Given the widespread depiction of mad characters (simpletons/fools) in Iranian folk tales, this study aims to analyze the actantial roles of such characters based on Greimas’s actantial narrative model. Employing a qualitative, document-based methodology, 25 Iranian folk tales were selected in which the mad character played a central role. Findings indicate that these characters primarily function as Subjects (Actants) or Helpers, suggesting a culturally embedded narrative concern with the social utility and functional roles of mad individuals in achieving others’ goals. Within the narrative program, the stages of Competence (Power) and Performance (Action) are emphasized more than other stages, indicating a narrative focus on the (in)capacity of mad characters to engage in purposeful action. The assessment of their effectiveness predominantly reveals their incompetence in directing goal-oriented actions. In response to this incompetence, narrators employ varied and often contradictory attitudes—ranging from compassion and protection to neglect and avoidance. Nevertheless, a dominant cultural outlook emerges in which mad characters occasionally benefit others but remain fundamentally incapable of achieving personal objectives, often culminating in their own demise.