Fi, fie, fo, fum Why Should I Care

Why Should I Care?

Um… how about scaring little kids on Halloween? This phrase sure does creep people out. But if that doesn't do it for you, check out the fact that Shakespeare loves using this little tool in his plays. It's called obfuscating insanity—uh, faking madness to throw people off—and it's one of the oldest tricks in the book.

But Shakespeare takes it up a notch: does Edgar really enjoy this cuckoo-talk, or, like the play itself, is it all an act? And if madness is a form of theatricality, does that mean that all actors are crazy?