constant advice to Lear goes unheeded by Lear, but ironically is the best advice for him to take. -The main message the Fool is trying to tell Lear is be careful what you give in accordance to what you have.-More clearly, the Fool is warning Lear that giving up his Kingdom (a necessity for Lear) before his time was unwise.2. “Then ‘tis like the breath of an unfee’d lawyer; yougave me nothing for’t. Can you make no use of nothing,nuncle?”(I, IV, 127.)-The Fool’s question to Lear “Can you make no use of nothing…” is not really a question concerning what Lear has given the Fool, but a direct question of Lear’s life. He had given away all he had to his daughters, which meant he literally had nothing. What the fool meant is that having nothing, he (Lear) cannot expect to make anything of it.-The Fool is pointing out to Lear the obvious foolishness in giving away all he had to his two undeserving daughters.-Ironically, Lear truly is the fool in this story, and even more ironically the Fool is one of the wisest characters.3. “That lord that counseled theeTo give away thy land,Come place him here by me;Do thou for him stand.The sweet and bitter foolWill presently appear:The one in motley here,The other found out there.”(I, IV, 138.)-The Fool is showing the error in Lear’s way. He hinting that whoever put such a stupid idea in Lear’s head should be punished according to Lear’s future suffering. -Also, it is possible the Fool suspects that whoever counseled Lear to make the decision to split up his kingdom among his daughters was in fact an adversary (possibly Oswald) of either Goneril or Regan, and would now be “here”, in life’s favor, while Lear would be “found out there”, outside of life’s favor, more specifically in the rain.4. “All the other titles thou has given away; thatthou wast born with.”(I, IV,...
