Comment on the Fool's mocking speeches in act 2 scene 4

The fool's mocking speeches in act 2 scene 4 makes the scene even more interesting and humourus by the way in which the Fool uses his creative metaphors, illustrations and rhymes throughout the scene. On page 66, lines 1-9, the Fool states,

"Fathers that wear rags

Do make their children blind.

But fathers that bear bags

Shall see their children kind."

This seems to mean that children are only kind to their fathers when they are rich and have materialistic things to give, but when they don't have their riches anymore their children tend to neglect them. Here the Fools seems to be hinting to the King that his daughters, Regan and Goneril do not want him anymore because he has given all his riches to them and they are no longer in need of him. This was another hint to Lear that him giving away his kingdom to his daughters was not the smartest decision he made, but Lear did not seem to realise what he was saying. The Fool's last two lines- lines 8 and 9- contradict and question what King Lear will receive in the coming year, whether it be a lot of money or pain.

Later on in the scene, the Fool's second speech to kent shows the audience/reader that the fool was trying to show Kent that serving the King will get him no where because the King is miserable and poor now, so he should, " Let go thy hold when a great wheel runs down a hill, lest it break thy neck with following." He further states that he only wants idiots to follow his advice because it is the advice of a fool. The last 8 lines seem to be a foreshadow of what is going to happen when the storm comes, which is that some will leave the King alone in the storm and the fool will stay in the storm but the wise will run away.

Lastly, the fools final speech to King Lear was telling him to continue talking to his heart like the cockney- housewife- did to the eels in her pie, for it will not change or help anything that he is suffering right now so he can continue talking to it like a fool, but nothing will change. This thus shows the audience that the King just continues to get more foolish and miserable as the plot unravels.

Is the Fool really the most foolish character?

The statement, "The fool is the most foolish character in the play King Lear", can be seen as true from one perspective, as well as false from another perspective. Different scenes of the play portray the fool as being quite foolish, whereas others seem to show his hidden intelligence. The word "fool" according to the online free dictionary as one who is deficient in judgement, sense or understanding as well as one who is made to appear ridiculous. Throughout the play both meanings of the word "fool" seemed to be quite evident, thus giving the impression that yes the fool was foolish and may be considered to be the most foolish, but then again, he still might not be.

Firstly, the fool may not be seen as the most foolish character in the play because in Act 1 as well as within various parts of the play, King Lear was seen as foolish for many reasons. In Act 1 for example, the King was giving away his land and riches to his three daughters, where he would be left without any land, money and not even his crown. This seems to be a very foolish move, since without all of those assets he cannot be considered a king for the power lies within the luxuries of the kingdom and not merely just the title of king. In addition, he also seems quite foolish when he banished Cordelia because she was unable to proclaim her love for him in a flattering way like her sisters did. This showed that Lear was blinded by all the nice words his daughters spoke and did not use good judgement when he made his decisions of banishing his favourite daughter, as well as giving away all of his kingdom and power to his snobby daughters Goneril and Regan.

Secondly, it may be said that the fool was quite wise since he always seemed to know what was going on throughout the play, and he always tried to help various characters in the play to realise their mistakes. This is made evident in Act 1 scene 4 where King Lear asks the Fool if he is calling him a fool and the Fool replies by saying, "All thy other titles thou hast given away that thou wast born with," which means that the King has given away all of his other rightful titles to his daughters foolishly, and the only title left for him now is the one of "fool". He further says a speech to the King in Act 1 scene 4 page 45, where he states that whe the king cut his own kingdom and crown in half and gave away both parts, he was foolish and was as foolish as the old man who carried his donkey on his back instead of letting the donkey carry him and he was not that smart in giving away the gold crown of his kingdom. The fool ends that speech with a song, where the king merely brushes off the speech in the end and takes no interest in it whatsoever. This thus proves that the Fool is wise and does realise what is going on and tries to help the King to realise his mistakes but since he is made to appear ridiculous, the King does not take him seriously. Goneril also gives evidence of the Fool being intelligent where she tells the Fool "I would you would make use of your good wisdom, " which directly gives the audience the impression that Goneril does realise that the Fool is quite intelligent and there is truth to what he is saying.

On the other hand, it may be argued that the Fool is quite foolish since according to one of the definitions, he did appear to be ridiculous by the way in which he constantly used metaphors, rhymes and illustrations to make his character more humourus and appealing to the audience. This is made evident by the way in which he mocks Kent in the stocks, by answering Kent's question- " Where learn'd you this fool"- by saying, "Not i' th' stocks fool." Another example would also be in Act 2 scene 4 where he uses an egg as a metaphor and symbol to King Lear's crown and kingdom and calls Lear a fool for giving them away as well as in Act 3 scene 6 where he says, "Cry you mercy, I took you for a joint-stool," which he says in a way to ebarrass Goneril by stating that he thought she was a good person or a well made chair instead of a crude stool- bad person. This thus shows that the Fool seems to make a joke out of everything as well as him mocking people, which in turn makes the characters in the play not take his words seriously even though what he is saying is the truth.

