Lesson One
In this lesson we will look at the Fool, his role, what he tells us about Lear and his Court up to his final appearance at the end of Act 3 Scene 6.
The learning objective is to develop our understanding of The Fool, his relationship with Lear and his demise in Act Three.
We will then go on to link these points to some critical moments elsewhere in the drama.
By the end we should be able to answer the question: ‘How important is the character of The Fool in ‘King Lear’ and why?
- What is your preliminary answer to this?
- As part of your preparation you should have looked again and in detail at the text.
- Make sure you are familiar with the passages below before you start.
Starter Activity
We are in Act One Scene 4.
- Work in pairs to decide how this passage informs our first impressions of the Fool.
- There are three segments of the speech and it is perfectly satisfactory to have several pairs working on the same one.
KING LEAR
Take heed, sirrah; the whip. …
