The Nature of Redemption and the Limits of Pessimism in King Lear
The Nature of Redemption and the Limits of Pessimism in King Lear Brian Sheldon King Lear distinguishes itself as Shakespeare’s bleakest tragedy, for it combines a level of brutality and a moral nihilism that are unparalleled in the rest of his works. The question of cosmic justice is the central theme in the play, and yet the dramatist’s perspective on the subject seems to be couched in ambiguity—especially with regard to the significance of the apparently senseless deaths of Lear and Cordelia in the final scene. This ambiguity is highlighted in the contrasting opinions of A. C. Bradley and J. Stampfer. In Shakespearean Tragedy, Bradley contends that Lear attains redemption through his previous suffering, a fact that allows him to die joyfully after casting off the vanities of worldly existence. However, as Stampfer points out in “The Catharsis of King Lear,” this interpretation is untenable because Bradley misjudges the depth to which Shakespeare’s pessimism extends. In the first place, Bradley possesses a weak understanding of pessimism itself, made evident by his presumption that King Lear is “too beautiful” to be pessimistic. This “aesthetic” reaction against pessimism causes him to take a narrow view of cosmic justice, a fact that leads him to conflate the moral with the metaphysical. As Stampfer demonstrates, the ultimate consequence of this twofold
Compare and contrast madness: its possible causes; its manifestations; its consequences; and its resolution, in King Lear and The Winters Tale
Compare and contrast madness: its possible causes; its manifestations; its consequences; and its resolution, in "King Lear" and "The Winter's Tale". The theme of madness within King Lear and The Winter's Tale is one of unavoidable importance; through insanity society is inverted, the wise are transformed into the irrational, and the innocent and guilty alike are united in suffering. Though both plays are placed historically within a pre-Christian context, the themes explored by Shakespeare - of madness, the breakdown of order, and the subversion of truth - seem designed as a potent challenge to the religious society in which the author resided, and if these motifs have lost some of their cogency with age, it is very easy to observe the way in which the plays would have provoked and shocked contemporaneous spectators. Though the Renaissance was bringing with it modernizing views upon mental illness, the madness depicted here is certainly not the more clearly known malaise of the twentieth century; this is a view of the subject far detached from the understandings of Freud and his followers; rather than an illness that simply affects the brain, insanity here acts as a threatening veil of senselessness, an extended metaphor for the collapse of order and values considered resolute. In the wake of the rise of psychoanalysis and medicine, today one sees madness within drama merely
Describe your view of Shakespeares depiction of the three sisters. What impression do you think he intended the audience to form of Gonerill, Regan and Cordelia? Use quotations in your answer.
Describe your view of Shakespeare’s depiction of the three sisters. What impression do you think he intended the audience to form of Gonerill, Regan and Cordelia? Use quotations in your answer. Being a Shakespearian play par excellence, King Lear naturally allows, if not encourages, for a range of possible interpretations of its purposes and meanings. As such, the complex characters of Cordelia, Gonerill and Regan each serve their own function that should be appropriately appreciated by taking into account the flexible nature of the text. I wish to frame my discussion within multiple readings of King Lear, various but by no means exhaustive, and I aim for each to add a relevant and sensible dimension upon the play. Cordelia, the virtuous and guileless daughter, is absent for the middle section of the play, appearing in the first and final act only. Despite Cordelia’s role being a minor one, she is nevertheless a ubiquity by being a character cardinal to the development of the play. Her function could be likened to that of the legendary King Arthur, who was said to always have made his heroic appearance upon need. Furthermore, the Fool misses no opportunity to remind Lear and the audience of Cordelia, to the point where it has been suggested that the two were meant to be played by the same actor; the fact that they never appear on stage together seems to strengthen this
How does Shakespeare explore madness in King Lear in Act 3 Scene 2?
