Court of King Lear: Who is the Fool?

Paper Summary:

This paper reviews the role of the fool in the play 'King Lear' by William Shakespeare. According to this paper, the fool is not only the vehicle of comic relief, but also delivers an important philosophical and political message.

From the Paper:

"FOOL [fool] or court jester, is a person who entertains with buffoonery and an often caustic wit (FOOL). The Fool appears often in Shakespeare's work, but nowhere is it more notable than in King Lear. For some, the character merely offers a sort of comic relief from Lear's increasingly tragic existence ("Comic Relief in King Lear"), while other critics see the Fool as an important philosophical and political statement (Bate). [King Lear] moves from a theoretical and philosophical inquiry into deep causes to a practical faith in the surface of human actions and a trust in the wisdom to be gained from immediate experience" (Bate). In addition to the debates surrounding the role of the Fool in King Lear, critics are unsure of which character the Fool is most closely connected (Bate)."

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• Comparison Essay # 125127 : "The Tragedy of King Lear"
• Analytical Essay # 116779 : "The Tragedy of King Lear"

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