The Social Role of the Fool

Before beginning to understand what it means for someone to be a “triple fool,” the title and central theme of this poem, it is necessary to understand what the term “fool” meant in early modern English.

“Fool” is a word still used today to mean someone who is foolish or silly. It is even still connected with ideas about romantic love – the cultural trope that people do foolish things when they are overwhelmed with romantic feelings persists today. However, a “fool” was not just a label placed on someone to describe their behavior – it was also, for some, a job title. All royal courts, and many noble households, employed at least one and often several fools. (In literature written today about the early modern and medieval periods, the term “jester” is often used, but in fact in the era it was...