witty fool

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"Better a witty fool than a foolish wit." So says Feste in William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. Shakespeare indeed suffered fools gladly: he wrote of fools, populated his plays with them, and gave them some of his best lines. Consider: "Lord what fools these mortals be." That line comes from A Midsummer's Night's Dream, with the mischievous fairy Puck blaming the mortal lovers for actions that were actually brought on by his own mistake. In Shakespeare's As You Like It, Jacques cries, "A fool, A fool! I met a fool i' the forest, A motley fool" — the term motley referring to the multicolored dress of the jesters at that time. And, in The Merchant of Venice, the play's jester, Gratiano, defends himself with this sentiment, "Let me play the fool, With mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come." Today is April Fool's Day.

Quote:

"The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool." — William Shakespeare, As You Like It