The Fool
E359760
The Fool is King Lear’s witty and insightful jester, who uses humor and riddles to speak hard truths and highlight the king’s folly.
All labels observed (1)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| The Fool canonical | 1 |
Statements (49)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Shakespearean character
ⓘ
court fool ⓘ fictional character ⓘ jester ⓘ |
| appearsInWork | King Lear ⓘ |
| associatedWithCharacter | King Lear ⓘ |
| characterTrait |
courageous in speech
ⓘ
insightful ⓘ loyal ⓘ witty ⓘ |
| createdBy | William Shakespeare ⓘ |
| disappearsFromPlayAfter | Act 3 ⓘ |
| dramaticFunction |
exposes hypocrisy
ⓘ
highlights Lear’s folly ⓘ provides commentary on the plot ⓘ underscores themes of madness and wisdom ⓘ |
| firstAppearanceAct | Act 1 ⓘ |
| firstAppearanceScene | Act 1, Scene 4 ⓘ |
| languageStyle |
prose
ⓘ
rhymed verse ⓘ |
| literarySignificance |
central to the play’s exploration of madness and insight
ⓘ
embodiment of the wise fool archetype ⓘ |
| medium | stage drama ⓘ |
| nationalityInFiction | English ⓘ |
| notableLine |
“I am better than thou art now; I am a fool, thou art nothing.”
ⓘ
“Thou shouldst not have been old till thou hadst been wise.” ⓘ |
| occupation | fool ⓘ |
| partOf |
King Lear
ⓘ
surface form:
tragedy "King Lear"
|
| possibleInterpretation | may be doubled with the role of Cordelia in some productions ⓘ |
| relationshipToKingLear |
critic
ⓘ
loyal servant ⓘ |
| role |
comic relief
ⓘ
moral commentator ⓘ truth-teller ⓘ |
| serves | King Lear ⓘ |
| setting |
King Lear
ⓘ
surface form:
King Lear’s court
|
| speaksTo |
Cordelia
ⓘ
surface form:
Cordelia (indirectly referenced)
Kent ⓘ King Lear ⓘ |
| themeAssociation |
loyalty and ingratitude
ⓘ
power and vulnerability ⓘ truth and deception ⓘ wisdom in folly ⓘ |
| timePeriodInFiction | ancient Britain ⓘ |
| usesDevice |
humor
ⓘ
riddles ⓘ songs ⓘ wordplay ⓘ |
| workGenre | tragedy ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.