blog post 35

ah the fool, Shakespeare has a knack for whimsical characters that seem a little wise beyond their years. One such is the fool of King Lear, a maniacal little creature. In Act 1 Scene 5 is a perfect example of the fools supposed gibberish, being the hidden understanding to all of the Kings problems and the leading to his own demise. With phrases like "She will taste as like this as a crab"(Shakespeare, 18) seeming like just mere banter, to "Thou shouldst not have been old till thou hadst been wise"(Shakespeare,43) peering into the weaknesses of Lear and in it comprehending the crippling qualities of the King. In this way the fool acts much like a foreshadowing tool in the play, as well as ironically being the sensible fool in a realm of mad royalty.  

Blog Post 34

Edmund from the Shakespeare play King Lear, is a dastardly character built on being the "Bastard child." In Act 1 Scene ii Edmund's  unusual behavior is seen as nothing suspicious to that of his family, but to the reader after his monologue spouting phrases like "I am rough and lecherous." (Shakespeare, 138) We know all to well of his mischievous snake-like qualities. Brought about even more so by his hatred for his family as well as humanity itself. With phrases like "we are sick in fortune" (Shakespeare, 126) and "we make guilty of our disasters" (Shakespeare 127) it's not hard to follow that Edmund is a villainous antagonist. This was a great shift in character to the Edmund we met in scene i. In the previous scene Edmund appeared as a quiet belittled second son that didn't much like the idea of open speaking let alone evil plotting. This character is a Shakespeare classic bringing a silver tongued devil to the spotlight of the stage is a great way to entice an audience.