does until the Invisible Man realizes that he has to conspire against Brother Jack and the Brotherhood to survive and become successful. This is a concept the Invisible Man struggles with throughout the entire book; it is a truth he only comes to realize towards the end of the novel. If he had listened to the crazy vet, though, the truth would have been realized early on, and once again, he would not have needed to go through any of the hardships he had to go through.


 * Ras the Exhorter/Destroyer**

//“Hell no… I talk! Bust me with the pipe but, by God, you listen to the Exhorter!"// (371) [3].

Ras the Exhorter, a self-named and self-proclaimed activist against interaction between blacks and whites, is described as crazy and portrayed as a natural fool. An immigrant from Africa, he considers himself a king and a leader; claiming that the white men stole the black men’s dignity, he aims to defend blacks against further white abuse by attempting to wipe the white men out completely, riling up his followers with the promise that the black man will have his moment of glory if they fight to keep their race from intermingling with the whites. Although the things he says are dismissed as insanity due to his extremist beliefs, the accusations he makes and the observations he describes are all true. It becomes easier for the Brothers and Ras’s enemies to ignore his words than to accept them as silenced but sane truths.

//“////Me// //crazy, mahn? You call// //me// //crazy? Look at you two and look at me- is this// //sanity? Standing here in three shades of blackness! Three black men fighting in the street because of the white enslaver? Is that sanity? Is that consciousness, scientific understahnding? Is that the modern black mahn of the twentieth century? Hell, mahn! Is it self-respect- black against black?"// (371-372) [3].

At this point in the novel, Ras is the only character aware of the irony of fighting someone of the same race for the sake of peaceful integration. While the others refuse to believe the truth in his words, Ras knows that fighting the people he calls his brothers won’t do him, or the race as a whole, any good. Although he is vehemently against being friendly with white men, his understanding of his race’s need to stick together as one cooperative entity is one of his greatest traits as a character. If Ellison had chosen to portray Ras as sane, he wouldn’t be able to express this understanding so freely and without inhibition.

//“They betray you and you betray the black people. They tricking you, mahn. Let them fight among themselves. Let ‘em kill off one another"// (373) [3].

Ras’ words only infuriate Clifton and the narrator during their confrontation on the street corner, but they fail to heed his warning; his words are, in fact, a prophecy that foreshadows the final massacre at the end of the novel. This is one of the first times that the narrator is forced to confront the idea that the Brotherhood may not be a beneficial organization, and he prefers to dismiss Ras as a fool rather than take his warnings into consideration. Unfortunately, heeding Ras’ words would not have prevented the massacre from taking place. The Brotherhood would have undoubtedly continued toward their secretive goal with or without the narrator. However, he could have avoided a tremendous amount of antagonism during the massacre, especially when Ras attempts to kill him as an example of a “traitor” and an “Uncle Tom” (557) [3].

//“I ahm no black educated fool who t’inks everything between black mahn and white mahn can be settled with some blahsted lies in some bloody books written by the white mahn in the first place. It’s three hundred years of black blood to build this white mahn’s civilization and wahn’t be wiped out in a minute"// (375-376) [3].

Ras is the only character in the book who seems to realize that the white men, especially those in the Brotherhood, don’t have pure motives and aren’t as honest with their intentions as they would like the black men to believe. In addition, he’s the only character willing to admit that such tensions exist; the white characters want the black characters to believe that the whites can be trusted, and the black characters want to believe that all the previous problems can be resolved. His passion and sometimes excessive displays of anger and emotion make him an easy target for the Brotherhood, who simply dismiss him as crazed and instruct the new Brothers- especially the black ones- to ignore everything he says. Without education and with a temper that flares at the slightest interaction with white men, he’s been given a label that causes the Brotherhood to ignore the truth in his words. It takes the Invisible Man until the end of the book to realize that Ras was correct; despite all the interaction he’s had with white men and with an integrated society, the horrors of slavery and the attitudes of the white men toward blacks haven’t changed.

The Natural Fool:
__**//Night,// by Elie Wiesel**

Moishe the Beadle__ //"He spoke only of what he had seen. But people not only refused to believe his tales, they refused to listen. Some even insinuated that he only wanted their pity, that he was imagining things, Others flatly said that he had gone mad"// (Wiesel 7) [19].

//"'You don't understand... You can't understand. I was saved miraculously. I succeeded in coming back. Where did I get my strength? I wanted to return to Sighet to describe you my death so that you might ready yourselves while there is still time. Life? I no longer care to live. I am alone. But I wanted to come back to warn you. Only no one is listening to me...'"// (7) [19].

