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.