The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1877-11-03
THE "FOOL" IN LEAR.
One of tho finely Drawn Characters OF the
master DramatIst.


master Dramatist.
iOt all iShakespeares fools, the finest ls the
fool in Lear 1t is conceived Win a grace
and even refinement that wonderfully harmon
ICES with the sublime pathos OF the story, while
at the same time it is drawn with truth OF
humorous Enthusiastically in dictlon suitable 10
the character of kings jester. Lear's 1901 IS
IL youth, not grown man; petted lau 10
whom his royal master looks for quaint say
inps and whimsical sentences when veXed or
irritable: a favored fellow whose hayward
speeches are tolerated and even liked when
grayer cares press hard upon the old monarch,
and to whose playful salies he turns when de-
string to fill vacant half hour or beguile a
leisure interval. On his return from hunting,
impatient for dinner, and issuing hasty order
10 have it served Immediately, Lear inquiries
for his favorite follower to come and entertain
him the while Dinner, no. dinner! Where's
my knave? my fool? Go you and call my
fool hither!" The personal and afectionate
interest taken by Lear in the lad is denoted in
the very outset. He not only asks often and
Cordeia's going in;o France the fool hath
much pined away" Lear answers hurredly
NO more of that | have noted il well y and
when the fool himself appears on the scene
his old master accosts him with: "HOw now,
my pretty knave, how dost thou:' The very
expression, my pretty knave," seems to paint
the FOOLS boyish years, and to depict the fond
ling regard of Lear for him. On other occa'
sions, too, his old master generally addresses
him as my boy" and during the inclemency
Of the night in the storm, Lear says: Come
on, my boy; how dost thou, my boy? art cold
| am cold myself. x Poor fool and
knave, | have one part in my heart that's sorry
vet for thee" Afterwards, too, when persuad
ed to take refuge in the howell Lear takes
thought first for his fool. "In, my boy; 60
first. q x = Nay, get thee in "
This kind and gentle feeling is shown by 9th.
ers as well as the King towards the STRIPPING
iool.jester; for Kent-who, disguised as Caius
affects much bluntness Of spcech-on more
than one occasion speaks favorably Of and to
he lad. When the fool is sportiyely but keenly
rebuking Lear for having so unwisely cast all
power into his unworthy daughters hands,
Kent observes This is not altogether fool, my
Lord" Afterwards, also, in the storm, when
the boy, scared at finding the Bedam beggar
in the hOvel, runs out again, eXclaiming
Come not in here, nuncle here's spirit
Help me, help mc.' Kent enCouragingly
says: Give me thy hand, Who's thcre?''
And still farther on, at the end of that wild
night scene when the poor old liking, worn
out, has fallen into weary slumber, Kent, pre-
pairing to bear him away to safer quarters, says
10 the faithful fool Come, help to bear thy
MASTER thou must not stay behind This
tenderness with which the lad is treated partly
arises from his delcacy Of frame, which is in
dictated by some slight but significant side
touches in the course of the play. First, there
is his plning away on his young misress's
departure from England, above alluded to-
Then there is his sensitvcncSs to churlish
weather and sharp night air, beokencd by his
words during the storm: "Oh, nunclc, court
holy water in dry house is better than this
rain water out o. doors. Good nuncle, in, and
ask thy daughters blessing; here's u night
that pities neither wise men nor fools" Again
This cold night will turn us all to fools and
madmen." Lastly, there is his withdrawal
from the play. 1t is silently affected, the dra.
matist giving no express mention of the fool
after his assisting to bear his old master away
to the litter prepared for conveying the King
TO Dover; but to my mind Shakespeare evi
IDENTIFY meant to infer that the fragile lad
weakly in frame, susceptible in temperament
and rendered doubly more so by the deicacy
Of his nurture in the Court household AS the
petted boy,jester of his royal employer-nevcr
recovered from the rigoS and terrors of that
tempestuous night; that he sickened and died
soon after, fulfilling actually, as well as practi
cally, his own last uttered words: And I'll
20 to bed at noon" In the nOontide of his
youth and fidelity, Lears fool goes to his death
he'd when his master no longer needs him by
MS sidc.-GeatLemdn's Hdgazfde