The Use Of Comic Relief In King Lear

Shakespeare’s King Lear definitely falls under the genre of tragedy. Throughout the play there are multiple unfortunate, and frankly unnecessary, events. However, through all the unpleasantness, a positive light in the form of comedy shines through. Comic relief is often used in works of fiction that have very strong, negative themes as a sense of comfort in an otherwise displeasing plot, and was also included in the play to keep the audience entertained. In the case of the Stratford Festival’s production of King Lear, the audience was, of course, kept entertained by the tragic events which unfolded throughout the play, but also by the refreshing comedy that emerges. When the play is becoming too intense, one of the characters is sarcastic
or interjects a witty joke and draws the audience out of their dejected daze and back into the play. Comic relief is a key element in the production of King Lear because it helps release the tension that the tragedy of the play provides and is not as evident simply reading the script. Comedy has a place in the tragic structure because it breaks the tension while still emphasizing the tragedy and because it provides an opening to analyze further why certain events may be looked at as comedic. The Fool is the most obvious form of comic relief in the play both when reading and watching it.
Fools in the time of the play were owned by Kings and were a mere source of entertainment. Lear’s Fool tends to be more of a funny friend, a loyal companion to Lear, and also the only one who is allowed to give Lear his opinion on situations honestly without Lear getting mad about it, seemingly taking up the role of Lear’s subconscious. The brutal honesty the fool gives to King Lear is told in the form of several jokes. In the first act, the fool is seemingly joking around for no reason with King Lear. The fools says “she will taste as like this as a crab does to a crab” (1.5.18), meaning that Regan will treat him just like Goneril has treated Lear. The fool also jokes saying: “Thou canst tell why one’s nose stands i’ th’ middle on’s face?” (1.5.19-20) and goes on the answer “Why to keep one’s eyes of either side’s nose, that what a man cannot smell out, he may spy into” (1.5.22-23). The fool is telling Lear to open his eyes to the plots of his daughters. The fool is trying to have Lear see the mistake he has made by giving his kingdom away to daughters who do not love him. This realization for Lear is tragic in itself, however having it presented in a lighthearted way to both Lear and the audience makes the realization easier when it finally comes. The fool’s constant tomfoolery provides a hilarious break in the downhill of the
plot. Watching the actors interact with one another bring forth comedy that cannot come out the same way when reading King Lear. In the fifth act, Goneril and Regan are fighting over the affections of Edmund. After Goneril decides to put their “domestic and particular broils” (5.1.34) aside so they can fight against a common enemy, Goneril turns to her sister and asks if she is coming with herself and Edmund: “Sister, you’ll go with us?” (5.1.39). The audience is on the edge of their seats watching this scene because of the battle with the French army, and Lear fighting along side them, is about to break out, when Regan says very plainly “No” (5.1.40). The intense vibe in the production at this time is completely broken for a moment simply by the actress’s delivery of this line. The comedic interchanges in this production break up the tragedy perfectly because the comedy draws you away from the tragedy at just the right moment. When things are building up to be too much, a streak of relief comes through. Once the play switches back to drama after Regan’s defiant answer, it is like being introduced to the dramatic scene all over again. Well timed comedy makes the play even more engaging compared to being overly dramatic the whole time. The differentiating of genres, between tragedy and comedy, helps understanding and makes this production a must see. In the first act, Edmund is talking about the position of the stars in relation to Gloucester his recent conversation with Gloucester. In Shakespearean time, it was thought that the position of the stars at the time of one’s birth were in control one’s life, which is what Gloucester was telling Edmund when he says “though the wisdom of nature can reason it thus and thus, yet nature finds itself scourged by the sequent effects” (1.2.110-12). Edmund goes on the explain that men “make guilty of [their] disasters the sun, the moon, and the stars” (1.2.127-128), meaning men put all their blame on the position of the stars at their birth rather than their actions during their life. While reading the play, it was unclear if Edmund really believed in this astrological theory. However, while watching the production, it was very clear that he did not believe in it. The approach the actor took on this speech was as if it was all comical, which is evident through the actor’s tone of voice being mocking and sarcastic. If one watching the play had no idea what Edmund was saying, they would still be able to pick up by his mocking tone that he did not agree with that he was saying. To make it even more obvious, during the production he was outright laughing as he said “born under Ursa Major” (1.2.137). Laughter was not something outright written in the lines of play, therefore having seen the production and seeing this comedic element, makes Edmund’s true feelings in this speech easy to understand. Considering Edmund’s whimsical views on the effects of astronomy on one’s life, makes on wonder why this is seen as comedic.
In today’s time, the thought of the star patterns controlling the entire outcome of one’s entire life is a theory that many people would look upon as ridiculous. Therefore, the actors version of Edmund’s speech in act one seems to indicate the modern perspective of how this speech would be looked at as a modern reader. When reading this passage, trying to relate to what Edmund is saying would be difficult because the idea of stars controlling your life is absurd. Therefore, by having this modern joking view of the power of astrology is reflecting a modern time. Comedy in the production not only helps relieve the tragic aspects, but also opens up new ideas for the audience to
reconsider. Looking at McDoland’s The Bedford Companion to Shakespeare, provides a very interesting piece of knowledge about past productions of King Lear that can be compared to the 2014 Stratford production. The Stratford production follows the original script, however, in the 17 and 18th century, Nahum Tate rewrote and changed key aspects of several of Shakespeare’s plays. The ending of King Lear, Tate found, was just too sad for the audience. It is possible that the comic relief in the play was not being acted as well as Shakespeare had originally intended it, and as well as it was acted in the Stratford Production. Therefore, Tate took out the tragic aspect altogether and added a happy ending. Tate “eliminated the fool, ennobled the virtuous characters, and softened and sentimentalized the ending. Not only does Lear survive, but Cordelia also escapes death and marries Edgar, who assumes the throne” (McDonald 383). It is true that the absence of the fool in the production would be very noticeable. The fool provides much of the comic relief, so the absence of the fool would result in a much more tragic play. Therefore, with an alternate, happy ending, the fool may have been written out because he was no longer needed to provide the comic relief that he does in the tragic version of the play. It was informative to look at the alternate ending and consider what the production of King Lear would be like without the main source of comedy. Having comedy run through the play helps one to understand why King Lear has been the success it is over all these years and why people still watch the production. The comedic value was not as evident when reading the text, which made it difficult to understand. When seeing the play, rather than only reading it, the true tragedy of events were clearer because of the comic relief. By only reading the play, one is bombarded with one tragic event after another, to the point where it becomes too much to keep up with. Having the odd joke and witty comment inserted through the production really helped in appreciating how horrible the play’s plot is. It was a reminder of how things in life can be funny and lighthearted and made the awful things that happen stand out even more. This is similar to the way one can not truly understand the good in life until they have experienced the bad.