Explore the ways in which Shakespeare presents madness in this passage. In your answer you must consider how the playwright uses literary, linguistic and rhetorical devices and conventions to create specific dramatic effects. (48 marks) This extract occurs in Act 3 Scene 2 soon after Lear’s two older daughters throw him out of the palace into the storm, depriving the king of warmth and shelter. This results in Lear’s descent into madness as he furiously wanders the countryside in the storm. Shakespeare depicts Lear’s madness by having him ask Edgar “didst thou give all to thy daughters?” which demonstrates to the audience that Lear sees Tom’s madness in himself, who is also clearly depicted as mad in order to conceal his identity. The lack of logic employed by Lear in assuming that this is the most likely cause of Tom’s madness illustrates that he is also distanced from reality, further highlighting his madness. However, Lear’s madness could also be staged and he may simply be communicating his problems to Kent and the Fool in a rather hopeless and hysterical way, giving the impression that madness is not in control of him. For example, Lear uses the pronouns “thou” and “thy,” which shows that Lear still perceives himself as King, superior to Tom and thus will not refer to himself at Tom’s level. On the other hand, these status markers could be
To what extent is King Lears flaw the infirmity of his age?
To what extent is King Lear’s flaw “the infirmity of his age”? In an essay distinguished by his characteristic insight and sagaciousness, D.H. Lawrence makes the following observation: “While a man remains a man, before he falls and becomes a social individual, he innocently feels himself altogether within the great continuum of the universe. Lear [felt] it, […] [he] was essentially happy, even in his greatest misery.” He adds, “Humanly, mankind is helpless and unconscious, unaware even of the thing most precious to any human being, that core of manhood or womanhood, naïve, innocent at-one-ness with the living universe-continuum, which alone makes a man individual and, as an individual, essentially happy, even if he be driven mad like Lear.” What is it then, one should ask, that drives King Lear, this “essentially happy” man, to a dismally tragic downfall? Shakespeare’s play adheres to Aristotle’s theory of tragedy, and hence Lear’s character, the “tragic hero”, must have a tragic flaw which ultimately must cause his tragic fall. From one fairly rudimentary standpoint, Lear is indeed going old, and so “the infirmity of his age” might well present itself as a reasonable, but not unique, causal factor for his downfall. As the play advances, however, several flaws become apparent with the King’s behaviour, and all these flaws portend the
King Lear as a Tragic Hero
King Lear as a Tragic Hero Definition Websters New Collegiate Dictionary defines tragedy as: a medieval narrative poem or tale typically describing the downfall of a great man.(1) The Tragic Hero as a Pitied Person. In his book Poetics, Aristotle told as his idea of the tragic hero. He says that by reading the tragedy, the reader should feel pity or fear about a certain character which is the tragic hero. "The change of fortune presented must not be the spectacle of a virtuous man brought from prosperity to adversity." He establishes the concept that the emotion of pity stems not from a person becoming better but when a person receives undeserved misfortune and fear comes when the misfortune befalls a man like us. This is why Aristotle points out the simple fact that, "The change of fortune should be not from bad to good, but, reversely, from good to bad."(2) Lear, as K. S. Mirsha describes him, is a towering figure, who is every inch a king. He has the majesty of stature and mien. Even when he loses his royal dignity there remains his soul in bare greatness. Lear is a tragic hero whose sufferings are cruel and pitiful. He inspires admiration and affection. His nature is great as he s frank, generous and heroically patient. His rashness in dividing the kingdom troubles us. Learis generous and unsuspiciuos by nature... His old age and infirmity deepen our pity for
Explore the ways in which Shakespeare presents the characters Goneril Regan and Cordilia in "King Lear".
KING LEAR COURSE WORK ROCCHINA MILIZIA ST DRAFT Explore the ways in which Shakespeare presents the characters Goneril Regan and Cordilia in "King Lear" Shakespeare's presentation of Lear's three daughters in the play "King Lear" is both interesting and highly effective. Goneril and Regan are the two wicked sisters being both hypocritical and evil in their plot to gradually destroy their father. Cordilia however is presented as the complete opposite proving to be honest and respectful and shows that she is the one that holds true love for her father. The play begins with Lear about to divide and give up to his daughters his kingdom. Crucially Lear wishes to be told how much his daughters love him before he divests his rule, kingdom and cares of state. 'Tell me my daughters ......which of you shall we say doth love us most, that we, our largest bounty may extend'. It is here that when we hear each daughters reply that we get the first insight into each complex character. Goneril the eldest is to speak first, she replies 'Sir, I love you more than words can wield the matter'. Here we can see she professes to love her father more than any thing. Foolishly Lear is at once gratified, obviously not knowing her true disposition, which Shakespeare has veiled effectively for her advantage. Regan is then asked to which she replies much the same, describing herself as
Explore the ways in which Shakespeare presents the characters of Edmund and Edgar in "King Lear".