In conclusion it may be seen that the Fool is not necessarily the "most" foolish character in the play, but he is considered to be foolish because of him appearing to be ridiculous. This is because King Lear is considered to be quite foolish since he gave away all his power to his daughters and no longer has authority over the kingdom and nothing that can really be called his and the fool also seems quite foolish since he continues to follow the King even though he has nothing, but he may also be considered as being loyal to the King and persistent in making sure that the King realises his mistakes. The fool is this considered as being quite wise since he always knew what was going on within the play, and seemed to try to warn the other characters of the wrong they have done. He may be seen as the most foolish wise man within the play.

Act 2 Scene 1 questions and answers

1) Shoe the dramatic significance of Curana's reference to the impending moor between the Duke of Albany and the Duke of Cornwall.

The dramatic importance os Curan's reference to the impending moor between the Duke of Albany and the Duke of Cornwall is that the mere mention of the conflict between both Duke's seems to be a foreshadow of the drama that is going to take place later down in the play, as well as to show the audience that there seems to be some sort of conflict between almost ever character within the book so far.

2) By what trick does Edmind completely convince Gloucester of Edgar's guilt?

Edmund completely convinces Gloucester of Edgar's guilt by making it appear as though Edgar has wounded him in the event of trying to go through with his evil plan, which Edmund claimed to have been to persuade him to kill Gloucester, when in truth, Edmund cut his own arm and staged the fight on his own. He did this so that he could create the illusion that everything was Edgar's fault, and he wanted to kill his father (Gloucester), when it really wasn't true at all. Edgar was quite confused and thought Edmund was helping him.

3) Comment on the part played by Regan in this scene.

Regan in this scene seems to be very outspoken and seemsto have a lot to say on the topic of Edgar, Edmund and Gloucester. She too seems to be buying in to what Edmund is saying and thinks that they should hunt down Edgar for his and Gloucester's own good.

4) What so we learn about Cornwall's character and disposition in this scene?

In this scene, we seems to learn that Cornwall does not seem to say too much, which makes it appear as though he is not very opinionated and only speaks when it is necessary. Regan seems to speak a lot more than he does throughout this scene.

The dramatic significance of the Fool in King Lear

In King Lear, the Fool seems to be the funniest and smartest character throughout the drama. Even thought the Fool jokes around and makes people laugh, most of the time his jokes are not really jokes, but rather the truth disguised as something seemingly funny. The other characters do not seem to be smart enough to realise what the Fool is really saying, or even taking the time to consider that his words may be of serious truth and not just humour. The other characters appear to be too engrossed with their own situations, the Fool's humourous personality and funny gestures to think that his words are true and not false.
The significance of the Fool thus seems to be to bring humour to the play and making the play seem a bit more interesting as he prances around the characters saying something that appears to be funny. In addition, he also seems to try to hint certain things to the characters to open their eyes to certain situations. For example, in Act 1 scene 5 where the Fool asked Lear if he knows why a snail has a house, where Lear asked why and the Fool replies "Why, to put ’s head in—not to give it away to his daughters and leave his horns without a case." This means that the snail always carries a house on his back so that he always has a roof over his head and he can't give his shelter to his daughters, leaving him without shelter. Here the Fool seems to be hinting to King Lear that dividing his whole kingdom among his two daughters was not the smartest thing to do, but King Lear does not realise this and doesn't take his words to heart. This makes it evident that the Fool is sadly not being taken seriously by the characters so far, since they believe him to be uttering a lot of funny lines, instead os saying something of substance that could possibly help them. The Fool seem to know a lot more than they think.

Analysis of the video as it relates to the play

The video of Act 1 scene 1 in the play King Lear, seems to be both different and similar to the book, King Lear in several ways. Firstly, the video and the book are quite similar since they both have all the names of the characters in that first scene, which were King Lear, Goneril, Regan, Cordelia, Kent, Gloucester , Albany, Cornwall, the King of Burgundy and the King of France. In addition, all the lines were said and made clear throughout both the movie and the book, where each charter played his/her part in shaping the plot of the drama.

On the other hand, the book and the movie were quite different in a few ways. Firstly, the video brought out more emotion and meaning to the words that were spoken by the characters as opposed to the book. In the video, the tone and pitch of the words that each character spoke helped to show either the anger and rage that King Lear had when Cordelia was unable to profess his love for her as well as Cordelia being sad and confused at not knowing what to say. Furthermore, the video gave the audience a chance to actually view the characters of the drama. In this way, the emotions of each character were seen which made their character traits more evident to the audience, as well as the facial expressions and gestures made by each character. For example, the video expresses King Lear's expressions of hate, anger and disappointment known, as he shouts and lifts up his hands as he speaks which suggests his anger, as well as the way in the which he stands up on the table to shout at Cordelia. It also made Cordelia's sadness clearer when she is shown crying as she speaks to her father. More over, the clothing and the setting of the play gives the reader a sense of the time period the drama took place, which was the Elizabethan time period. All the different characteristics of the video helped to make the play more enjoyable and meaningful to the audience as opposed to the book, since the audience now has a true visual image of each character and the feelings are made clearer as well.

