And isn't it ironic?

Irony is... tricky. There's several varieties of it and it's easy to get confused about what is and isn't irony. So, let's get some definitions going (for your sake and mine)

Dramatic Irony: Irony caused by readers knowing information that characters do not

Verbal Irony: A figure of speech (often sarcastic) that describes something opposite to how we normally would

Situational Irony: When readers are expecting one thing to happen, but a completely different thing does.

Act 2 scene 2 of Shakespeare's King Lear contains examples of all three forms of irony. Kent's ark in this scene is an example of situational irony. Kent, a man of the law fights with Oswald, a greedy schemer. In this case, one would expect Oswald to receive punishment for his deeds against the king; but Kent is the person who winds up in the stocks. This reversal of who sees the consequences for a crime is super ironic.

This scene also contains a nice example of verbal irony. When Kent's fate is being debated bby the various and sundry nobles, Cornwall refers to Kent as "You stubborn ancient knave, you reverent braggart" (Shakespeare II, ii 136). This is line is ironic for a couple reasons. First, Kent is old, but saying he is "ancient" is a huge overstatement by Cornwall. If Kent is "ancient" then his master Lear must predate the dinosaurs. Second, the two words of the phrase "reverent braggart" have polar opposite connotations. Someone who's reverent is very devoted; but a braggart is someone who endlessly boasts. In this line Cornwall uses a positive term (reverent) to describe how terrible he thinks Kent is. This reversal of connotation falls squarely into the camp of irony.

Cornwall's line also demonstrates the dramatic irony of scene two. He calls Kent a knave and treats him like one. None of the characters in the scene know that  Kent is actually a nobleman  in disguise. Thinking Kent a mere servant, all of the characters are willing to treat him as something lesser than them. But the good folks in the audience know that Kent is actually a knight and that he's doing the right thing by stopping Oswald. 

This my dear friends, is truly dramatic irony.

All of this irony has major implications for the play's setting. The biggest of these is that the setting of King Lear is a place of  endless reversals and confusion. Nothing is what is seems and everyone has their secrets that they hide. Another implication is that there's lots of corruption in Lear's kingdom. The criminals go free while the king's messenger sits in the stocks for goodness sake!         

Is the fool a fool if he's a smart fool???

King Lear is full of character's in high places doing really dumb things. Take for instance, when King Lear exiles his favorite daughter and best knight on a whim. Or when said knight returns to serve his master in disguise, because loyalty? There's one character so far in the play that demonstrates much wisdom, and that is the Fool.

That's right, a character with no name other than his job description is the smartest guy in Lear's company. King Lear calls for the Fool seeking simple entertainment, but instead receives biting political commentary which he promptly disregards. In scene 4 the first thing the Fool does is give Kent/Caius his coxcomb (or hat). At first it's like, "Ho! What a silly jester!" because of the implication that Kent (a knight) is the actual fool. But when Kent asks the Fool why he offered the coxcomb the response is

Why? For taking one’s part that’s out of favor. Nay, an thou canst not smile as the wind sits, thou'lt catch cold shortly. There, take my coxcomb. Why, this fellow has banished two on ’s daughters, and did the third a blessing against his will. If thou follow him, thou must needs wear my coxcomb.—How now, nuncle? Would I had two coxcombs and two daughters. (Shakespeare 1, iv 102-109)

The Fool is basically telling Kent that he is true fool for following King Lear. Anyone who would serve a man who makes as many bad decisions as Lear is not a bright person. The Fool changed a simple joke about Kent's status into harsh commentary on the wisdom of anyone following King Lear. This line makes it obvious that although the Fool is a comedian, he is very aware of what his King has done and the all the faults he has.

The fool spends basically the rest of the scene mocking the king's status and decisions. He reminds Lear that he has nothing now that he's given the kingdom away. He calls the King a fool several times (and somehow doesn't get exiled like everyone else). He even says that Lear has "madest thy daughters thy mothers" (Shakespeare I, iv 176-177) in regards to the dividing of England. The fool seriously goes all out in reminding the King that he's a major idiot. The line "I am better than thou art now. I am a fool. Thou art nothing" (Shakespeare I, iv 198-199) is perhaps the Fool's most honest and damning.

All of the Fool's commentary and dialogue makes his true intelligence obvious. He's aware enough of the world around him to look past titles like "king" and "lady" to see the truth of things AND he's willing to express those truths to people in power. The fool can see that the people around him are truly the ones making foolish decision after foolish decision and he knows that he can stand above them. He honestly would make a better ruler than any of the "nobility" in this play.

In conclusion... #Fool4president2016!   

Good Ol' Edmund!

In the play King Lear, the character edmund is a conniving son of a gun. In act 1, scene 1, Edmund says only three lines. However, every single one of them present a persona of the ideal, subserviant son. He always uses the the phrases "my lord" and "sir" to indicate his (feigned) respect for the nobility surrounding him.

In scene 2, Shakespeare gives Edmund time to soliloquize and his true feelings are revealed. Edmund first expresses contempt and jealously for his brother Edgar, who is the legitimate son of Gloucester.

As to the legitimate.—Fine word, “legitimate”!—

Well, my legitimate, if this letter speed

And my invention thrive, Edmund the base

Shall top th' legitimate. I grow, I prosper.

Now, gods, stand up for bastards! (Shakespeare I, ii 19-24)

Edmund feels such jealousy for his half brother that he hatches a plot to steal his lands and inheritance. So, Edmund does what any good brother would do and tries to convince his father that Edgar is out for his blood to speed up the inheritance process. Edmund is just as much of an evil schemer as King Lear's eldest daughters, with the addition of a huge inferiority complex towards his legitimate brother.

You could say Edmund is a real................

Bastard!

(mad applause and laughter)

That's all folks! I'll be here all week!