FOOL: Thy asses are gone about ‘em. The reason why the seven stars are no more
than seven is a pretty reason.
LEAR: Because they are not eight.
FOOL: Yes, Indeed. Thou wouldst make a good fool.
However these passages serve more of a purpose than
just being comical. The main effect this
scene has is to show that Lear is more sympathetic and more human than
originally thought after the harsh treatment of his only truly loving
daughter. This conversation with the
Fool show that Lear is capable of joking with a fool and unwinding from the
strict ruler he is. Until this time
Lear has been scene more of a ruthless king than a man. Just the fact that the fool is willing to
speak to the king in this way
shows how comfortable he is with him, a person of
such higher class. But even in the midst
of this joking, Lear continues to refer back to his daughters and the grim
situation he faces. And this is when we
first see the Fool becoming more than a Fool and even dispersing advice to the
mighty king.
FOOL: If thou wert my fool, nuncle, I’ld have thee
beaten for being old before thy time.
LEAR: How’s that?
FOOL: Thou should’st not have been old till thou
had’st been wise.
Here
the Fool is telling Lear that he has grown old over the years but has not
acquired the wisdom that usually accompanies this old age. This is because Lear had been guarded from
suffering and pain during his long reign and thus never had the experiences
from which he could grow wise. It was
his rash decision to divide his kingdom between only Goneril and Regan that he
is now suffering for and is why the Fool is now in the position to give advice
to a king. One of the most interesting
things about this play is the fact that this all powerful king has now reached
a point in his life where he must have a fool telling him what is lacking. This clearly shows how the Fool does much
more in this scene than provide entertainment and comic relief and is more
important in his role in the action of the play.
One
of the most important things that the Fool does in this play is helping Lear
change his personality from a harsh, ruthless king, into a very sympathetic and
loving father figure. Lear also shows
just how important the Fool has become to him in Act I. At the end of this Act the Fool is his only
companion and we see where this bond comes from earlier in Act I, Scene 3. This scene opens with Goneril asking if her
father hit her gentleman for making fun of the Fool to which Oswald replies
that he has. This is the first evidence
of how much Lear cares for him Fool.
Even though he is just a fool, Lear still protects him from the cruel
treatment of his daughter’s men. In
the next scene we find Lear frantically calling for his Fool on three separate
occasions after his own daughter is treating him so inhospitably.