Answers to the Questions on King Lear

Act 1 scene 1


1) What insight are we given into King Lear's character in the opening speeches?

In the opening speeches, we see that King Lear seems to be tired of owning the large kingdom and realizes that since he is getting old, he should split the kingdom among his three daughters, Goneril, Regan and Cordelia. It also seems like the King is getting a bit foolish and not wiser with age, since he is dividing his kingdom and believes that even though different parts of the kingdom will be in his daughter's hands he will still have authority over it. Lear believes that because he will still have the title of King he still has some sort of authority, when in truth that is not so, since he gave up his kingdom and his crown to his daughters and their husbands. Furthermore, King Lear seems to be a person who rather be flattered by nice words than realize the true feelings his daughters have for him instead of all the lies and "sucking up". His trait of being rather irrational also ties into him being rather full of himself since he disowns Cordelia just because she could not put her feelings into words and over exaggerate like her sisters did.


2) Compare the answers of Goneril and Regan to the King's demand to hear the extent of their love.

In Goneril's speech, she seemed to have been saying a lot of meaningful things and expressing her love for her father by embellishing on her love a bit too much just so that she could win the largest gift - a larger portion of the kingdom-from her father. Similarly, Regan's speech overly exaggerrated her love for her father as well, but she tried to out do her sister Goneril in the process. Regan did this by saying that her sister said everything she would have said but she fell short of the truth, and further claims that King Lear;s love makes her happy. Thus trying to say that her love for her father surpasses Goneril's love for him.


3) " Be Kent unmannerly when Lear is mad"
Do you think that Kent is justified in saying that Lear is mad (crazy)?

Yes i do believe that Kent is justified in saying that Lear is going mad. This is because King Lear is giving away his kingdom to his eldest daughter's who don't even love them as much as they are claiming to, but rather they only want the kingdom for themselves and seek to take advantage of their fathers age, sicne they believe he is getting older and not wiser but foolish. King Lear clearly does not know the consequences of his actions at this point, due to him being too upset and disappointed with Cordelia.


4) Why do you think Shakespeare has used rhyming lines in Kent's last speech?

I think that Shakespeare used rhyming lines in Ken't last speech so that the meaning of the speech could be enhanced and the words would catch everyone's attention as Kent was saying them. For his speech was one that should have been listened to and not just heard by all three sisters and King Lear.


5) Show that the King of France's words to Cordelia are calculated to heal the wounds that Lear has inflicted on her.

It is evident that the King of France's words to Cordelia have meant to heal the wounds of her father's words by merely listening to the speeches that he gave through out Act 1 scene 1. Here France says, " Fairest Cordelia, that art most rich being poor, Most choice forsaken, and most loved despised," which means that France believes Cordelia to be all the richer now that she is poor, more valuable now that she is rejected, and more loved now that she is hated. He further states that he will take her for her virtues, and that it is strange that in neglecting you, the Gods have made him love her dearly. France seems to be trying to make Cordelia feel a bit better by not saying lies or things that she would like to hear, but rather telling her the truth and what deserves to be said about her and her truthful actions.


6) What is morally the state affairs within the play at the close of the 1st scene?

The state affairs within the play at the close of the 1st scene is that Cordelia ends up going away with the King of France instead of the King of Burgundy and the King has disowned Cordelia for good because of her not being able to express her love for him the way he would have hoped her to. In addition, the very last few speeche of Act 1 scene 1 were spoken by Goneril and Regan, where it seems like they have caught on to King Lear's senile and confused behaviour. As a result, the sister's seem to have a plan up their sleeve and intend to strike while the iron is hot.


Act 1 scene 2


1) What sort of excuse does shakespeare let Edmund make for the course he is willing to pursue?

The excuse Shakespeare lets Edmund make for the course he is willing to pursue is that he should be not be deprived of his rights just because he was born after his brother Edgar. Even thought they call him "bastard" and "lowlife", he argues that he is just as gifted in mind and body as legitimate children, and that their father loves him just as much as he loves Edgar.



2)How does Edmund strengthen his plot by appearing to defend his brother?

Edmund strengthens his plot by appearing to defend his brother where he makes it seem as though he is on his brother's side, when in truth he is the vllian setting him up instead. That way, Gloucester would not think or even consider Edmund to have anything to do with it, thus making him think the letter and everything Edmund is saying is true.

3) Show how the Gloucester's gullibility and Edgar's nobility plays into Edmund's hand.

Gloucester's gullibility plays quite well into Edmund's hand throughout this scene because he seems to believe every word that that Edmund is saying and even though he questions the handwritting of the letter , Edmund answers him in such a way that Gloucester's gullibility brings him back in. When it comes to his brother Edgar,his nobility plays into Edmund's hand as well as his father's gullibility does, for Edgar seems to be so innocent that he can't suspect anyone as close as his brother would try or want to hurt him and thus thinks that Endmund is trying to help him instead. This is made eveident when Edmund says to himself, "A credulous father, and a brother noble—Whose nature is so far from doing harms that he suspects none."