And my poor fool is hanged! No, no, no life!
Why should a dog, a horse, a rat, have life,
And thou no breath at all? Thou’lt come no more,
Never, never, never, never, never!
Pray you, undo this button.
– William Shakespeare
King Lear, Act 5, Scene 3. Speaking over the body of his daughter, Lear seems to suggest that nature is barbaric for allowing dogs and rats to have life and not Cordelia. When Cordelia is hanged in prison, some people see her death as the greatest injustice in the play. But there are a number of interpretations as to who Lear means when he says "poor fool." Some
suggest Lear is referring to Cordelia with the pet name "fool," which was a term of endearment in Shakespeare’s time. Others think Lear may be talking about his Fool, who disappears from the play after Act 3, Scene 6, and is never seen again. During this passage Lear’s mind is completely unhinged, he may be hallucinating, he may be thinking of both – Cordelia and the Fool were the ones who always spoke the truth to him. It is clear that Lear sees no sense or meaning in all of what’s happened and is unable to accept his daughter’s death The terrible despair and bleakness evoked by the repetition of the word "never" has to make it one of the bleakest lines written by Shakespeare. It offers a stark vision of world without meaning in a tragedy that has a strong nihilistic theme.
suggest Lear is referring to Cordelia with the pet name "fool," which was a term of endearment in Shakespeare’s time. Others think Lear may be talking about his Fool, who disappears from the play after Act 3, Scene 6, and is never seen again. During this passage Lear’s mind is completely unhinged, he may be hallucinating, he may be thinking of both – Cordelia and the Fool were the ones who always spoke the truth to him. It is clear that Lear sees no sense or meaning in all of what’s happened and is unable to accept his daughter’s death The terrible despair and bleakness evoked by the repetition of the word "never" has to make it one of the bleakest lines written by Shakespeare. It offers a stark vision of world without meaning in a tragedy that has a strong nihilistic theme.