The man that makes his toe
What he his heart should make,
Shall of a corn cry woe,
And turn his sleep to wake.
– William Shakespeare
King Lear, Act 3, Scene 2. The Fool dishes up more of rhyming wisdom to the tormented Lear. He advises him that the man who values the least important parts of himself as if they were the best, will bring himself pain and sleepless nights. The Fool is mocking Lear for preferring Goneril and Regan to Cordelia. He is uggesting that Lear’s foolishness and pride has brought this pain upon himself. He must reconnect with his heart and the daughter who truly loved him – Cordelia.