The fool, if memory serves, was a foil for the foibles of a monarch. At least, that was the case in Shakespeare’s liturgy.
The jester, in jest, could shout truth to power. The King, since it is his fool speaking, is not offended.
when thou clovest thy crown i’ th’ middle and gav’st away both parts…thou hads’t little wit in thy bald crown when thou gav’st thy golden one away.
See King Lear, Act 1 Scene 4.
Fools made mockery of great men. The Bard’s Fools told it like it was.
Although this post foolisly lags behind the day it is meant to commemorate, it carries the spirit of a beau jeste. Laugh on and be merry. Or, as Donald O’Connor danced and sang it, “Be a clown.”
All The Best 