The witty fool of King Lear's court is a fine example of a "wise fool." The puns he creates are the lessons he wants to teach Lear. Often he will hold up a metaphorical mirror to the other characters in order to show them that they are acting as fools. He enters the stage while Kent and Lear are speaking and, referring to Kent, says, "Let me hire him too. Here's my coxcomb" (1.4.81) and "Sirrah, you were best take my coxcomb" (1.4.83). The Fool implies that Kent, by wishing to serve Lear, is acting so foolishly that he should don the fool's cap.
The unsuspecting Kent cannot comprehend what the Fool is saying so the Fool clarifies: Kent is a fool "for taking one's part that's out of favor [...]. Why, this fellow has banished two on's [i.e., of his] daughters, and did the third a blessing against his will. If thou follow him, thou must needs wear my coxcomb" (1.4.85-89). He implies that Kent (disguised here as Caius) should be wary of Lear's actions. Having banished his youngest daughter, Cordelia, and his best advisor, Kent, Lear is unlikely to remain loyal to someone as beneath him as "Caius." In this scene, the Fool follows the convention of pointing out truths that the characters themselves do not understand. As Janik suggests in her classification, the wise fool "perceives and acknowledges the weaknesses [...] of others" (3). The Fool points out what is obvious to him. If Kent were to follow Lear, he would be a "dupe or victim" (Janik 3), unaware of what is happening around him. The Fool, of course, does not recognize "Caius" as Kent.
Another example of the Fool fulfilling his duties as wise fool is the way in which he holds up his metaphorical mirror to Lear. One attribute of a Fool is that, in his keen perception of others, he is able to project foolishness onto those who are assuming the position of the fool without their noticing it. The Fool holds up a "mirror" in the sense that his wise folly reflects Lear's foolish folly (Jenstad). The person up to whom the Fool is holding the mirror sees himself as the foolish fool while the Fool proves to be the wiser person:
FOOL. Dost thou know the difference, my boy, between a bitter fool and a sweet fool?The Fool shows Lear, through a brief play-within-the-play, that the former king is now acting like the "bitter fool." The Fool suggests that Lear, in giving away his crown, has become the fool, and that he carries "[his] ass on [his] back" (1.4.141). Lear has inverted the role of the master and horse/ass. The Fool continues with his commentary, pointing out, in another image of inversion, that Lear has given control to his daughters--he has made his "daughters [his] mother" (1.4.149-50). Lear has given away his land and his family, and "all [his] other titles," and retains only one, that of the "bitter fool." It is a further insult to suggest that Lear was born with the title of "fool" (Jenstad). The Fool effectively forces Lear to look into a mirror and see himself as a fool. Clearly, Lear's royal status does not preclude folly; indeed, his folly is more reprehensible and has broader consquences because of his royal status.
LEAR. No, lad; teach me.
FOOL. That lord that counseled thee
To give away thy land,
Come place him here by me,
Do thou for him stand:
The sweet and bitter fool
Will presently appear;
The one in motley here,
The other found out there.
LEAR. Dost thou call me fool, boy?
FOOL. All thy other titles thou hast given away; that thou wast born with. (1.4.118-31)
-- Victoria Abboud, 2001