The Fool in King Lear (Analyse other major characters as well) All Quotes by The Fool

Speeches (Lines) for Fool in "King Lear"

Total: 58
# 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Act, Scene, Line I,4,625 I,4,628 I,4,630 I,4,637 I,4,640 I,4,643 I,4,645 I,4,657 I,4,660 I,4,663 I,4,666 I,4,675 I,4,678 I,4,684 I,4,695 I,4,705 I,4,714 I,4,736 I,4,746 I,4,753
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Speech text Let me hire him too. Here's my coxcomb. Sirrah, you were best take my coxcomb. Why? For taking one's part that's out of favour. Nay, an thou canst not smile as the wind sits, thou'lt catch cold shortly.... If I gave them all my living, I'ld keep my coxcombs myself. There's mine! beg another of thy daughters. Truth's a dog must to kennel; he must be whipp'd out, when Lady the brach may stand by th' fire and stink. Sirrah, I'll teach thee a speech. Mark it, nuncle. Have more than thou showest,... Then 'tis like the breath of an unfeed lawyer- you gave me nothing for't. Can you make no use of nothing, nuncle? [to Kent] Prithee tell him, so much the rent of his land comes to. He will not believe a fool. Dost thou know the difference, my boy, between a bitter fool and a sweet fool? That lord that counsell'd thee To give away thy land,... All thy other titles thou hast given away; that thou wast born with. No, faith; lords and great men will not let me. If I had a monopoly out, they would have part on't. And ladies too, they... Why, after I have cut the egg i' th' middle and eat up the meat, the two crowns of the egg. When thou clovest thy crown i'... I have us'd it, nuncle, ever since thou mad'st thy daughters thy mother; for when thou gav'st them the rod, and put'st down... I marvel what kin thou and thy daughters are. They'll have me whipp'd for speaking true; thou'lt have me whipp'd for lying;... Thou wast a pretty fellow when thou hadst no need to care for her frowning. Now thou art an O without a figure. I am better... For you know, nuncle, The hedge-sparrow fed the cuckoo so long... May not an ass know when the cart draws the horse? Whoop, Jug, I love thee! Lear's shadow.

21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46

I,4,757 I,4,846 I,5,886 I,5,889 I,5,891 I,5,895 I,5,898 I,5,901 I,5,903 I,5,905 I,5,909 I,5,912 I,5,914 I,5,917 I,5,923 II,4,1283 II,4,1324 II,4,1342 II,4,1345 II,4,1362 II,4,1399 III,2,1687 III,2,1701 III,2,1716 III,2,1753 III,2,1760

Which they will make an obedient father. Nuncle Lear, nuncle Lear, tarry! Take the fool with thee. A fox when one has caught her,... If a man's brains were in's heels, were't not in danger of kibes? Then I prithee be merry. Thy wit shall ne'er go slip-shod. Shalt see thy other daughter will use thee kindly; for though she's as like this as a crab's like an apple, yet I can tell... She'll taste as like this as a crab does to a crab. Thou canst tell why one's nose stands i' th' middle on's face? Why, to keep one's eyes of either side's nose, that what a man cannot smell out, 'a may spy into. Canst tell how an oyster makes his shell? Nor I neither; but I can tell why a snail has a house. Why, to put's head in; not to give it away to his daughters, and leave his horns without a case. Thy asses are gone about 'em. The reason why the seven stars are no moe than seven is a pretty reason. Yes indeed. Thou wouldst make a good fool. If thou wert my fool, nuncle, I'ld have thee beaten for being old before thy time. Thou shouldst not have been old till thou hadst been wise. She that's a maid now, and laughs at my departure, Shall not be a maid long, unless things be cut shorter Ha, ha! look! he wears cruel garters. Horses are tied by the head, dogs and bears by th' neck, monkeys by th' loins, and men... Winter's not gone yet, if the wild geese fly that way. Fathers that wear rags... An thou hadst been set i' th' stocks for that question, thou'dst well deserv'd it. We'll set thee to school to an ant, to teach thee there's no labouring i' th' winter. All that follow their noses are led by... Not i' th' stocks, fool. Enter Lear and Gloucester Cry to it, nuncle, as the cockney did to the eels when she put 'em i' th' paste alive. She knapp'd 'em o' th' coxcombs with... O nuncle, court holy water in a dry house is better than this rain water out o' door. Good nuncle, in, and ask thy daughters... He that has a house to put 's head in has a good head-piece. The codpiece that will house... Marry, here's grace and a codpiece; that's a wise man and a fool. [sings] He that has and a little tiny wit-... This is a brave night to cool a courtesan. I'll speak a

prophecy ere I go:... 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 III,4,1842 III,4,1844 III,4,1865 III,4,1876 III,4,1905 III,6,2015 III,6,2018 III,6,2023 III,6,2031 III,6,2052 III,6,2054 III,6,2085 Come not in here, nuncle, here's a spirit. Help me, help me! A spirit, a spirit! He says his name's poor Tom. Nay, he reserv'd a blanket, else we had been all sham'd. This cold night will turn us all to fools and madmen. Prithee, nuncle, be contented! 'Tis a naughty night to swim in. Now a little fire in a wild field were like an old lecher's... Prithee, nuncle, tell me whether a madman be a gentleman or a yeoman. No, he's a yeoman that has a gentleman to his son; for he's a mad yeoman that sees his son a gentleman before him. He's mad that trusts in the tameness of a wolf, a horse's health, a boy's love, or a whore's oath. Her boat hath a leak, And she must not speak... Come hither, mistress. Is your name Goneril? Cry you mercy, I took you for a joint-stool. And I'll go to bed at noon.

General Notes on The Fool (Unorgarnised) The Fool in King Lear disappears abruptly and what happens to him in the play remains a mystery. Lears handling of The Fool is unique. The Fool has a history of being regarded as pets or mascots and were not only there to amuse but to criticise their masters and mistresses and their guests (Queen Elizabeth is said to have rebuked one of her fools for not being severe enough with her) Lears fool enjoys a privileged status, and although ear has threatened to punish the fool a number of times, much in the same way one refrains from hitting a pet when theyre upset, he never harms him. Lears folly the foolishness of giving everything away to his 2 least deserving daughters is relentlessly pointed out by the Fool, this relentless goading of his master by the fool plays a part in the madness King Lear experiences (hinted at the use of the phrase this great stage of fools in Act 4 Sc 5 . However, the fool in King Lear is not as bitter as the one used in Shakespeares other tragedy Troilus and Cressida he is more complex. He shares some sort of affection for his master (hence the use of the term nuncle which may also be a ref to youth) but his honest perception of the horror of the situation is what drives him to make brutal jest of Lear and could also be argued as playing an important part in leading Lear into his epiphany and gradual character growth.

The ironic inversions of folly and wisdom that abound throughout the play cast a darker shadow In Act 1 sc4 he wants to assign his fools hat of office (his coxcomb) to Lear, the real fool. Although the fool uses simple English (monosyllables most of the time) and is quite cheeky in his references to Lear this simple childish style of his language is in contrast to the wisdom of his words. In this scene, he is intellectually in charge of poor Lear as the fool wisely points out his folly in a number of different ways (yet the authorities are ironically sustained through the fools simple English and his childish references to Lear) The tension between the audiences sympathy for Lear and his unattractive qualities (which are extensively pointed out by Reagan and Gornerill in Act 1) are also seen in the Fools relationship with Lear he uses comedy to expose Lears absurdity to ridicule but does so in an affectionate tone (yet I would not be thee, Nuncle Act 1, sc 4)