| “… e’er since thou mad’st thy daughters thy mothers. For when thou gav’st them the rod, and put’st down thine own breeches.” | Act 1, Scene 4Lear has overturned the natural order of things by giving up the throne – given his daughters the power |
| “I am better than thou art now; I am a fool, thou art nothing.” | Act 1, Scene 4 Reminds Lear that he is now a figure without value |
| “Thou hadst little wit in thy bald crown when thou gav’st thy golden one away.” | Act 1, Scene 4Tries to make Lear see the error of his ways – Lear gave up all that he was |
| “Not i’th’ stocks, fool!” | Act 2, Scene 4Acknowledges that Kent is a fool, but a good one (following Lear = morally right but practically wrong) |
| “here’s grace and a cod piece; that’s a wise man and a fool.” | Act 3, Scene 2Who’s the fool and who’s the wise man? |
| “Lear’s shadow.” | Act 1, Scene 4Lear is now just a shadow of the man he once was – the Fool is the only one who can tell him who he is |
King Lear – The Fool Quotes
July 17, 2019