The role the Fool in the Tragedy of King Lear The Fool in William Shakespeare's King Lear is often mistaken as foolhardy, but everything he says has a deeper significance and greater truth. Since he is the court jester, the audience assumes that the Fool's main purpose is to entertain us. The Fool's dramatic function is not to humor us, but to tell King Lear the truth through his metaphoric rhymes and jests. The Fool is a representation of King Lear's psyche. When the Fool disappears after Act III, scene ii, what is left of King Lear's stable mentality quickly disintegrates. The relationship between King Lear is