Dr.

Iros Vaja
M. A. (English), M. A. (Philosophy),
M. J. M. C. (Uni. First), D. C. E. (IGNOU),
Ph. D. (English), Ph. D. (Journalism), D. Lit. (USA)

The Tragedy of King Lear - William Shakespeare

B. A. (English) Semester – 5, CCE - 11

About the Dramatist:

Shakespeare is one of the greatest dramatists of the world, and none equals him in the
universality of his appeal. Ben Johnson, his great contemporary, was right when he called him,
the soul of the age, and also that He was not of an age, but for all times. Carlyle, too, rightly
observed: The Indian Empire will go, at any rate some day, but this Shakespeare does not go, lie
lasts forever with us, we cannot give up our Shakespeare. Shakespeare lives because of his
universal appeal, unique capacity to reveal the human heart, amazing knowledge of the world,
rich poetry and humanity. In knowledge of human character, in wealth of humour, in depth of
passion, in felicity of language and in soundness of judgment he has no rival in the literature of
any nation or epoch. Not only did the audience of his own age throng to see the performances of
his plays, he has been loved and enjoyed during the last nearly five hundred years in all ages and
countries. All over the English-speaking world, his plays are.....still taught in schools and
colleges, and public performances of his plays are frequent. Many of his plays have been filmed
and the films have been box-office hits.

Summary of the Play:

Lear is the king of Britain. He has ruled his land well and wisely for many years, but now he is
growing old and feeble and he feels that it is time for the kingdom to pass into younger hands. So
he has decided to give up his title, and spend the rest of his life in quietness and peace. When the
moment for the actual distribution of the territory is at hand, he calls his three daughters and
childishly proposes to make his gifts dependent upon each daughter's declaration of love for
him.

The eldest daughter tells that she loves her father more than words can express. He is dearer to
her than eye-sight, life or liberty. No child has ever loved her father more than she loves him.
The king is well pleased with this speech and gives away one third of the kingdom to Goneril.
Then he turns to the second daughter, Regan. She says that her feelings are the same as her
sisters' but her sister has not expressed half the love Regan feels for Lear. She is happy only
when she is able to serve him. The old king smiles fondly at her and gives her also a third of his
kingdom. At last he turns to the third daughter, Cordelia.

Cordelia has been listening to her sisters' speeches with increasing anger. She knows that they
are praising the old king excessively because of their greed. She, who truly loves her father,
cannot bear to have her real love compared with their false pretends and she answers a little
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bitterly: '1 love you as I should: neither more nor less'. The king is hurt by her simple and
sincere expression of duly and affection. Enraged at her apparent coolness, he casts her off
completely, arranges to live with each of his elder daughters in turn. He presents Cordelia
dowerless to her suitors. The Duke of Burgundy rejects her. However, the King of Prance who
perceives her honesty worth takes her as his wife.

King Lear has a good and faithful courtier, the Earl of Kent, who now tries to persuade him to
change his mind. But Lear interrupts him with angry words and asks him to leave his kingdom
forever. So Kent leaves the court. But he changes his appearance and enters in the service of Lear
as a faithful servant. Cordelia says good-bye to her sisters and begs them to take good care of
their old father. But they jealously tell her to look after her own husband and not to try to teach
them their duty. So Cordelia leaves the court with King of France, fearing that her elder sisters
may not treat Lear kindly.

At the same time, the Earl of Gloucester, like Lear, wrongs a dutiful child and raises an
undeserving one to power. Deceived by the apparent sincerity of his crafty bastard son, Edmund,
who has forged a villainous letter to deprive his noble brother, Edgar of his birthright,
Gloucester is convinced that Edgar is plotting to murder him for his estates.

Cordelia's fears are soon proved to be just. According to his plan, the old king is to live first with
one daughter and then with the other. He will keep the title of the King and will have a hundred
of his own knights to attend him. He first visits his eldest daughter, Goneril. He finds that
Goneril's protestations of love were false. She makes no effort to attend to her father's needs and
make him comfortable in her palace. She complains that he is always finding fault with her
servants and that his knights behave m an unruly manner. She allows her own servants to treat
the king and his knights with careless rudeness and they take no notice of his orders. Lear at last,
realizes that she does not want him and take no notice of his orders. Lear at last, realizes that she
does not want him and he leaves for Regan, sending Kent ahead with the announcement of his
coming.

With more lies and hypocrisy, Edmund completes his father's conviction that Edgar is an unfilial
villain, just as Cornwall and Regan arrive for a visit at Gloucester's castle. For a minor offence,
actually the result of devotion to his master, Regan and her husband put Kent, the King's
messenger, in the stocks. There he is found by the old King, who is accompanied only by his
loving, but bitter foe, who loses no opportunity of reminding his master of his folly in giving
away his kingdom. In a stormy scene, Regan, to whom Oswald has delivered a letter from
Goneril, refuses to take in her old father until he has made apology to her sister. When Goneril
herself arrives, and Lear perceives that the daughters are in league to heap further indignities
upon him, he sets out into the wild night with his fool.

