Willy Wonka And The Fool In King Lear

When fools are present in literature, they serve to provide a meaningful purpose to the plot. In this draft, I will explain the parallelism that Willy Wonka and the fool in King Lear hold. Furthermore, I will provide a brief distinction between fools in literature, establish a placement for Lear’s fool and Willy Wonka, a list of how I plan to connect these two characters and I will finally explain the connections. There are two types of fools in literature; there are fools by nature and fools by design. Fools by nature are fools who lack any grey matter and common sense (Winterman). Natural fools are either incapable or insensible of their actions. Hence, natural fools are viewed as innocent beings. In contrast, fools by design are wise fools. They are smarter than those in position of authority. Fools by design usually reveal the truth of a situation. In a way, they are a form of social commentary. As a result, the fool’s wisdom occupies a place in opposition to that of learned knowledge. …show more content…
Lear’s fool serves as a greater purpose than one might think. The fool’s use of irony, sarcasm, and humor help the truth to be exposed. Hence, King Lear’s fool is a fool by design. The fool’s contribution to the king is to help protect him from the evils of his two daughters: Goneril and Regan. Thus, the fool is wise for only a wise man is loyal and honest to its king (Warren). King Lear depends on his fool. Instead of dealing with his problems, he looks to the fool to help him forget about such problems. The fool is aware of this and uses his understanding to transmit the message that his daughters are no good. Therefore, this fool by design is wise for using the opportunities he has with King Lear to try and pass on this sacred