Shakespear
The Roles of the Fool in King Lear Fools in traditional royal households were seen as imbecils and jesters, nothing more. The older role of a royal fool, which Shakespeare adopted from the pagan setting of King Lear, was to correct minor faults and incongruencies in their masters. By detatching the Fool from a conventional fool's role, Shakespeare allows for the crowd's suspention of disbelief in the Fool's ability to get away with the comments he makes to the King. In the opening scenes, King Lear fails to arrouse pity from the audience despite the fact that he is the tragic hero. Enter the Fool in Act I, scene iv. The Fool's original and supposed role is that of an entertainer. Soon vernturing from this role, he provides the dramatic irony nessasary to close the gap between Lear's understandings and the audience's. The explicit and underlying roles of the Fool allow this juncture to occur. The Fool is used as the deciminator of ultimate truth to Lear, a representation of the goodness in Lear, and a manifestation of Cordilia in her absence. A gift of words is the Fool's only power. He speaks bitter truths to Lear in hopes that Lear will realize his folly. The Fool's commentary throughout the play is sad because he knows his state
ments are ineffective. The Fool attends to the King out of love and loyalty to him, "Nuncle Lear, nuncle Lear, tarry! Take the Fool with thee!" (I.iv.322). His concern is shown again when the Fool and Lear are exposed in the storm, "Good nuncle, in, and ask thy daughters blessing." (III, ii, 11-13). The Fool is laughed at, not because he is foolish, but because he speaks the truth. Lear is told he is a fool for not knowing the nature of his own daughters. Everyone laughs, but it is the truth. The Fool plays the role of the provider of painful truth, a friend who tells the truth but is ignored. He gets away with comments such as, "I had rather be any kind o'thing than a fool, and yet I would not be thee, nuncle" and "If thou wert my fool nuncle, I'd have thee beaten for being old before thy time...Thou should'st not have been old till thou had'st been wise." (I, iv, 176, I, v, 41-45). Eventually the Fool gets Lear to recognize the folly of his actions concerning his daughters, "But yet thou art my flesh, my blood, my daughter; or rather a disease that's in my flesh, which I needs call mine . . . Mend when thou canst" (II.iv.220-228). Not only is the Fool wise, but he is also committed to the side of good. His innate goodness allows him to portray the "good
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 850
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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