They wander through the storm together in search of shelter. The old King's mind is as cold and
wandering as his body; he is slowly going mad with sorrow. Kent finds them and takes them to a
broken-down old hut where they can shelter for the night. The old King is so disturbed in mind
that he does not notice the storm. When they go inside they find that the hut is already occupied
by a poor mad fellow who calls himself "Poor Tom". He is really the elder son of the Earl of
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Gloucester who has changed his appearance and pretends to be a mad man in order to avoid
recognition and imprisonment. Earl of Gloucester finds the King and takes him to a farmhouse
near his castle. Kent takes Lear secretly to his castle .at Dover. He informs Cordelia of the
sufferings of the King and the wickedness of Goneril and Regan. Cordelia persuades her husband,
the King of France, to send an army to England to fight for King Lear and she herself crosses to
Dover with the army.

The good Earl of Gloucester has his eyes put out by Regan and Duke of Cornwall as a punishment
for helping Lear. They then turn him out of his castle. But the faithful Edgar leads his father to
Dover where they join King Lear. The poor King is sadly changed. He has now gone quite mad
and does not recognize them. He talks strangely and wanders about wearing a crown of leaves
and flowers.

He does not recognize Cordelia. Cordelia nurses him back to sanity. On gaining sanity, he looks
unhappily at the people around him, still fearing that he may receive unkindness. Cordelia is
overjoyed that her father knows her at last. But the sorrowful man, remembering her sisters'
unkindness to him, cannot believe that Cordelia still loves him. But Cordelia tells him that her
only wish is to bring him back to happiness.

The two armies meet. The French army is led by Edgar and the Earl of Kent; and (he English, led
by Duke of Albany and the wicked Edmund. Edmund, the evil young man, wishes to become King
of England and so he profess love to both Goneril and Regan, in the hope that he will, in the end,
be able to marry one of them, and gain possession of half of the kingdom.

In the battle, the French army is defeated and Lear and Cordelia are taken prisoners by the
wicked Edmund. He sends them to prison and gives secret orders that Cordelia is to be killed. He
is determined that she, one of the rightful heirs to England, should not stand between him and
his ambition to be the King.

Meanwhile there is hatred and bitterness in the English camp. Regan's husband has died, and
she immediately announces that she intends to marry Edmund; but Goneril, angry and jealous,
poisons her sister and Regan also dies» And now the Duke of Albany, whose greatest fault has
been his weakness of will, turns against his wicked wife. He sends her to prison for her crimes,
and she kills herself in anger and despair. Finally the evil Edmund is killed in a fight by his
brother Edgar.

The Earl of Kent tells all this to King Lear, but it is doubtful whether the old man has understood
the news. His mind has failed again when Cordelia dies, and he cannot be persuaded to leave her
body. And the broken-hearted old man falls dead beside his beloved daughter.

And so ended, in sorrow and despair, the long life of the good King Lear, but, although he seems
to have lost everything, the battle has not been in vain. His two wicked and cruel daughters are
dead, and also the ambitious Edmund. The crown passes of the Duke of Albany, who becomes
the King of England.

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 GENERAL QUESTIONS

1. The Role of the Fool in King Lear

The Fool plays a pivotal role in King Lear. It is the only play among the tragedies of Shakespeare
in which a Fool has been introduced. The Fool used to be professional jester or clown whose
function was to amuse the king and the courtiers by jokes and with remarks. The Fool enjoyed a
good deal of freedom to speak on any subject and to comment on persons and events without
any restraints. As the Fool's function was purely to provide entertainment and to make people
laugh, sometimes at themselves. It is rather strange that Shakespeare should have introduced a
Fool into his most painful tragedy. His object in introducing the Fool seems to have been to
provide comic relief in a play where the events oppress our minds too much and where the
sufferings of the chief protagonist become almost unendurable for us.

The Fool is a member of the King Lear's court. He appears in caps and bells and is a constant
companion of the King. He is an "all-licensed fool". The court jester is able, through his wit, to
attack the King. His jokes, riddles, rhymes and his endless digs at Lear's folly are like a trickle of
sanity running through the play. He is a 'wise fool1 whose most important function is to point
out to Lear the way in which his distorted judgment has reversed the natural order of things.
The rider should ride the beast of burden; Lear lets the ass ride him. The father should punish
his erring children; Lear lets his children whip him. The King should teach the fool; Lear asks the
fool to teach him. Bluntly he call Lear a fool... When Lear warns him not to talk in this
irresponsible manner and threatens to whip him, the Fool replies that a man who speaks the
truth is surely treated like a dog that must be whipped out of the room, while a flatterer, who
always speaks falsely, receive kindness and affection. Lear says that the Fool's satirical attacks
on him are gainful to him like the plague. It is to be noted that the Fool is a keen observer of men
and affairs, and that he has a good deal of knowledge of human nature. His remarks and
comments may appear to be foolish on the surface, but there is good deal of sense in what he
says.

Throughout the play, the Fool is the best friend of Lear. Among the Fool's qualities is his
answering loyalty to Lear. He remains with Lear in every situation. He shows his deep
attachment to the King and the King has really a soft corner for the Fool. This bond between the
King and the Clown does credit to both. The Fool's remarks to aggravate and intensify the King's
misery, but the Fool's intention were never to stab the King by his sarcasms. It is just that the
Fool is compelled by the habit to comment mockingly on every situation. Epithets of endearment
are continually exchanged between them. He has been Cordelia's friend, and pined for her. There
is a pathos that mingles with his humour when the fool clings to his master amid the rigour of
the storm. The Fool is the externalization of the conscience of his master. He purges Lear of his
obsession with his daughter's ingratitude by jesting and buffoonery. He also reminds Lear of the
sorrow that is gnawing at his heart; he stands for worldly common-sense and comic-relief. He
also acts as a safety valve for the emotions of the audience.

