Marsy
I would say that yes it is saying literally he feels like a fool especially with the 5 of swords which means he's in a no win situation and feels defeated in where he is in the relationship.
Maybe it was as simple as someone new - maybe a chance encounter - totally turning his head. Not so much what he wanted, but what irresistably lured him into changing his mind.
Humanity has always needed that one person who does foolish things to make us laugh--which is why there have always been fools at royal courts, and clueless characters in plays. And yes, we in civilized times know it's cruel to laugh or mock people who aren't trying to make us laugh; who are just making honest mistakes. But we still play pranks and laugh at those who fall for them--and they laugh at falling for them too. We still watch comedies where people make dumb mistakes and, in scrambling to fix them, escalate their folly. We still love comedians who entertain us with monologues of their foolish moves. And, yes, sometimes that laughter is because the person looked at the thing very wrongly in their ignorance, in a way we never expected, in a way that might delight us as well as make us laugh (fish-out-of-water stories are all about such folly).
Ultimately, however, we're not laughing at them, but because these Fools help us to see, know, and laugh at ourselves. At the stupid things we've done. And in that laughter, we forgive ourselves for those times when we've been a Fool.
THAT is why the Fool is a major arcana. Yes, he can sometimes be an innovator that others see as foolish ("Men weren't meant to fly! What is that fool doing trying to create wings?") And there are those who are wise beyond their time that others mock because they're the fools and they don't understand. BUT, the Fool isn't just a major, an archetype for them. He is also a major, and archetype for our actual folly. Our actual dumb mistakes. The ones we make and post on YouTube for everyone to laugh at...and for us to laugh at as well, remembering, forgiving, learning from, and understanding that being silly, being clownish, being stupid, being unwise, is quintessentially human.
Answer to your question: YES. The Fool can stand for literally being a Fool. And I agree, given how you've described this girl, that this person got that card likely because she hasn't changed at all. What's changed is his perspective. The cards might be saying: "She hasn't changed, you Fool! She was always like this. You were too foolishly blind to see it."
I would say that yes it is saying literally he feels like a fool especially with the 5 of swords which means he's in a no win situation and feels defeated in where he is in the relationship.
THIS! This right here is what I wondered about? There is someone else he likes, a lot, and though he hasn't ended his relationship with the one in question most people see it as only a matter of time before he does.
It could be either. Even though in case of the former, more precisely, it would be the reverse: He is acting stupid (at least from her view), that is, moving from one relationship to another on a whim, without giving real devotion to any, that's why his feelings changed. He might call it "following his heart." It is quite possible that this was his attitude right from the beginning. Some men (and women) are wired that way, at least during a certain stage of their development.
Eh, I don't know about that. They have been together for 13 years and it has just been the last couple of years that he has had a change of feelings. His two previous relationships lasted about 5 years each, so he doesn't really jump from one to another on a whim.
Maybe it was as simple as someone new - maybe a chance encounter - totally turning his head. Not so much what he wanted, but what irresistably lured him into changing his mind.
THIS! This right here is what I wondered about? There is someone else he likes, a lot, and though he hasn't ended his relationship with the one in question most people see it as only a matter of time before he does.
I agree with your take on this. He is unhappy, he complains constantly about his relationship and how he is treated, and it is sad to see. When she isn't around he is happy and fun to be around but when she is around (which is most of the time) he is angry and people avoid him.
Hmm, I'm not sure if I'm getting this right. On the one hand, when I wrote:
you replied:
On the other hand, to Barleywine's thought
your answer was:
So it was just the emphasis that was a little off in my post- he did follow after another woman on a whim, after all?
So he is feeling at ease and natural when she isn't around - just like the Fool! I'd say, he longs to be like that again most of the time. That's the deeper reason why he started rejecting her and fell for another. The Fool makes perfect sense, from this perspective.
Hmm, I'm not sure if I'm getting this right. On the one hand, when I wrote:
you replied:
On the other hand, to Barleywine's thought
your answer was:
So it was just the emphasis that was a little off in my post- he did follow after another woman on a whim, after all?
So he is feeling at ease and natural when she isn't around - just like the Fool! I'd say, he longs to be like that again most of the time. That's the deeper reason why he started rejecting her and fell for another. The Fool makes perfect sense, from this perspective.
In fact, he might very well feel "sheepish" (or foolish) about being caught in the middle of this situation (as much for his reputation as for its effect on her), which is why he's hanging back. But in a positive sense the Fool portends a "new chapter" for him, if not so happily for her.