The Fool

• What is the role of the Fool in the household of a nobleman or monarch?


  To entertain guests during royal court
• How does the Fool play a dramatic role in the story?


  By using his position to make jokes that expose the truth
• What is the significance of the Fool talking cryptically?


  It adds layers of meaning and complexity to his character
• What does the term “unfee’d lawyer” imply about the Fool's character?

  It indicates that the Fool is anachronistic, as lawyers didn't exist in the 8th century
• What new experience is Lear undergoing in the story?


  He is experiencing what it is like to be a commoner
• How does Lear's vanity affect his perception of the world?


  It leads him to believe the world has changed, when it is actually his experience that has changed
• What class insults do Kent and Lear use against Oswald?


  “base football player”, “Cur”, “Mongrel”
• What does Kent mean by “I’ll teach you differences”?


  He intends to use violence to enforce the Feudal hierarchy
• What has happened to Lear's authority throughout the story?


  It has been exposed as make-believe
• What strategy does Goneril employ against Lear?


  She provokes him to react in a way that she can censure