• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.243-249
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• 2021

In the postmodern world, it is widely believed that being a fool or looking foolish can be more profound and unique than being smart and serious. Comic characters, or fool characters in comedy, have been used as basic tools to make people laugh in various cultures around the world. As such, this study will summarize the types of fool characters that have been depicted in plays and organize how they can be categorized in a culture of laughter as well as revealing their characteristics in performing arts. The ridiculous actions and words of fool characters fall outside the common dichotomy of wisdom and foolishness. This is significant and it is because the ways in which they act overturn the values that we consider to be truthful in the world of experience and contain wit and ridicule beyond the general knowledge. Also, it's worth pointing out that many comic characters that appear on TV shows are not all the same. To put it simply, each and every funny character has unique traits and these characters predictably change according to the times. In performing arts, a fool character's personality is displayed through his or her interactions with the audience. That is, on one hand, the character may or may not recognize himself as a fool, while on the other hand, the audience may regard the character as a fool or otherwise. Based on this background, the comic characters that appear in performing arts are categorized into four types and their features are discussed.