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 foo...

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 ...

" I am a man more sinned against than sinning," this is Lear's evaluation of himself when he is at his weakest. To sin is to contravene the rules of God, as this play is set in times before the church played an active role in running the state the king was the only one who could say what is wrong or...