Moishe the Beadle was a poor, yet knowledgable man in Elie's town of Sighet. As a foreign Jew, he was one of the first deported. He witnesses the horrors of the Holocaust and the atrocities yet to come. Through luck, he survives and returns to his hometown to tell his tale. Prior to his deportation, Moishe was well acknowledged and respected in the community; upon his return, however, he is ridiculed as a fool. He visits all of the Jewish families to tell them what he witnessed; but no one believes his warnings. They are blinded by their own illusions and optimisim and continue their ordinary lives, waiting "for better days that surely were soon to come" (Wiesel 8) [19]. Moishe eventually gives up, realizing that he has failed at his mission to warn and protect the Jews in his town.

__Mrs. Schachter__ //"Jews, listen to me... I see fire! I see flames, huge flames!"// (25) [19].

For deportation, Elie and his family are placed in a sealed cattle car with seventy-four other people, including Mrs. Schachter. Multiple times, she screams that she sees fire, but there is nothing there. Still, she urges them to listen to her. Exhausted, irritated, and hungry, the other members of the car disregard her as a "mad, poor woman" (Wiesel 25) [19]. They do everything in their power to keep her quiet, believing Mrs. Schachter is hallucinating. Although startled by her screaming, they reassure themselves that nothing is wrong; they are once again blinded by optimisim, refusing to believe her "vision." Upon arriving at the first camp, however, they realize their mistake. Unforunately, by this time, it is too late.


 * __//The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark//, by William Shakespeare__**

__Ophelia__ //"For Bonny sweet Robin is all my joy" (IV.v.201)// [14]//.//

Earlier in the scene, Ophelia sings 'St. Valentine's Day,' which is about infidelity and adultery. 'Bonny Robin' follows along the same lines, showing that although Ophelia may be crazy and singing songs which would be extremely frowned upon on any other occassion, she not only has a greater understanding of what is happening in Denmark, but she attempts to tell this to others through the songs she sings and the words which she uses. The song tells of a woman and a man who sneak into the woods to have an illicit affiar. Through the meaning of the song, it seems that Ophelia knows the entirety of the ordeal between King Claudius, Queen Gertrude, and the late King Hamlet. It shows that Ophelia views the marriage between Claudius and Gertrude as an adulterous one, as the song suggests, which helps show that even though Ophelia is insane, what she says still pertains to the greater meaning of the work.

//"Go to thy death bed" (IV.v.207)// [14]//.//

The last song which Ophelia chooses to sing not only shows how she laments for her father's death, but it foreshadows the death of every major character in the room (IV.v.204-213). Although the sorrow she possesses for losing her father is important, the most important part of this section is where she foreshadows death. When she sings "go to thy death bed," she is condemming a majority of the main characters to death when she tells each of them to go to their respective death beds. Since the ones present are Laertes, King Claudius, and Queen Gertrude, it shows that Ophelia's warning should not have been i gnored, since each dies at the end of the play. This shows how Shakespeare used the crazy character or the fool as a vessel of truth and foreshadowing.

//"There's fennel for you, and columbines" (IV.v.195)// [14]//.//

Fennel was Prometheus' means of defying Zeus when Zeus refused to give man fire. Zeus then orderd the creation of Pandora, the first woman, as a means of delivering misfortune upon the house of man. Prometheus is hte god of forethought and crafty council which is not only a stregnth of Hamlet, but of Claudius as well, showing how both men's actions brought upon the downfall of Denmark [8]. By marrying Gertrude, Claudius inadvertantly brought misfortune upon those surrounding him; it was his yearning to be in control that lead the State of Denmark into such a state of peril. By seeking revenge on Claudius and faking insanity, Hamlet sent Denmark into a state of chaos as well, though his actions were spurred by the aforementioned actions of Claudius. By Ophelia using fennel as a flower which she hands out to the King, she is being used to promote the truth.

Columbines, mentioned in the latter half of the quote above, are also though to be given to the King. By giving it to the King, Ophelia is foreshadowing his death; she is also blaming all of the deaths on him. The flower columbine is often associated with the religious term 'columbarium.' A columbarium is a vault with niches for urns containing ashes of the dead [17]. By handing him columbine, she is not only showing that hse knows the root of all the forthcoming deaths is //his// fault, but she is saying that he too will become one of those urns which columbine represents.

