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 statements ar
This acts as a constant reminder of Lear's folly in banishing her. Not only is the Fool wise, but he is also committed to the side of good. Everyone laughs, but it is the truth. Lear is told he is a fool for not knowing the nature of his own daughters. 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 . The most obvious connection between Cordilia and the Fool, though, is made at the end of the play. The Fool plays the role of the provider of painful truth, a friend who tells the truth but is ignored. The Fool plays an integral role in the manipulation of the audience's evolution of feeling. This indicates that Lear is incapable of seeing himself and solidifies the Fool's representation of Lear's "good side. His innate goodness allows him to portray the "good side" of Lear, Lear: Who is it that can tell me who I am? Fool: Lear's shadow. Lear's level of sanity can also be represented by his interaction with the Fool.
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