More handpicked essays just for you.
The role of the fool in the play king lear
The role of the fool in the play king lear
The role of the fool in the play king lear
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: The role of the fool in the play king lear
Importance of the Fool in King Lear
Beginning in the late 17th century, producers of King Lear removed the Fool from productions of King Lear. He did not return until 1838. Producers greatly diminished both King Lear and Lear as a result.
One should notice the importance of the Fool very early in the play. In Scene 4, Lear asks for his Fool twice. The second time is just a few lines after the first. He seems to need his Fool urgently. Yet the Fool has been pining over the loss of Cordelia (1.4. ). Yet Lear orders the Fool to come to him.
Upon the Fool's arrival, one can see the Fool is a king of teacher to Lear (1.4. ). The Fool arrives and begins to teach Lear a speech. Also, when the King is going mad, he asks the advice of the Fool. Although Lear may not realize it, he constantly depends on the Fool.
In addition to advice and teaching, the Fool adds commentary on Lear's decision. He voices what many people are thinking-Lear is the Fool. In fact, the Fool calls Lear less than a fool. He calls him nothing (1.4. ). His constant comments shed...
Once his daughter’s exiled him from the kingdom, Lear and the Fool find themselves outside in a fierce storm. The turning point for Lear is when he is outside in the storm. It is through his anger over his last confrontation with his "family" and the power of the storm that begin the process of change within Lear.
Through Lear, Shakespeare expertly portrays the inevitability of human suffering. The “little nothings,” seemingly insignificant choices that Lear makes over the course of the play, inevitably evolve into unstoppable forces that change Lear’s life for the worse. He falls for Goneril’s and Regan’s flattery and his pride turns him away from Cordelia’s unembellished affection. He is constantly advised by Kent and the Fool to avoid such choices, but his stubborn hubris prevents him from seeing the wisdom hidden in the Fool’s words: “Prithee, tell him, so much the rent of his land comes to: he will not believe a fool” (Shakespeare 21). This leads to Lear’s eventual “unburdening,” as foreshadowed in Act I. This unburdening is exacerbated by his failure to recognize and learn from his initial mistakes until it is too late. Lear’s lack of recognition is, in part, explained by his belief in a predestined life controlled completely by the gods: “It is the stars, the stars above us govern our conditions” (Shakespeare 101). The elder characters in King Lear pin their various sufferings on the will of...
Lawrence believes that the storm is a symbol of King Lear’s own turmoil that he is unable to realize. Furthermore, when King Lear wishes to die in the storm, he hopes to make his death more significant than it really is. Lawrence also argues like many other critics that King Lear’s suffering is largely voluntary, which he believes King Lear does to give his life more meaning. Lawrence also describes the Fool similarly to other critics as King Lear’s guide. For instance, despite all the suffering King Lear faces in the storm scene, the Fool reminds him that he can ask for Cordelia’s blessing to feel better (Lawrence 40). However, King Lear fails to recognize the Fool’s words of wisdom being caught up in his own self-righteousness. This can be seen in King Lear’s speech demanding for an apocalypse when he accuses others of crimes to show his superiority over others (Lawrence 41). Only once King Lear calms down later in the play does he begin to seek a meaningful death. However, it may have been too late for King Lear as he remains unable to escape from Being due to how he acted before (Lawrence
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).
Lear is estranged from his kingdom and friends, causing his loss of sanity. In the midst of Lear's self-pity he is discovered by the fool. Fittingly enough the fool is the one able to lead Lear back to the normal world. He is made to appreciate the people who truly cared about him from the beginning. He sees that they were right all along, and repents from his foolish decision, though it's too late to do him any good.
Despite its undeniable greatness, throughout the last four centuries King Lear has left audiences, readers and critics alike emotionally exhausted and mentally unsatisfied by its conclusion. Shakespeare seems to have created a world too cruel and unmerciful to be true to life and too filled with horror and unrelieved suffering to be true to the art of tragedy. These divergent impressions arise from the fact that of all Shakespeare's works, King Lear expresses human existence in its most universal aspect and in its profoundest depths. A psychological analysis of the characters such as Bradley undertook cannot by itself resolve or place in proper perspective all the elements which contribute to these impressions because there is much here beyond the normal scope of psychology and the conscious or unconscious motivations in men.
Either he can't seem to grasp who he is, or he isn't self assured what others think of him. His question redeems the truth of reality. “Who is it that can tell me who I am? (I. iv. 10)”, Lear re-evaluates his intellect, however, he asks the rhetorical questions in a manor that doesn't quite suggest his own faults; instead, he gives the impression that the answers are self-evident. He expects a response in favor to his own, but discovers that no one can tell him what he wants to hear.
As the play opens one can almost immediately see that Lear begins to make mistakes that will eventually result in his downfall. The very first words that he speaks in the play are :- "...Give me the map there. Know that we have divided In three our kingdom, and 'tis our fast intent To shake all cares and business from our age, Conferring them on younger strengths while we Unburdened crawl to death..." (Act I, Sc i, Ln 38-41) This gives the reader the first indication of Lear's intent to abdicate his throne.
father, King Lear. This becomes the center of the play and also leads to the
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.
...world has been turned upside-down, his master has now slipped into absolute madness and is beyond the fool’s help. He no longer serves a purpose to the king, and predicts both his, and - as he has shared his fate to this point - Lear’s death with his final line in the play:
There is a conflicting message of Lear’s sanity versus his madness, which may only be fully revealed by the end of the play. Many signs point towards his madness, but a few point towards his sanity. His path to redemption remains intact as long as he possesses these qualities.
Lear’s first ‘speech of a madman’ occurs when he meets Tom (Edgar). From this point on, Lear slips into madness as Tom slowly begins to rise back up and reclaim his identity as Edgar. Therefore, Edgar is essentially the foil of Lear, as Edgar is powerless and Lear is (mostly) sane when they first meet and then Edgar begins to regain his status and Lear begins to lose his sanity after they meet. Edgar, as Tom, takes on the role of the fool for Lear, who demands he stay with him. The role of the fool in this play is basically the logic, honesty and the knowledge of the audience. For instance, the character who originally plays Lear’s fool is the only one who can speak freely with Lear and criticize his actions. The Fool is also honest and ‘calls it as he sees it’ whereas everyone else in the play tells Lear exactly what he wants to hear, except of course Kent who is banished for speaking honestly to the king about his actions towards
The fool senses Lear’s madness since he presumes that no sane individual would venture into such a cold storm and then proceed to strip naked. Since the fool actually is Lear’s closest advisor and practically his guardian, he urges Lear to go in the hut when he exclaims, “holy water in a dry house is better than this rainwater out o' door. Good nuncle, in, and ask thy daughters blessing” (Lear 3.2.10-12). He understands that the only way to keep Lear from going even more psychotic is to get him dry and in a place where he can talk with him about the current situation as well as his current emotions towards his kingdom crumbling at the
This is shown as he asks the question “Who is it that can tell me who I am?” (I.iv. 236). In addition, the Fool’s retort provides further insight into the crisis of identity Lear is facing; the identity of “Lear” was defined by his titles and authority, and thus he now stands merely a shadow, a shattered fragment of his former self left to wander without purpose. Truly, Lear’s confusion as to who he truly is, following the division of his kingdom, goes on to prove that one’s identity is largely influenced by one’s societal status, and that great psychological crisis and distress can result from both of these things becoming