the same as rut, which means to engage in sex in a wild animalistic manner; and the word tale is pronounced like tail, which was then a slang word for penis. Thus the Fool’s words suggest that life is a series of meaningless sexual encounters.
The usually morose Jacques also frequently comments on the absurdity or meaninglessness of life, but the Fool does so in way that is also witty, clever, and funny. Jacques has discovered that laughing at the ills of the world is preferable to crying over them.
Jacques continues explaining to Duke Senior that the Fool had made numerous other witty comments. Further, Jacques admired the wit of the Fool so much that he desires to become a fool himself: “I am ambitious for a motley coat” (43). A motley coat was a colorful jacket traditionally worn by court jesters, and thus it became a symbol for the fool.
Jacques even makes a pun of his own. When Duke Senior tells him that he shall get a motley coat,