The inversion utterances are indications of his wisdom. When Lear begins to speak in an idiom
that has been used by the Fool the tutor Fool is no longer required. When Lear tells him, "we will
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go to supper in the morning", the Fool replies 'And 1 will go to bed at noon'. From this moment
onwards Lear acts his own fool and Shakespeare boldly dispenses with the Fool. Bradley
remarks, "Imagine the tragedy without him, and you hardly know it".

2. The Character of King Lear

Shakespeare's King Lear deals with the tragic aspect of human life. The conflict of good with evil,
of wisdom with folly and the hopeless cry to the deaf Heavens for justice are presented. As the
play progresses, we see Lear being stripped of worldly power, human dignity and even the bare
necessities of life. Eventually he becomes the embodiment of destitution. Marilyn French sums
up the transformation in Lear in the following words: "Lear moves from 'masculinity' to
'femininity'. In the opening scene, dressed in majesty, he stands on power and banishes love. For
the next act and a half, he roars and rages, but begins, little by little, to city. And then he learns to
see, to feel. He opens his mind to others - to the poor, to his fool, to the necessity by which all
humans are bound… By the time he and Cordelia are captured, he is no longer concerned with
power-in-the world or with revenge".

Lear is an impressive and dominating figure. He is an old man of eighty and upwards and speaks
of himself as about to 'crawl toward death'. Yet he is healthy. We see him coming back from
hunting and calling with a hearty appetite for dinner. He survives the affliction of the storm and
kills Cordelia's hangman. He is imperious and dynamic but vain and rash. Blinded by power he
exhibits terrible grit and determination. His demeanor in the first scene bears testimony to this.
The unforeseen, stubborn refusal of Cordelia to speak makes him angry and he immediately
casts her off. When Kent intervenes, he is banished. And thus rashness is added to vanity.
Marilyn French makes a mention of the obduracy of Lear and observes that Lear appears 'royal,
arrogant, commanding and absolute'. He has the conviction that he is entitled to absolute love as
well as absolute power. The consequence of his decisive decision leads to his sufferings and then
to the tragedy.

Lear commands a love and respect of his subjects. His relationship with those who are closest to
him reveals this. He inspires in Kent a strong and durable loyalty. Even after being banished for
plain speaking, he returns to Lear, telling himself that he will work well for the master he loves.
Kent feels both love and respect for Lear both as a man and as a king. When Lear dies, Kent can
think of no future for himself. Gloucester also has great love for him. It is because of his love for
Lear that Gloucester censures Goneril and Regan for their ill treatment of the king. And when he
joins hands with the king he is blinded.

Lear has always had a mental twist. He is mad even before he goes mad. His weakness is his
overmastering passion. G. Wilson Knight remarks that: "Lear is mentally a child, in passion a
titan". This, combined with old age, makes him unbalanced. His lack of judicious judgment, the
tragic flaw, is germane to his mental twist. His decision to divide his kingdom and the unsound
test, which he applies to his daughters, may be taken as an indication of his dwindling rationale.
When he begins to regret his action, he loses his self-control and is shaken by strong emotional
disturbances. Eventually, this leads him to the inevitable lunacy.

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Lear becomes insane as a result of a series of shocks. The first of the shocks occurs in his
meeting with Goneril. Lear who used to frown at others is now frowned at. The humiliating sight
of Kent in the stocks flings him into a fit of agitation. The open insults of his two elder daughters
confine him to the blind alley of life. He appeals to the Heavens against the injustice meted out to
him by his daughters. He turns to the fool and says, 'I think I'm going mad'. The process is
complete when he meets Edgar and listens to his pretended ravings. They prove infectious and
Lear goes mad. When he is reunited with Cordelia, the mad fit is subsided. What we witness only
seems equanimity. Shakespeare shows profound insight into the workings of the human mind by
tracing the process of the derangement of Lear. Madness is a device through which Shakespeare
manages to convey the most eloquent criticism of society. Lear is oblivious of his own existence
and his seeming sanity itself is a sign of insanity. His act of killing the hangman of Cordelia and
the immensity of grief in his heart-rending utterances are but the final flickers of a flame.

Lear's most effective teacher is his suffering. Through suffering he learns wisdom and attains
salvation. Afflictions make him mellow. He realizes that a king is not a superman. Like any other
human being, he is also prone to sufferings. He learns humility and charitable fellow feeling with
even the lowest of distressed humanity. Lear's real redemption comes about when he awakens
from the delusions of his frenzied mind to discover Cordelia and her unselfish love. "The Lear
that dies is not a Lear defiant, but a Lear redeemed. His education is complete. His regeneration
is accomplished", observes J. Dover Wilson.

Lear is more sinned against than sinning. Lear's nemesis is far in excess of his follies, yet his
purification and sublimation are the result of his suffering. As Marilyn French concludes, "Our
love for Lear is not because he is right or even because he is more sinned against that sinning,
but because of the depth of passion".

3. The Character of Cordelia.

The character of Cordelia says A.C. Bradley is not a master-piece of invention or subtlety like that
of Cleopatra; yet in its own way it is a creation as wonderful. Cordelia is the third daughter of Lear.
Although her appearances are few in number and she speaks scarcely more than hundred lines,
she is never far from our minds. Cordelia is reticent and very often finds it damn difficult to have
her heart into her mouth. She has the tenderness of Viola or Desdemona and the power and
dignity of Hermione.

