Fools and Kings
Shakespeare's dynamic use of irony in King Lear aids the microcosmic illustration of not only 16th century Britain, but of all times and places. The theme that best develops this illustration is the discussion of fools and their foolishness. This discussion allows
Shakespeare not only to portray human nature, but also to elicit a sort of Socratic
introspection into the nature of society's own ignorance as well.
One type of fool that Shakespeare involves in King Lear is the immoral fool.
Edmund, for instance, may be seen as a fool in the sense that he is morally weak. His
foolishness lies in the fact that he has no sense of right or justice, which rewards him with
an untimely, ironic death. He discusses this as his father, Gloucester, leaves to ponder the
"plotting" of his son Edgar. Edmund soliloquizes,
"This is the excellent foppery of the world, that
when we are sick in fortune...
...we make guilty of our disasters
the sun, the moon, and stars, as if we were villains
on necessity; fools by heavenly compulsion." (I. ii. 32)
for the sole purpose of illustrating his wickedness. Edmund realizes that his evil is self-
taught. This soliloquy shows the audience Edgar's foolishness in his belief that
malevolence is the force that drives one to greatness or prosperity. It also illustrates the
bastard's mistaken belief that by fooling his father, he might be able to eliminate Edgar,
the competition for Gloucester's title, and possibly rid himself of his father in the same
act. This is a prime example of immoral foolishness in King Lear.
Another type of fool in King Lear is the ignorant fool. Whereas characters such as
Goneril, Regan, and Edmund are fools because of their tendency to harm others for self-
gain, the ignorant foolish are not necessarily driven to evil. However, the evil are almost
always driven to foolish actions. Gloucester, arguably Lear's foil, puts forth an interesting
perspective in the play. His character is presented as one who is blind to the truth, and
ironically, one who becomes physically blind in the end. In actuality, it is his blindness to
the truth of Edgar's love and Edmund's greed and apathy that ultimately brings about
Gloucester's demise. When he says, "I have no way and therefore want no eyes, / I
stumbled when I saw" (IV.i.173), he seems to be illustrating the realization of his own
Social pressures change as time passes, therefore it is interesting to see how these three texts whom differ by almost four hundred years perceive society and the effect this has on the protagonists; Shakespeare’s King Lear which was first performed in 1606 during the Jacobean era, presents a patriarchal society. Whilst, Arthur Miller uses the characters in ‘Death of a salesman’ to show the failure of the ‘American dream’ during the “golden era” of America in the late 40’s. The ‘American Dream’ was a set of ideals which suggested that anyone in the US could be successful through hard work, and had the potential to live a happy life. The sense of the deterioration in the equality of opportunities links to the fall in power and hierarchy in King Lear. Arudanthi Roy, however, uses her contemporary Indian novel to illustrate, using a proleptic and coalesce structure, the lives of the protagonists living in a post – colonial society. In each of these three texts there are characters who fit the stereotypes that society has instilled in them, but then there are those characters who noticeably differ from the norm; According to 19th century novelist Alfred de Musset “how glorious it is – and how painful – to be an exception.” Hence this statement can be seen as applicable to these characters, because in all three texts these characters do end up losing a lot.
The general plot of King Lear revolves mainly around the conflict between the King and his daughters, although there is a definite and distinct sub-plot dealing with the plight and tragedy of Gloucester as well. One of the main themes that Shakespeare chooses to focus on in King Lear is the dysfunctional nature of not only the royal family and Gloucester, but the heartache and emotional strain that goes along with being a parent and having to make a decision that will divide your children. This play focuses on not only the after effects of this decision, but the way in which it affects the King, his children and his subjects as well.
King Lear is often regarded as one of Shakespeare’s finest pieces of literature. One reason this is true is because Shakespeare singlehandedly shows the reader what the human condition looks like as the play unfolds. Shakespeare lets the reader watch this develop in Lear’s own decisions and search for the purpose of life while unable to escape his solitude and ultimately his own death. Examining the philosophies Shakespeare embeds into the language and actions of King Lear allows the reader a better understanding of the play and why the play is important to life today.
Gloucester really that rotten of a father that he drove his son to do all
Written during a time of peace immediately following the conclusion of the War of the Roses between the Yorks and the Lancasters, William Shakespeare’s play Richard III showcases a multi-faceted master of linguistic eloquence, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, a character who simultaneously manages to be droll, revolting, deadly, yet fascinating. Richard's villainy works in a keen, detestable manner, manifesting itself in his specific use or, rather, abuse of rhetoric. He spends a substantial amount of time directly interacting and therefore breaking the fourth wall and orating to the audience in order to forge a relationship with them, to make members not only his confidants of murderous intentions, but also his accomplices and powerless, unwilling cohorts to his wrongdoings. Through the reader’s exploration of stylistic and rhetorical stratagem in the opening and final soliloquies delivered by Richard, readers are able to identify numerous devices which provide for a dramatic effect that make evident the psychological deterioration and progression of Richard as a character and villain.
Edmund, the bastard son of Gloucester is not pleased with his status as a bastard. Edgar the legitimate son of Gloucester stands to obtain the lands, wealth and power of his father. Edmund thinks this is unfair and begins a plot to banish his brother and obtain the lands of his father. He begins by writing a fake letter from Edgar saying that he wants to murder his father and wishes to take power by force. Edmund uses his deceiving abilities to make the letter seem genuine. He lies to his father about how he came into possession of the letter: “It was not brought me, my Lord; t...