//"I would give you some violets, but they withered all when my father died" (IV.v.198-199)// [14]//.//

Violets are often known to represent modesty, faithfulness, and virtue [6]. Her father possessed all of the three traits mentioned above; he never spoke of himself as a better person than he was and he was faithful to the King until the day he died which could make him seem virtuous. By stating that all of the violets withered hwen her father was murdered, she is implying that nobody in the room is worthy of the violets. Nobody in the room is faithful to the perosn they should be faithful to, nobody is virtuous, and nobody is modest. Gertrude is not faithful to her late husband //or// her son. Claudius is not faithful to his brother, nor is he virtuous - he murdered his brother - and he is not modest, seeing as he is convinced it is his place to be the King of Denmark. Laertes is not virtuous because he is after Hamlet's blood. Ophelia's words show that everybody in the room has dirtied both their hands and their souls with their actions [18]. The truths which she speak shows that even though Ophelia is not in her right mind, Shakespeare still uses her to show the true intentions and the true nature of the other characters.


 * __//Harry Potter//, by J.K. Rowling__**

__Sybill Trelawney__ //“//// The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches… born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies… and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not… and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives… the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies… (__Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix__// //841)//”

// In Rowling’s novel, Professor Trelawney is infamously strange. Her subject of choice, Divinations, isn’t considered a serious subject by most witches and wizards; her predictions are usually vague and rather silly, and despite her position in the school she is rarely taken seriously. Rowling was able to use her as a literary device, giving her the task of delivering the most important part of the novel: the original prophecy that resulted in the murder of Harry’s parents. Dumbledore, the only person to hear the prophecy, chooses to hire Trelawney (despite her inability to predict anything other than death) as a means of protecting her from knowing her own power. He is one of the few people who understands her true power and, therefore, the danger she would be in if she knew what kind of prophecies she made without her own knowledge. // “'//IT WILL HAPPEN TONIGHT.//' // Harry wheeled around. Professor Trelawney had gone rigid in her armchair; her eyes were unfocused and her mouth sagging. 'S--sorry?' said Harry. But Professor Trelawney didn't seem to hear him. Her eyes started to roll. Harry sat there in a panic. She looked as though she was about to have some sort of seizure. He hesitated, thinking of running to the hospital wing -- and then Professor Trelawney spoke again, in the same harsh voice, quite unlike her own: //'//THE DARK LORD LIES ALONE AND FRIENDLESS, ABANDONED BY HIS FOLLOWERS. HIS SERVANT HAS BEEN CHAINED THESE TWELVE YEARS. TONIGHT, BEFORE MIDNIGHT //// ... THE SERVANT WILL BREAK FREE AND SET OUT TO REJOIN HIS MASTER. THE DARK LORD WILL RISE AGAIN WITH HIS SERVANT'S AID, GREATER AND MORE TERRIBLE THAT EVER HE WAS. TONIGHT ... BEFORE //// MIDNIGHT // //... THE SERVANT WILL SET OUT TO REJOIN HIS MASTER ..//.' // Professor Trelawney's head fell forward onto her chest. She made a grunting sort of noise. Harry sat there, staring at her. Then quite suddenly, Professor Trelawney's head snapped up again. 'I'm so sorry, dear boy,' she said dreamily. 'The heat of the day, you know… I drifted off for a moment…' Harry stood there, still staring. 'Is there anything wrong, my dear?' 'You – you just told me that the – the Dark Lord's going to rise again… that his servant's going to go back to him…' Professor Trelawney looked thoroughly startled. 'The Dark Lord? He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named? My dear boy, that's hardly something to joke about … rise again, indeed…' 'But you just said it! You said the Dark Lord…' 'I think you must have dozed off too, dear!' said Professor Trelawney. 'I would certainly not presume to predict anything quite as far-fetched as **that**////!' (__Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban__ 324-235)”//

Students and faculty alike consider Trelawney to be not quite all there; one of the reasons no one takes her predictions seriously is because she rarely knows what’s going on in the present, much less in the future. She’s constantly confused about what’s happening around her and never seems to be completely focused on anything. Because of this, when she finally makes a true prediction, it becomes difficult to believe her. Although the differences between when she is truly prophesizing and when she is merely being crazy are very clear, she makes so few genuine prophecies that few people believe that she is a Seer at all; in fact, she makes so few genuine prophecies that she doesn’t believe them herself when she makes them. The fact that she denies making such prophecies at all is not only ironic but supports the idea that she is, in fact, crazy.

The Traditional/Artificial Fool:

 * __//King Lear,// by William Shakespeare__**

//Have more than thou showest, Speak less than thou knowest, Lend less than thou owest, Ride more than thou goest, Learn more than thou trowest, Set less than thou throwest; Leave thy drink and thy whore, And keep in-a-door, And thou shalt have more Than two tens to a score// (I.iv.117-126) [13].