She is simple, sincere and natural. She speaks simply and truly and is disbelieved. Her directness
and sincerity of purpose lead her to say things, which are not palatable of her father. When Lear
asks her what she has to say about her love for him, she answers "Nothing". Her "Nothing" has
double meaning. She means, first of all, that she can say 'nothing' to match the substantial and
false protestations of her sisters. The second meaning has to do with Lear's view of love as a
commodity. Cordelia's love is of the spirit. It is nothing or 'nothing' materially. It cannot be
exchanged, bought or used. Her assertion of truth and right, her allegiance to them, even the touch
of seventy that accompanies it instead of compelling mere respect or admiration, become adorable
in a nature so loving as Cordelia, says A.C. Bradley.

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Cordelia is exceptionally unbending. Lear loved Cordelia most. He wanted to reward her with a
third of the kingdom, which was the most opulent. When the King warns her to mend her
speech, she is unbending. She evinces no surprise when she loses her father's blessing and
dowry. She answer; uncalculatingly with pride to his pride. Lear is at the height of his power in
the first scene. She neither utters one pleading word nor winces at the penalty. Bradley thinks
that her reticence is due to the tender love for the person to whom she has to speak. Her love, as
she says, is more ponderous than her tongue.

Cordelia is an illustrious example of filial duty. When she comes to know of Lear's sufferings, she
rushes to Dover and nurses him to sanity. When the King falls on his knees to beg pardon of his
child, she prevents him and kneels to ask a blessing of him. She kisses away all his sisters'
unkindness and takes tin responsibility of his protection. Marilyn French in her classic feminist
study, ‘Shakespeare's Division of Experience’, says, Cordelia represents the in-law feminine
principle at its most saintly, supporting am protecting even when she has been hurt.

Cordelia is herself a healing power. She can be thought of as that in nature, which is helpful am
remedial. She also represents the loving, constant devotion that exists in every nature, every
people. It is hatred that has undone Lear and therefore love must cure him and she loves him
with all her heart. She saves Lear from a world of madness and takes him to the world of love
and harmony.

The question why Cordelia must die has been posed by many critics. Samuel Johnson was so
shocked by Cordelia's death that he could not bear to re-read the final scenes of the play. The
reason for his reaction is that he found her death not only disappointing but also violating our
"natural ideas of justice". Twentieth century critics, however, have not objected to the death of
Cordelia. When she dies says Bradley, we regard her, simply as we regard Ophelia or Desdemona,
as an innocent victim swept away in the convulsion caused by the error or guilt of others. The
destruction of good through the evil of others is one of the tragic facts of life. So the death of
Cordelia is admissible in the tragedy.

Cordelia symbolizes a set of values. The theme of 'King Lear' is the conflict between good and
evil. It is through Cordelia that Shakespeare brings home the idea of human society, which
cherishes some standard values like bonds and duty and love and reverence. She is the very
incarnation of duty, love and reverence.

Cordelia plays a pivotal role in the play. The portrayal of her character is in harmony with the
impression we have formed of her in the opening scene. It is a great achievement on the part of
Shakespeare to have given us an adequate and most satisfactory portrayal of her even though
she appears in only four of the twenty-six scenes of the play and speaks no more than a hundred
lines. In spite of her brief and few appearances, there is no character in Shakespeare who is
more unforgettably stamped on the memory of the readers. In the opening scene, we find her
reticent when asked to express her love for her father; but otherwise she is capable of making a
long speech. She is by no means short of words. It is only when she has to express her filial
affection that she becomes almost dumb.

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4. “Is King Lear a man more sinned against than sinning?”

King Lear is considered by many to be Shakespeare's greatest tragedy. It is a story of exceptional

suffering. The hero suffers untold miseries and cruelty from his daughters whom he has given
everything. Many critics think that Shakespeare has violated our innate sense of poetic justice
and that Lear is more sinned against that sinning.

A similar statement is made about 'Oedipus', the Greek play. Oedipus is more an unfortunate
sufferer than a responsible agent of his calamities. The statement that Lear is more sinned
against than sinning reminds us of the words of Christ. He responded to those who spoke to him
of how, according to law, the woman taken in adultery should be stoned; He that is without sin
among you let him first cast a stone at her. (St. John, viii, 7)

The question whether Lear is more sinned against than sinning can be answered only by
examining the nature and circumstances leading to his sins. He is every inch a King. He is vain
and rash. He likes to hear himself praised on ceremonial occasions. He has a notion regarding
the character of his daughters. He has already divided the kingdom. His intention in staging a
love test might be either to satisfy himself or to publicly display that his previous judgment
regarding his daughters was correct. He knows that Goneril and Regan will flatter him but he
enjoys their flattery. He is confident that Cordelia would excel them in adulation. But she is
reticent. His pride receives and affront and he loses self-control and casts her off. Kent who tries
to intervene is banished. Hear Lear's conduct seems absurd.

It is for this flaw that he is made to suffer untold agonies. He is stripped of worldly power,
human dignity and even the bare necessities of life. He becomes a destitute. His sufferings
become all the more agonizing as they are meted out to him by Goneril and Regan whom he has
given the entire kingdom. If Cordelia had made him suffer, it would have been justifiable to a
certain extent, liven Cordelia has sinned a little by not properly understanding the feelings and
weaknesses of her lather. So we can, in no way say that the sufferings meted out to Lear are in
tune with his flaws. We are inclined agree with Lear, who says that he is a man more sinned
against than sinning.