Explore the ways in which Shakespeare presents the characters of Edmund and Edgar in "King Lear". The characterisation of Edmund and Edgar presents them as being individuals; however they are based on familiar dramatic character types. Edmund is depicted as partly dissatisfied, Machiavellian villain and Edgar is the weak, feeble character who turns hero through hardship and circumstance. Shakespeare focuses on the unfortunate consequences of their father's actions and how these implications shape their characters. Various presentation devices are used, as well as sentence structure, language, and events to portray the characters of Edmund and Edgar. Shakespeare uses Edgar's soliloquies to disclose his feelings and actions he will embark on. In his first, in Act II Scene III, Edgar tells the audience he is going to disguise himself as Mad Tom. "I will preserve myself: and am bethought To take the basest and most poorest shape That ever penury, in contempt of man, Brought near to beast:" By revealing this to us, Shakespeare gives the audience a greater understanding of the character, not only what he will be doing but also that he may be scared, fear for his life or that this character solves his problems by hiding. We know the information to be true as they are the characters thoughts and not from a conversation in which a person maybe lying. The traits of the
King Lear. Within the script Shakespeare presents characters of great greed and ambition in the effort to gain power. Their struggle towards power is followed,
. "Drama is essentially about the struggle for power and the impact of this struggle on individuals." How does Shakespeare use a range of literary conventions and writing techniques to explore this concept? Within Shakespeare's productions the struggle for power within individuals is represented; not only in script but stage directions and writing techniques. 'King Lear' is a tragedy, considered to be a literary masterpiece. Throughout the coinciding plots, conflicts between tragic heroes and their 'loyal' followers develop the major ideas of the play. The nature of the world, betrayal and loyalty are all themes that form the basis of these conflicts. Inevitably these themes provoke the audience to side with certain characters and create modern day analogies towards specific themes in the text; good battling evil is the cornerstone of the script and the inevitable struggle to regain power. Within the script Shakespeare presents characters of great greed and ambition in the effort to gain power. Their struggle towards power is followed, Edmund seeking Gloucester's title and Gonerill and Regan in the hunt for Lear's land and power. Initially, the audience is presented with the 'love test' in which Lear's daughters have to flatter their father into dividing the Kingdom. Consequently, Shakespeare foreshadows the repercussions of Lear's actions through metaphor 'We have seen the
Why is the character of the Fool included in Shakespeare's King Lear?
Shakespeare's King Lear Why is the character of the Fool included in Shakespeare's King Lear? The Fool's function in King Lear is to create emphasis on the tragedy in the play and give insight into the characters' true nature. He shows other characters' nature though blunt comments and earns himself the name of 'all-licensed Fool', as he clearly states peoples' inner personality. He develops the tragedy though a theme of madness and instability, from his use of poems and rhymes intermingled with standard prose, which even then is full of cryptic phrases and drivel. This, also, creates a dramatic atmosphere, as the lines of his riddle are short with a quick tempo. However, the Fool was not just used in King Lear. There were many other Fools used in different plays and the beginning of the use of the Fool was in medieval England in the 13th Century. The Fool was used as the link between the exotic imagination of the play and the immediate world of the audience. His duties include improvising with the audience and sweeping aside the confines of the script in order to establish verisimilitude and an easy transformation between English oral and written traditions. There were two kinds of Fool during Shakespearean times. These were: the natural Fool - a physically and mentally disabled person; and an artificial Fool - a witty and clever actor. The Fools first appearance is in
