Fools and Kings in King Lear

A detailed Summary of Fools and Kings in King Lear

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 illicit 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

...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 fool

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 foolishness. Gloucester illustrates, through his use of verbal irony, that his foolishness

The character of the fool introspects our own intelligence. Do we, for instance, know for a fact that he who holds the highest office is the most intelligent or wisest person for the job? The thematic use of foolishness also defines much about human nature. Shakespeare brings up many interesting points about the role of evil in foolishness, tacitly stating that it is not necessarily foolish deeds that lead to evil, but evil that leads to foolish deeds. The crux of the play is one can avoid playing the fool by heeding one's own inner voice. As Edgar says in the last lines of the play, "The weight of this sad time we must obey / Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say" (V.iii.322-323).

lies in the fact that he never truly saw anything (e.g. the true nature of Edmund or Edgar) until he was blind. Another example of Gloucester's ignorant foolishness is the misfortune he predicts at the beginning of the play. He says,

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

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Approximate Word count = 1154
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English