Discuss the Role of the Fool in King Lear.
... of the Fool, and it is very seldom that he makes any interaction with other characters; once the dramatic tensions in the play have reached their peak, he disappears to allow Lear to re-integrate himself into society as his own person. It is clear that Lear sets great store on his relationship with the Fool, and turns to him, at least on a subconscious level, for comfort and advice; he first calls upon him when he begins to notice disobedience and perceives ‘a faint neglect’, twice issuing summons. This shows a dependence in Lear which is hitherto unseen; he shuns the advice of even close members of his court, such as Kent in the opening scene, and has only summoned people to him in order to dictate to them; here, he wishes for the Fool to talk to him. The Fool is quick to take advantage of the vulnerability which this exposes in the King; he understands the less unequal nature of their relationship, realising that he will be treated with lenience when he comments on the folly committed by Lear in the opening scene. In this first interaction with the King, his sarcasm seems to be unrelenting – “this fellow has banished two on’s daughters, and done the other a blessing against his will’ – although Lear gives little other than a warning in response, revealing no other reaction. However, the audience can be assured that the Fool has done enough to earn credibility in the eyes of the King: it is clear from the exchange of language between them that the relationship is intimate, permissive, and underpinned with an understanding of each other. Lear’s natural condescension is echoed without qualm by the Fool; he returns the informal name ‘sirrah’, uses the ‘thou’ form of address, and, once he has been named a ‘bitter fool’ in two simple words, proves in a riddling four lines that the epithet better fits the King. The relationship, therefore, reflects two imbalances which form a delicately poised equilibrium: the Fool is a servant to Lear, a king, whereas Lear is a fool in comparison with his jester, who is all-knowing. Such is the relationship upon which the subsequent action unfolds, and it is important to have an understanding of this mutual balance when exploring their interaction in the more crucial scenes towards the middle of the play. In order to establish the role of the Fool as far as Lear is concerned (ignoring, for the meant-time, his importance in other dramatic areas), it is important to assess what effect it is he has on the King. It would appear that during the initial interchange, the King is still too disillusioned to wish to pay any attention to the Fool’s warnings, and although he does not attempt to refute them, his astonishment as first Goneril and then Regan turn their backs on him would indicate that he has retained his short-sighted and arrogant assurance in their loyalty to him. Nonetheless, in between these two desertions, Lear begins to have insights: ‘Woe that too late repents!’, ‘I did her wrong.’, ‘monster ingratitude!’. The latter two comments are born out of a seemingly disjointed stichomythia with the Fool, wherein Lear listens with a subconscious mind to the convoluted yet wise comments of his jester, whilst drawing at the same time his own conclusions on the surface. As H. Granville-Barker argues, “Lear’s dramatic and physical progress is through a dissipation of egoism.”; even if the Fool is unable to have a direct effect on Lear’s thinking, he is able to draw his thoughts away from himself, and constant jibing provides a foundation for Lear’s humility. However, his faith in Regan remains, and the Fool falls silent until Lear finally finds himself ejected into the storm, able to turn to neither daughter. Up until this point, the Fool has had at most a subconscious effect on the King, providing him with crystal-clear insights to which Lear’s arrogance and blindness prevent him from taking heed. During the storm, however, the King is able to realise humility, and to understand that everything the Fool has said to him is in fact true, which causes a release of dramatic tension; while he experiences these things in intense physical revelation, the Fool ceases to be a bitter nattering in his ear, and becomes a gentle, comforting presence who cares for the welfare of his ‘nuncle’, receiving him gently and with understanding after the King has devested himself. After this intense scene, Lear refers to the Fool as ‘thou sapient,’ reflecting both his new-found humility, and his recognition of the wise words the Fool has imparted. Once the blackest hour has passed, the Fool remains only long enough to ensure that his King is has settled his thoughts and is able to continue on his own; after the mock-trial, he disappear...