Give me leave to speak my mind

Two sorts of fool

There are two sorts of fool: natural and artificial.

Natural fools are like Dogberry in Much Ado and Audrey in As You Like It. They are simple and their comedy is unwitting. Probably they are plump, disorderly, comic in appearance. They might look dim, chew grass, or generally appear mockable. We laugh at them, at their mistakes and misunderstandings, though they will often be honest and sympathetic characters.

Artificial fools are like Touchstone in As You Like It or Feste in Twelfth Night. They are clever and their comedy is complicated. They are employed to play the fool and wear the motley costume that signifies their position. They look comedic, but their motley signals a biting wit, not a dull one. They tell the truth but we might not always thank them for it.

Falstaff’s line—I am not only witty in myself but the cause that is wit in other men—catches something of this dichotomy. The natural fool is inherently amusing: it is their appearance, personality, education, and manner that makes us laugh. The artificial fool is amusing because of their act: it is their inventions, word play, and jokes that tickle our fancy.