Shakespeare must have wanted us to feel that Lear is more sinned against than sinning. In other
tragedies, the tragic flaw of the hero prevails till the end. In 'King Lear' the hero is agile and
active only in the first scene. From the second scene onwards, he is a passive sufferer. His
prolonged sufferings have intensified our indignation against the wrong doers that we do not
think of his flaws at all. Unlike other tragic heroes, Lear acquires wisdom and attains salvation
through his sufferings. He learns repentance, humility and charitable fellow-feeling with even
the lowest of distressed humanity. This also reduces the impact of his tragic flaw and we feel
that he is more sinned against than sinning.

5. Discuss King Lear as a Shakespearean Tragedy.

A.C. Bradley has defined Shakespearean tragedy as a story of exceptional calamity leading to the
death of a person in high estate. It is more than a mere story of death and suffering. In the words
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of Dowden, Tragedy as conceived by Shakespeare is concerned with the ruin or restoration of the
soul and of the life of the man. In other words it is subject to struggle of good and evil in the world.
Shakespearean tragedy has its own conventions. Shakespeare's tragedy is concerned with the
fate of person of 'high degree'. His tragic heroes are extraordinary men placed in exceptional
circumstances. The causes of tragedy in Shakespeare's plays are some fatal flow in the character
of the hero. Shakespeare believed in the principle that 'character is destiny'. The suffering and
calamity of the hero are exceptional in nature. The suffering of the hero arouses in our minds
tragic emotions like grief, anger, pity and fear. The fall of the hero never makes us depressed or
desperate. The exceptional qualities of the hero give us a vision of the possibilities of human
nature. The characteristics of King Lear are characteristic of a Shakespearean tragedy.

The tragedy of King Lear springs from lack of balanced judgement and filial ingratitude. It's hero,
Lear, is every inch a king. He is imperious and dynamic but vain and rash. His demeanour in the
first scene bears testimony to this. The consequence of what Lear has done leads to his
sufferings and it makes up three distinct tragedies. First, there is Lear's nemesis that involves
the double retribution of receiving nothing but evil from Goneril and Regan and only good from
Cordelia whom he has cruelly wronged. The second tragedy is the sufferings of the faithful Kent
and the loving Cordelia. The mutual intrigues of Regan and Goneril resulting in their ruin are the
third tragedy. The consequences of Lear's error have (heir analogies in the tragedies which
originate from the intrigue is Lear's life. Then we have the sufferings of innocent Edgar.

Shakespeare believes in the dictum that character is destiny. There is connection between
character, deed and catastrophe. Lear's actions contribute to his downfall. The rashness of his
division of the kingdom, the absurdity of making the division depends on protestations of love,
his complete blindness to hypocrisy and his injustice to Cordelia and Kent lead to the calamity.
The sufferings of the hero are exceptional in nature. They arouse in our minds tragic emotions of
pity and fear. The fall of the hero never leaves us depressed or desperate. Lear suffers a lot due
to his folly. His sufferings make him mad. They inspire pity and fear in us. Through sufferings he
learns repentance, humility and charitable fellow feeling. At the end of the play the regenerated
Lear has become capable of a self-abnegation, which comes from an awareness of love and
charity.

The calamitous conclusion of a Shakespearean tragedy generally involves a whole state in

disaster. King Lear is clearly a case in point. Cordelia's attempts to restore him to the throne fail.
She is defeated and both the King and Cordelia are taken prisoners. Cordelia is killed. The shock
of her death kills Lear also. The wicked characters, Edmund, Goneril, Regan and Cornwall fall a
prey to their own jealousies.

The destruction of good through the evil of others is one of the features of a tragedy. Lear is a
man more sinned against" than sinning. Cordelia also suffers for no fault of her own. Her
sufferings and death also evoke tragic emotions of pity and fear. When she dies, says Bradley, We
regard her simply as we regard Ophelia or Desdemona as an innocent victim swept away in the
convulsion caused by the error or guilt of others. So the death of Cordelia is admissible. King Lear
deviates from other tragedies of Shakespeare in the presentation of the fatal error, wrongdoing
and conflict. In the other tragedies the hero's fatal weakness, error and wrongdoing continue
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almost to the end. It is otherwise with 'King Lear'. In the end, Lear attains a mood of clemency.
Our indignation at those who subjected him to sufferings has been so intense; that the memories
of the wrong he did to Cordelia has been easily effaced. He has inspired so much pity in us that
forget that he himself is the cause of all these troubles.

There is both internal and external conflict in King Lear. The various characters are
swept conflicting emotions. Goneril and Regan are constantly guided by hatred, jealousy and the
resultant fear. The ingratitude and hypocrisy make their perception of reality distorted. The
unhealthy emotions that rule the: are in conflict with the intense love and affection of Cordelia
for her father. Edgar is in constant conflict will Edmund. Lear experiences conflicting emotions
throughout the play. The war between the forces of Goneril and Regan and the King of France
takes place offstage. King Lear seems to suggest that once man has willfully embraced a wrongful
cause of action, he is liable to set in motion a whole train of terrible disasters. The play proves
that a purely retributive justice is one of mankind's illusions. Evil may be ultimately self-
destructive but the question of tragic waste remains unanswered.