The Fool in King Lear is a traditional fool. Although technically equal to a servant, he has a rather priveleged position in society. While adding some comical value, the Fool also reveals the true nature of King Lear and his mistakes [1]. The Fool citicizes King Lear's actions, incuding when Lear gives up his crown and Lear's treatment of his daughters. He also offers Lear's advice, such as in the quote above, but it is often not taken too seriously. Furthermore, the Fool questions the idea of a court fool. He tells the truth, as it is his job to do so; yet he complains about how a fool is often punished for telling the truth. He realizes the irony in his title and comments that Lear would make a good fool [5].


 * __//Twelfth Night, or What You Will,// by William Shakespeare__**

__Feste the Clown__ Feste the Clown, in William Shakespeare's //Twelfth Night, or What You Will,// is the perfect example of the artificial fool. He has no qualms about speaking directly to people, insulting them, and entertaining at whim. He is paid to be the stereotypical artificial fool and shows both his wits and his cunning throughout the play. Although he isn't generally used to tell the truth, one can see the cunning he uses throughout the play and the fact that he //does// know the truth because of his position as the fool.

//"Wit, an't be they 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.29-34)// [15]//.//

This is an introduction to the artificial fool. Feste, when he says this, is speaking about how he has more wits than those who think they are above him. Although many of the other people in the play think they are both wise and better than Feste, Feste knows that he is not only smarter than these people, but more cunning as well. The quote which he says is the truth and the general thought when analyzing the artificial fool. The artificial fool is usually the one with the most wit, despite his or her fool status, while all of the others act quite foolishly despite their 'wiseness'.

//"Feste: Good madonna, why mournest thou? Olivia: Good fool, for my brother's death. Feste: I think his soul is in hell, madonna. Olivia: I know his soul is in heaven, fool. Feste: The more fool, madonna, to mourn your brother's soul, being in heaven. Take away the fool, gentlemen" (I.v.62-68)// [15]//.//

This quote shows the wit of Feste. In this quote, Feste is attempting to outwit Olivia to show that she is the fool. He uses his wits and mastery of language to outwit a noblewoman who is both wealthy and intellegent. Also, as a traditional fool usually does, he brings up questions of life, which make the audience rethink their actions. He questions the reason for mourning, by asking Olivia why she is mourning a soul that is supposed to be in heaven. Heaven is supposed to be where all of the good souls go; it is a place where all yearn to end up. Why would one mourn a soul who winds up in heaven? That is the question which Feste brings up in this exchange of dialogue; he not only makes the audience think, but he asserts his wit and cunning which is characteristic of the artificial fool.

//"Feste: Now Jove in his next commodity of hair send thee a beard. Viola: By my troth I'll tell thee, I am almost sick for one, though I would not have it grow on my chin. Is thy lady within? Feste: Would not a pair of these have bred, sir? Viola: Yes, being kept together and put to use" (III.i.43-49)// [15].

In this exchange of dialogue, Feste asserts himself as the one who is aware of what's going on. He obviously knows the truth; he obviously knows that Viola is truly a girl, not the boy Cesario who she is pretending to be. When tells Jove to send Viola (as Cesario) a beard, he is almost mocking the fact that she is not the boy she pretends to be. Her answer only sheds light upon that fact. She replies that she is sick for a beard, but not one of her own, meaning she wants a man to love who loves her back. Not only does the fool show that he knows what's truly going on, but Viola's response shows how she doesn't think twice about giving up this important information to the fool. The fool is inconsequential, and therefore can be told anything without a second thought.

//"This fellow is wise enough to play the fool, And to do that well craves a kind of wit. He must observe their mood on whom he jests, The quality of persons, and the time, And, like the haggard, check at every feather That comes before his eye. This is a practice As full of labour as a wise man's art, For folly that he wisely shows it fit, But wise men, folly-fall'n, quite taint their wit" (III.i.59-67)// [15].

Although this is not Feste speaking, it shows the intellegence an artificial fool such as Feste must have. It shows how the fool must need to know everything about the person he or she is making fun of; it shows how perceptive the fool needs to be. Lastly, it shows how 'wise men' are not witty enough to play the fool in any circumstance. The reason why the artificial/traditional fools know so much, besides the fact that they are deemed inconsequential, is because they need to be aware of everything to be able to properly jest with another person. They need to not only be aware of the truth, but they need to be able to use the truth for the entertainment of others. They need to be able to use the truth as a means of entertainment and a means of reading not only one person, but every person involved.