King Lear is the tragedy of all Shakespeare's tragedies. All the evil forces, all the bad acts, all the betrayal of the other tragedies combine together in this play to make you feel that life may not be worth living after all. And yet I still found Lear extremely funny.
Top three reasons I found King Lear funny:
3. No one insults like Shakespeare, and he outdid himself with Lear.
Ex. "And from th' most extremest part upward of thy head/To the descent and dust below thy foot/A most toad-spotted traitor." 5.3. 136-39
I'm not exactly sure why I think "toad-spotted traitor" is so entertaining, but I do. What does "toad-spotted" mean anyway?
2. There's something infinitely entertaining about the image of a naked old man leading armed soldiers on a merry chase. And it's even funnier when the old man is not totally naked, but instead dressed only in sea weed.
1. The funniest thing about Lear, at least in my text, is that from the time he betrays his father until he dies, Edmund, the illegitimate son of the Duke of Gloucester, is simply called "Bastard" in his cues.
Ex. 4.2: Enter Goneril, Bastard, and Steward.
3.7: Enter Cornwall, Regan, Goneril, Bastard, and Servants.
I'm not sure if that was just meant to be a slight against the evil Edmund, but it's sure funny to read, especially if you read it as an intended insult, which I do.
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