Lear's jester, who accompanies him through much of the play. Although his statements come out as riddles, the Fool offers insight into Lear's mistakes and their consequences. Insofar as he stays with Lear, despite all his mockery and criticisms (and at his peril, during the violent storm in Act 3), the Fool, like Kent, Gloucester, and Cordelia, proves himself loyal.
Fool Quotes in King Lear
The King Lear quotes below are all either spoken by Fool or refer to Fool. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Note: all page numbers and citation info for the quotes below refer to the Simon & Schuster edition of King Lear published in 2004.
Act 1, scene 4
Quotes
"Thou hast pared thy wit o' both sides and left nothing in the middle."
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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Act 3, scene 2
Quotes
"Here's a night pities neither wise men nor fools."
Related Characters:
Fool (speaker)
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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Fool Character Timeline in King Lear
The timeline below shows where the character Fool appears in King Lear. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Act 1, scene 4
...commoner, to offer his services to Lear. Lear accepts. He sends Kent to fetch his Fool.
(full context)
Act 1, scene 5
As he prepares to head for Regan's castle himself, Lear is teased by his Fool, who predicts that Regan will be as like Goneril as "a crab […] to a...
(full context)
Act 2, scene 4
Lear, his Fool, a Gentleman, and his other followers arrive at Gloucester's castle. Confused not to have found...
(full context)
