 Seemingly guided by nothing other than natural instinct, the fool is not expected to grasp social conventions and thus is left to enjoy relative freedom, particularly in his or her freedom of speech.This unusual power dynamic is famously demonstrated through the fool in Shakespeare's "King Lear," who works in the royal court and remains the only character who Lear does not severely punish for speaking his mind about the king and his precarious situations.This ability to be reckless, honest, and free with language has greatly contributed to the wise fool's popularity in the literary imagination.