Although not as advanced in its stagecraft as many of Shakespeare's other plays, the intricate web of metaphor and poetry in Richard II makes it perhaps the most meaningful and intense of the historical plays. Richard is not the sniveling villain a lesser playwright might have made him, but a philosopher and a poet whose ideas of majesty have been c...
Alexander the Great lived before Christ, but he was driven by a vision of global unity as modern as today. Alexander is seen in many roles in our culture. The most famous of these is being a great general and conqueror of the world. During his short life, Alexander conquered the known world and helped spread the culture of the Greeks. Much of what he accomplished must be viewed in the circumstances of his time and his upbringing. Without these we may not have had the spread of Greek culture or even heard of the man called Alexander. I will discuss how Alexander was able to accomplish all of this in such a short time and the events and strategies that helped him along the way. To understand the events of his life you need to know the man. Alexander's father, Philip II influenced the events in the military and political areas that eventually helped Alexander in his conquests. When Philip took power in 359 B.C., Macedonia was in turmoil and he immediately set out to put the people under his control. Philip developed the Macedonian army and formed alliances with the Balkan peoples. Philip established many political reforms that made his state a great power. He increased the size of the Royal Companions/heairoi, which gave more people positions of power and a sense of belonging to the kingdom. Also, the sons of the nobles were allowed to receive education in the court of the king. The reason for this was that the sons would develop a strong loyalty to the king; furthermore it allowed Philip, in a sense, to keep the sons hostage from their parents, from interfering with his authority. On the military side, the battle of Chaeronea, in August of 338 B.C., helped put Athenians and Thebans under Macedonia control, which left Sparta the only Greek state not under Philip's authority.
Alexander III the Great, the king of Macedonia and the conqueror of the Persian Empire is one of the most known personalities from the ancient civilization. According to the primary source “The Parallel Lives” the Greek writer Plutarch 46-119 A.D., "Alexander was born early in the month Hecatombaeon, the Macedonian name for which is Loüs, on the sixth day of the month, and on this day the temple of Ephesian Artemis was burnt"(Plutarch, “The Parallel Lives” ~ 100 A.D). He was the son of the Macedonian king Fillip the second and his wife Olympia the princess of Epirus. He spent his childhood watching his father turning Macedonia into a great military nation. He attended most of the political meetings with his father, “he entertained the ambassadors from the king of Persia, in the absence of his father, and entering much into conversation with them, gained so much upon them by his affability, and the questions he asked them, which were far from being childish or trifling...“ (Plutarch, “The Parallel Lives” ~ 100 A.D). When Alexander was 13 years his father hired the great Greece philosopher Aristotle to be his tutor. Alexander said to him, “At my parents I own my life; at my teacher i own my wellfare" (Plutarch, “The Parallel Lives” ~ 100 A.D). Aristotle taught him rhetoric, literature, science and medicine which was very important to his future life.
Alexander the Great was one of the world’s best commanders at the age of 18. Although he didn’t become king till the age of 20, he still led his comrades through many great victories. When he inherited his army from his father Philip, who was murd...
Western philosophy might argue that desire, hatred and delusion are not the roots of evil. It could be argued: “For the love of money is the r...
In Shakespeare’s King Lear, the Fool is a source of chaos and disruption in King Lear’s tumultuous life. The Fool causes the King distress by insulting him, making light of his problems, and telling him the truth. On the road to Regan’s, the Fool says “If thou wert my Fool, nuncle, I’d have thee / beaten for being old before thy time.” (1.5.40-41). He denies the king the respect due to him as an aged King, causing the King to wonder at his worthiness. The fool also makes light of Lear’s qualms making snide remarks in response to Lear’s ruminations. When Lear asks Edgar cryptically, “wouldst thou give ‘em all?” the Fool responds, “Nay, he reserved a blanket, else we had been all shamed” (3.4.69-72). The Fool’s snide remarks do little to maintain Lear’s fragile control of his faculties. However, the Fool speaks to the king candidly, a rare occasion in Lear’s life. Even Kent acknowledges the truth of the Fool’s statements, saying, “This is not altogether fool, my lord” (1.4.155).
There is such an incredible amount of killing, violence, and deceit in King Lear by many characters that it is difficult to choose the most evil character. The most evil character may deceive one into thinking she is less evil than she is, but upon closer inspection it is quite clear that the most evil character is Goneril. Nevertheless, some may think Edmund, Cromwell, or Regan are the worst, but for a variety of reasons Goneril surpasses their evil. First of all, how does one define evil? Anything highly immoral is evil. In terms of the play King Lear, the most common form of evil is deceit and cruelty.
Fools, as I understand them, were kept by kings as entertainment devices prior to the advent of television. Lear's Fool, how-ever, transcends the role as entertainer to assume the role of both Ann Landers and Jim Davis. Particularly intriguing to me are his witticisms and humorous tidbits which interweave foreshadowing, practical advice, humor, and characterization into a succinct, meterical saying.
The fool suggests that Lear ought to re- consider his perceptions of his daughters and the fool advises his guidance in a superficially frustrated murmur. Soon after, once Lear himself reaches outrageous, the misperception in his brain mirrors the chaos that has appeared upon his kingdom. At the equivalent instance, in spite of this, it furthermore conveys him with important intelligence by plummeting him to his exposed mortality, disadvantaged of everything royal and this helps Lear subsequently learn