King Lear is a typical tragedy by Shakespeare. Like the other tragedies by him, this play too
presents a hero who suffers misfortunes and meets a sad fate mainly on account of his own
faults which in this case are a hasty temper, an intolerant attitude towards everybody, an
excessive egoism and an incapacity to judge the character of those round him. Circumstances
also contribute to the misfortunes of the hero, as they do in the other tragedies. In this case,
Nature shows its cruel side by making a storm blow exactly at a time when Lear has left his
daughters and has nowhere to go. The storm has its own share in bringing about Lear's
madness. The storm intensifies Lear's suffering. Pity and fear are the dominant feelings
produced by this play, and a catharsis of these feelings has certainly been brought about.

SHORT NOTES

1. The Opening Scene

The opening scene strikes the keynote of the play. It serves the purpose of exposition. The theme
of the play and the important characters are introduced here. Lear has made up his mind to
divide his kingdom among his three daughters and to retire. He conducts a love-test. Goneril and
Regan flatter the vain and arrogant king. Cordelia, who lacks the hypocrisy of her elder sisters,
tells that she has nothing to say. She adds that she loves her father, as a daughter ought to love
her father and that when she marries, her husband would carry half of her love. This angers the
king and he rejects her. He divides the kingdom between Goneril and Regan. The Earl of Kent is
banished for supporting Cordelia. The King of France sees Cordelia's real worth, and marries
her. The first scene also gives a hint of the sub-plot of the play, concerning Gloucester and his
sons Edgar and Edmund. It captures the interest of the audience by the introduction of
Edmund's illegitimacy. The scene throws light on the wickedness and sycophancy of the two
daughters and the majesty, arrogance, absurdity and vanity of the King. It prepares us for the
subsequent developments. Most critics say that the opening scene of King Lear is absurdly
improbable, and that no sane man would think of dividing his kingdom among his daughters in
proportion to the strength of their several protestations of love.
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2. The Duke of Albany

The Duke of Albany is the husband of Goneril. Throughout the play we see him growing in
spiritual stature. He prefers a quiet life with Goneril. He has not much control over his wife. His
wife, quite naturally, departs to seek Regan's help without him. He loves his wife but he is blind
and deaf to the change that is taking place in Goneril. He has been slow to think ill of her. But
when he comes to know of Goneril's wickedness, he sends her to prison for her crimes and she
kills herself in anger and despair. At last he becomes the King of England. He is pitted against
Edmund; the aristocrat against the upstart; the man with nothing to gain for himself against the
man who must win and still win or perish. Shakespeare endows him with a fine sense of irony.
He does not spare much space for the development of his character. Once in action, Albany is as
distinguished a figure as any other character the play.

3. The Duke of Cornwall

The Duke of Cornwall plays a wicked role in the play. He declines from subservience under
Regan's iron will to independent malevolence and bloodlust. Cornwall is the husband of Regan.
He is m the prime of his wife. He is by no means stupid. He can speak up to Lear when need be.
He asserts himself against his wife. Cornwall encourages Edgar in all his wickedness. The taste of
blood seems to let loose the wild beast in him. When lie got the information that the King is
coming to his palace, he has decided to leave his home rather than to stay there and receive the
king. It was by his orders that Kent was put in the stocks. His most wicked action is the blinding
of Gloucester. He enjoys it and sets about it with a savage jest. When he has blinded one of
Gloucester's eyes, a servant tries to restrain him. The servant is killed, but not before he has
given Cornwall a fetal wound His is the most ignominious death m the play.

4. The Earl of Gloucester

The Earl of Gloucester is a sensuous, pompous and accomplished courtier in Lear's court. His
story-runs parallel to that of Lear. From his own sufferings he learns that adversity can bring
spiritual rewards. Vanity, violence of temperament, conventional ideas on the world and fate
bring about his doom. He has two sons the legitimate son, Edgar and the illegitimate son,
Edmund, Gloucester is spiritually and morally blind at the beginning. He lacks sound judgment.
He rejects the loving son, Edgar and clings to the false one, Edmund. He falls a prey to the
machinations of the wicked Edmund. He is ashamed of the way in which Regan treats her father.
He helps the king during his sufferings. The good Earl of Gloucester has his eyes put out by
Regan and the Duke of Cornwall as a punishment for helping Lear. They then turn him out of the
castle to smell his ways to Dover. He is a bundle of superstitions. On his way to Dover he
remarks,
"As flies to wanton boys are we to the gods; They kill us for their support".

His faithful son, disguised as Poor Tom, saved him. Gloucester brings dire sufferings on himself
through his own folly. He is assisted in his suffering by those whom he has wronged. Edgar is full
of loving forgiveness. The Earl learns wisdom through suffering, and achieves spiritual salvation.
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5. Goneril

Goneril is the eldest daughter of King Lear. She is the wife of Duke of Albany. She is a realist. Of
the two sisters, she is the one who initiates evil courses, hi the opening scene; she plays a
hypocrite for a kingdom and gives verbal expression to her love. She says that she is at a loss for
words. She loves her father,
'Dearer than eve-sight, space and liberty; Beyond what can be valued'. rich or rare, and she gets
half of the kingdom. Having got more than what she expected, she found good excuses for not
paying the price for it. She is fed up with her father's retinue and orders to reduce their number.
She orders Oswald to show disrespect towards Lear. She writes a letter to Regan giving a
distorted version of what transpires between them. It is Goneril’s wickedness that drives Lear
mad. She falls in love with Edmund. Cornwall's death pleases Goneril immensely because he was
an heir to the crown. But it is the devil of just that brings about her ruin. Her lust for Edmund
rouses Regan to jealousy. In hatching the plot against her father! She exhibits subtlety and
cunningness. But to win Edmund over, she is ready to stoop to any level. To fulfill (her ambition
of marrying Edmund she turns reckless, shameless and foolish. When Regan announces her
intention to marry Edmund, Goneril becomes angry and poisons her sister. The Duke of Albany
sends her to prison for her crimes and she takes her own life m anger and despair. Thus the
justice of Heaven overtakes she wicked Goneril.

