King Lear Essay

Shakespeare provides an assortment of characters in King Lear. These colorful players are categorized as being either: a major character, a minor character or a foil character. In King Lear, there is more to the fool then what is portrayed. A fool is suppose to be a playful jester, someone without a reason with the sole purpose to entertain an audience. Lear’s fool is a mysterious character that appears only for a short while. Within that time frame, the fool serves an important purpose. The fool a foil character that provides comic relief . The fool also portrays Lear’s decent into madness through the foreshadowing of Goneril and Regan’s treachery.

King Lear is a king who has lost his reason. Unlike Lear, the fool ( the apparent “ crazy jester”) is the only one who appears to show any wisdom at all. The only problem is that no one takes the time to listen to the fool. When the fool tells Lear about the first mistake he has committed, Lear does not p...