ABSTRACT
Lear's Fool stands in a place apart a sacred place; but, of Shakespeare's other Fools, Feste, the so-called Clown in Twelfth Night, has always lain nearest to the heart. He is not, perhaps, more amusing than Touchstone, to whom the author bow profoundly in passing; but he loves him more. Whether Lear's Fool was not slightly touched in his wits is disputable. Though Touchstone is both sane and wise, people sometimes wonder what would happen if he had to shift for himself. All the agility of wit and fancy, all the penetration and wisdom, which Feste shows in his calling, would not by themselves explain the feeling for him. But his mind to him a kingdom is, and one full of such present joys that he finds contentment there. To think of Twelfth Night is to think of music. It opens with instrumental music, and ends with a song.
