Question

Who is the speaker? Why does the speaker say 'let me play the fool' ? What is the role of a fool in Elizabethan era?
Merchant of Venice
Act 1 Scene1
Workbook question 5 Part 1
I want full answer please​

Answer 1

Answer: The speaker, over here, is Gratiano. He says the quoted line because if Antonio has chosen to play the tragic character, he chooses to be playing a comic role. The old wrinkles means when one laughs, wrinkles appear on one's face. The fool in Elizabethan drama is someone employed to entertain a king or a duke or any other rich person who needs someone to entertain him. The convention in Elizabethan drama is that the fool is the most insightful and intelligent man in the play. He is usually the wisest character in the play.

Answer 2

Who is the speaker?

Just like fiction has a narrator, poetry has a speaker–someone who is the voice of the poem. Often times, the speaker is the poet. Other times, the speaker can take on the voice of a persona–the voice of someone else including animals and inanimate objects.

Why does the speaker say 'let me play the fool' ?

Antonio was sad and his friends were trying to get rid of his sadness. ... Antonio's role was to play a sad character and that was what he was doing. Gratiano replied that then his role would be that of a clown who would try to cheer him up.

What is the role of a fool in Elizabethan era?

The fool in Elizabethan drama is someone employed to entertain a king or a duke or any other rich person who needs someone to entertain him. The convention in Elizabethan drama is that the fool is the most insightful and intelligent man in the play. He is usually the wisest character in the play.