King Lear (The New Folger Library Shakespeare)
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By Anonymous - March 22, 2000

In Elizabethan times, the role of a fool, or court jester, was to professionally entertain others, specifically the king. In essence, fools were paid to make mistakes. Many of the fool's quips and riddles were made at the expense of the king. The "all-licensed" fool was able to get away with this due to his position (1.4.191). By using the…

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