Friday, March 9, 2012

Picture of Act III Scene II: King Lear and his Fool

When I was looking around the Internet for the history behind King Leir of Britain, I came about this picture portraying the scene of the King and his fool, left out in the storm.

I personally do not believe this picture shows a close representation of the scene. For one, the fool does not show any sign of fear. He seems instead to enjoy the madness of nature and Lear, similar to a child enjoying stories from his grandfather. I also imagined the fool to be much older. Shakespeare presents the fool as wise and witty, truly respected by the elder king. I do not believe the King would listen to a child, and accept his demeaning remarks.

In addition, the scene seems too bright and cheerful to truly capture the emotions of turmoil and chaos. Within the play (and reality) the effect of a tempest causes darkness and disorder. This picture portrays too much peace.

But Lear does show some similarity to how the scene presents the deranged King. As described in Act III, Lear is screaming off into the winds, cursing them down. Though I do not agree with his choice of sock color, his cloak shows vibrant colors, and appears much finer than the fabric worn by the poor fool, representing the class difference between the King and the fool.

Overall, this scene gives a different outlook on King Lear and his fool. I would give it 6 out of 10 stars for accuracy. I wish it showed more emotions (of fear and madness) that Shakespeare created created within the storm.

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