6. Regan

Regan is the very incarnation of wickedness. She is the second daughter of King Lear and the
wife of the Duke of Cornwall. In the opening scene she declares that Goneril's love for her father
can never be as intense as that of her. She finds all other joys dead, in comparison with the
pleasure, which she takes in the love of her dear king and father. She gets a third of his kingdom.
She puts Kent, the messenger from Lear, in the stocks; she has gone to the castle of the Earl of
Gloucester, instead of receiving her father at her court. There she refuses to meet her father
saying that she is tired and ill after their journey. At last, when she comb out, she tells her father
that he is old and that he should be ruled and led by others who are younger and (wiser than
himself. She advises him to go back to Goneril and admit that he is wrong. When Gloucester's
defection is discovered, his eyes are plucked out by Regan's initiative. She jeers at the blinded
and bleeding Gloucester. She accompanies Cornwall to the battlefield, chiefly, to be with
Edmund, with whom she is in love. When her husband dies, she immediately announces that she
intends to marry Edmund. But the angry and jealous Goneril poisons her sister and she dies.
Regan is an evil, self-degrading and self-destructive character.

7. Edmund

Edmund is, in wickedness, half-brother to lago. He is an adept in deceiving others. He is the

illegitimate son of Gloucester. Edmund defines himself with the words 'bastard and base', which
recur like a refrain throughout his speech. He is a psychological study in the aggression
produced by illegitimacy. He embodies 'Nature' that promotes the survival of the fittest. The
'Nature' that Edmund addresses as a deity is related to his own natural begetting. It is the
natural law governed by one's needs. In the course of his uncompromising struggle for survival,
12
he becomes a Machiavellian villain. He has suffered a lot due to his bastardy. He has been
slighted and looked down upon by the society. He is driven to wickedness by the disparagement
and neglect of his kith and kin. He dupes his father into believing that Edgar has evil designs. Hs|
is so cunning that Edgar does not even suspect him. He succeeds in disinheriting his brother,
Edgar. He spies on his father and betrays him. By his wickedness he has become the fit object of
love of such wicked creatures as Goneril and Regan. He wants to become the King of England. So
he professes his love for both Goneril and Regan in the hope that he would be able to marry one
of them and gain possession of half of the kingdom. In the battle he takes Lear and Cordelia
prisoners. He sends them to prison and gives secret orders that Cordelia is to be killed. He is
determined that Cordelia should not stand between him and his ambition to b« the king. Finally,
the villainous Edmund is killed by his own brother, Edgar.

8. Edgar

Edgar is a modest, open and unsuspicious character. As the play proceeds, he emerges as
powerful. He is the legitimate son of Gloucester. He is totally duped by Edmund's folly and is
banished by his father. Edgar plays many roles. From Tom, the lowest possible member of his
society, he becomes a Tom who is invested with wit and is able to lead Gloucester. He becomes a
peasant, in which guise he convinces his father that he has survived a fall from Dover cliff. Then
he disguises himself as a rustic and saves his father and kills Oswald. Edgar and Cordelia share
common qualities. Lear calls Edgar a philosopher. He becomes Lear's best friend and goes
through the mockery of an imaginary trial involving the unkind daughters and their father. Soon
he doubts the course of action he has adopted. When he is convinced of his brother's villainy, he
begins to act bravely. He saves his father. At last, his real identity is revealed and Edmund is
killed by him. He becomes the Earl of Gloucester after the death of his blind father. Edgar's
philosophy consists in indifference to fortune, and of patience with life itself.

9. The Earl of Kent

The Earl of Kent is a great nobleman who had been ever loyal to Lear. He honoured Lear as a
King, loved him as a father and followed him as a master. He is a Christ-like character. What he
says is true and wise. He shows the two-sided awareness of Lear's folly. He knows that Lear's
youngest daughter Cordelia is dutiful and full of love for the King and that the words of Goneril
and Regan are hollow. He also knows that Lear is rejecting the true and accepting the false and
that he is being foolish, on the level of practical prudence, unquestionable courage and
selflessness are the dominant qualities of Kent. When Kent begs him to rescind his decision, Lear
threatens him with death. Kent retorts that he does not tear to lose his life, 'thy safety being
motive'. He knows that Lear's safety is threatened by his actions in the first scene, and he wants
Lear to be safe. Lear mistakes him for being too proud and banishes him. He is irresistibly
impelled by his love for Lear to humble himself, and to disguise himself as a servant, Caius in
order to protect and help the man who had rejected him. When misfortunes overwhelm Lear,
Kent keeps watch on them. Throughout the play we find him engaged in unquestionable service.
When Oswald shows disrespect towards Lear, he trips him. Later he quarrels with Oswald and
he is put in the stocks. Throughout the storm scene, his sober single-minded concern for the
King is evident. He takes Lear to Dover. Still his real identity is not revealed to Lear. Here
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Shakespeare takes care not to spoil Lear reconciliation with Cordelia by adding to its recognition
of Kent. Shakespeare does not want to complicate the crowded actions of the play with the
vigorous personality of Kent, so he shows only thriftier attention to him in the latter half of the
play. He is not seen in the battle. In the last scene, Kent reveals his identity to the stark mad King
but it is of no use. By the end of the play, Lear has learned that Kent was quite right in his
perception of reality.
10. Disguise in King Lear

