Review: Fool

By David Ugarte

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Shakespeare’s play King Lear is known as one of his greatest works and is also a grim and serious tragedy. Fool, by Christopher Moore, takes the old play and makes a hilarious, raunchy tale from it. I always had trouble following the dialogue in Shakespeare’s Lear, but Fool makes it easy and fun to enjoy a classic tragedy-made-comedy.

King Lear’s story is retold from the perspective of the king’s fool, Pocket, a clever jester who fearlessly teases and insults the royalty that were the original play’s main characters.

The book includes quotes and excerpts from the original play, but pokes fun at Shakespeare’s overt drama and the play’s setting.

Anyone can pick up Fool and start laughing in the first pages, but someone who has read or seen King Lear will appreciate the subtle, satirical references to the play that fit smoothly within the story.

See other Kansan reviews updated throughout the summer

— — Edited by Brandy Entsminger

 

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