The Suicide of the Fool

Shakespeare has historically depicted the psychological degradation of the human mind in several plays, not the least of which is Hamlet. Hamlet, the famous protagonist of the play, was devised as a complex character that cautiously treaded the line between madness and sanity. While appearing on the surface to be muttering gibberish and nonsense, Hamlet often made incredibly witty puns or veiled, cunning observations under the guise of insanity. In The Tragedy of King Lear, the Fool is the character which by occupation borders on the edge of sanity when performing comical acts for the court's benefit. Make no mistake: Lear's Fool is one of the wisest characters in the play (much like Feste, the jester in Twelfth Night) and is much like Hamlet in his dichotomized behavior, as he alternates between the antic acts of a court jester and the astute observations of a court advisor. The Fool also demonstrates his ability to do both simultaneously, as seen in his exchange with King Lear in Act III, Scene 2: "O nuncle, court holy water in a dry house is better than this rainwater out o' door. Good nuncle, in; ask thy daughters' blessing. Here's a night pities neither wise men nor fools." (3.2.10-13) Through the role of a loyal court jester and entertainer, the Fool is able to directly attempt to bring Lear to understand and recognize his mistakes. In fact, as the play progresses, it becomes unclear as to who is in charge of whom, as the Fool—having brought a sobering understanding of reality upon Lear that in turn induces his madness—braves the elements alongside his maddened master and guides him through the storm until the pair comes upon Kent. It is in this scene—the scene in which the Fool last appears—that the audience truly sees the Fool as Lear's guide and not his companion or servant.

In his final appearance as Lear's guide, the Fool delivers a fateful prophecy in which chaos and suffering are dictated when natural laws are reversed. As a loyal friend and servant, the Fool is stricken with grief at having witnessed the degradation of King Lear and feels contrition at having been an impetus for Lear's harrowing realization of reality. In the final scene of the play, Lear states that his "poor fool is hanged" (5.3.282) which might either refer to Cordelia, who previously suffered such a fate, or the Fool himself. I've heard that, because Cordelia and the Fool never appear in the same scene, it has been speculated that they were played by the same actor, and the Fool removed out of the play by necessity. If true, having Lear simultaneously address both Cordelia and the Fool with a single title might be an allusion to this. I feel that Shakespeare uses the word "fool" intentionally throughout the play—the Fool addresses himself as such when referring to Lear and himself as a "wise man and a fool" (3.2.40) —and no doubt intends a reference to the Fool in Lear's line. He merely states that the Fool is hanged; the act is neither enacted upon him nor self-induced. However, using the word "poor" as an epithet in this context denotes the observation of the described fool as depressed or upset, possibly connoting that the death may have been a suicide. Given the Fool's utmost piety and companionship in regards to his master, it would make sense if the Fool hanged himself after witnessing Lear's descent into madness—a descent that the Fool himself knowingly helped foster.