Several of Shakespeare's play have used disguise as a dramatic device. In 'King Lear' (here are
two disguises. Kent disguises himself as Caius, and ordinary servant. The Earl of Kent, who was
sent from the court, had not gone far away. He returned as a servant and told the King that he
would like to serve him. The King agreed and so Kent stayed with him. He was of great help to
the King. Throughout the play, his sober, single-minded concern for the King is evident. In the
last scene, Kent tries to reveal his identity to the King, but it is of no avail. Shakespeare's purpose
here, it seems, is not to spoil Lear's reconciliation with Cordelia, by adding it to the recognition
of Kent. The second disguise in 'King Lear1 is that of Edgar, the elder son of the Earl of
Gloucester. He is a good and faithful young man who had been turned out of his father's house
because of the wicked lies of his younger brother, Edmund. Edgar changes his appearance and
pretends to be a mad man. He disguises himself as poor Tom in order to avoid recognition and
imprisonment. He is seen in rags in the storm scene. When Gloucester is blinded and driven out
of his palace, he protects him. His real identity is revealed and Edmund is killed in the battle by
him. Edgar becomes the Earl of Gloucester after the death of his blind father.

11. Hovel Scene or Storm Scene

Lear's suffering reaches its climax in the storm, and the storm is the hub of the play, it is of great
symbolic significance. It objectifies pathetic fallacy. Shakespeare uses the storm frequently in his
plays to signify some sort of violent crisis. Macbeth's murder of Duncan is accompanied by a
storm, as is Brutus' preparation for the murder of Caesar. The storm in Lear is not only a
manifestation of the inner turmoil of Lear but it also symbolizes the disharmony in the family
and the society. The king is in the open treeless countryside. He has no protection from the wind
and the rain. It is a night of bleak winds sorely ruffling; of cataracts and hurricanes; of curled
waters swelling above the main and oak-cleaving thunder bolts. This storm is a reflection of the
storm in Lear's mind. Both nature and Lear are swept by a storm. Lear bids the winds to blow
the earth into the sea or to swell the waves of the sea till they drown the earth. He speaks at
length on filial ingratitude and remarks that 'I am a man more sinned against than sinning'. He
realizes, for the first time, the hardships of the poor. This helps him to attain redemption. He
becomes stark mad and begins to strip off his clothes while listening to the pretended ravings of
Edgar. The disharmony that has been produced in the world of man is reflected in the world of
the physical elements.

12. Parallelism and Contrast

Parallelism is a technique of dramatic design. It works in the reduplication of motives. The

central idea of one part of the action reappears in another part of it, and each is thus made to
14
illustrate and reinforce the other. Parallelism and contrast are united in the most typical forms
in 'King Lear1. 'King Lear has as under plot in the depiction of the incidents in the life of
Gloucester. In both cases, we have an old father presumably well, but with a flaw that sets the
plot in motion. Lear misunderstands the nature of parenthood that he demands love as a kind of
filial fee. Gloucester misunderstands his dutiful son. In each case parents reward the wicked
children and punish the good; their ultimate help and sustaining power come from the rejected
children. The innocent Cordelia has to suffer like the innocent Edgar. Finally, both Lear and
Gloucester are made to undergo suffering which are purgatorial and they attain enlightenment.
In both the stories, the games of the wicked are found to be the means of their destruction.
Parallelism manifests itself in the actions of the minor characters as well. The actions of Kent
and Oswald run parallel to each other. Contrast manifests itself in characterization. Lear and
Kent are at opposite poles. The character of Goneril and Regan and Cordelia are contrasted.
Likewise, Edgar and Edmund are presented as contrasting characters. A.C. Bradley comments
that the gradual inter-weaving of the two plots is masterly. But the techniques of parallelism and
contrast produce more disadvantages than advantages. There is rapid shift of attention from one
centre of interest to another. This adversely affects the natural unfolding of the plot.

13. Nature in King Lear

'Nature' is one of the most important words used in the play. The word 'Nature' carries two
distinctive meanings. To some of the characters it is a benign force binding all created things in
their true relationships. 'Nature' in this sense implies that each and every created thing is
allotted a slot in the universal hierarchy. Every creature should accept the dictates of Nature. It
would lead to co-existence, co-operation, loyalty and affection. Cordelia, Kent and Edgar
conceive 'Nature' in this sense. So they attach significance to human bonds, love and affection.
Edmund envisages 'Nature' in a quite different way. To him, 'Nature' is a force encouraging the
individual to think only of the fulfillment of his own desires. The 'Nature' that Edmund addresses
as a deity is related to his own 'Natural' begetting. It is beyond the borders of human and social
law. It is the natural law that makes man a part of the animal kingdom bereft of morality. Such a
'Nature' is free from ethical principles. It is governed by one's needs-whether it is for physical
gratification, or for wealth or power. A strong faith in 'Nature' that he espouses makes Edmund a
Machiavellian Villain.

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