The Fool is the most foolish character in the play King Lear. Defend or refute this agreement. Use specific examples from the play to support your answer.
In order to explain, analyze and make a clear conclusion on this topic the main term must first be defined. According to the Collier’s Dictionary fool is defined as a person with little or no judgment, common sense and wisdom. Within this essay the position taken will be in opposition to the moot that the fool is the most foolish character in the play King Lear. The specific points in support of this topic will be; the fool is able to make prophecies that are real, being analytical, having a good recollection of past events and the fact the fool is assertive.
Other scholars would agree that the Fool within Shakespeare is actually foolish because he stayed subjected to Lear although his words were not being taken into consideration by the individuals surrounding him. However, one must stand in full affirmation with Professor Bradley who states “the fool has an impact way beyond his status.” This is so because the Fool was able to make prophecies that always came through in a matter of time. For example in Act 1 Scene 4 he stated the downfall of the Kingdom and the deceit of Goneril and Regan and these prophetic images came to pass. The question must be asked can an individual who has an impact beyond their status be foolish, can an individual who make prophetic statement be foolish? The answer to this question is a resounding no. An individual who portray these attributes cannot be foolish.
Also, the Fool within King Lear is not foolish because of the mere fact that he could have been seen to be analytical. The Fool tells Kent that “Lear has blessed Cordelia and cursed Goneril and Regan by sending her away. This statement is seen to be analytical because an ordinary person would see only the present situation but he looked beyond this and saw the results because Cordelia was actually blessed, since she escaped from the misery life of her sisters and father. A person who is primarily foolish would not be such a deep thinker and analytical.
In addition, it can be said that the fool was able to remember occurrences from the past, in other words he had a good recollection. Not only had he a good recollection but he was able to use this ability effectively. This can be seen where the Fool stated “nothing can come of nothing.” Making a recollection of what King Lear told his daughter when she said she had nothing to say. This was seen to be significant by the Fool since he figured the King will be left with nothing also.
Finally, the Fool can be said to be assertive because he does not need to justify his words like a fool would. A true fool would like to justify his words where as one who is not would not try to persuade you to believe him. Due to the fact it is not a necessity for him to justify his prophecies this allows Lear to start to believe the fools’ prophetic promises and sayings. A person with normal intelligence would not find a fool statement to be valid or reliable. However, one can see this was not case since he was not actually foolish.
In order to explain, analyze and make a clear conclusion on this topic the main term must first be defined. According to the Collier’s Dictionary fool is defined as a person with little or no judgment, common sense and wisdom. Within this essay the position taken will be in opposition to the moot that the fool is the most foolish character in the play King Lear. The specific points in support of this topic will be; the fool is able to make prophecies that are real, being analytical, having a good recollection of past events and the fact the fool is assertive.
Other scholars would agree that the Fool within Shakespeare is actually foolish because he stayed subjected to Lear although his words were not being taken into consideration by the individuals surrounding him. However, one must stand in full affirmation with Professor Bradley who states “the fool has an impact way beyond his status.” This is so because the Fool was able to make prophecies that always came through in a matter of time. For example in Act 1 Scene 4 he stated the downfall of the Kingdom and the deceit of Goneril and Regan and these prophetic images came to pass. The question must be asked can an individual who has an impact beyond their status be foolish, can an individual who make prophetic statement be foolish? The answer to this question is a resounding no. An individual who portray these attributes cannot be foolish.
Also, the Fool within King Lear is not foolish because of the mere fact that he could have been seen to be analytical. The Fool tells Kent that “Lear has blessed Cordelia and cursed Goneril and Regan by sending her away. This statement is seen to be analytical because an ordinary person would see only the present situation but he looked beyond this and saw the results because Cordelia was actually blessed, since she escaped from the misery life of her sisters and father. A person who is primarily foolish would not be such a deep thinker and analytical.
In addition, it can be said that the fool was able to remember occurrences from the past, in other words he had a good recollection. Not only had he a good recollection but he was able to use this ability effectively. This can be seen where the Fool stated “nothing can come of nothing.” Making a recollection of what King Lear told his daughter when she said she had nothing to say. This was seen to be significant by the Fool since he figured the King will be left with nothing also.
Finally, the Fool can be said to be assertive because he does not need to justify his words like a fool would. A true fool would like to justify his words where as one who is not would not try to persuade you to believe him. Due to the fact it is not a necessity for him to justify his prophecies this allows Lear to start to believe the fools’ prophetic promises and sayings. A person with normal intelligence would not find a fool statement to be valid or reliable. However, one can see this was not case since he was not actually foolish.
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