The Bard's Work Review #2: King Lear

I've previously read most of Shakespeare's most beloved and acclaimed tragedies (Hamlet, Macbeth, and Romeo and Juliet being the other prominent works from him of this genre), and had always meant to get around to reading the last of the 4 major works in this genre, "King Lear". While I was aware of the basic plot of the play, my knowledge of it was minimal, outside of films loosely based on the play (of which, you will learn through successive posts on this blog, there are many). Upon reading the play in its entirety, I discovered I not only enjoyed it, but was a little miffed at myself for waiting this long to read it. Of his four classic tragedies, this is the one that is not as blatantly represented in popular culture as the other three, and yet for me it is the best of the four.

So What Is This Play About Anyway?

The play begins with King Lear deciding he will be vacating his throne and giving the power he wields as king to his three daughters, but with the caveat that the one who shows him the most devotion and love as a daughter will receive the largest share of rulership (translation: whoever can give me the biggest ego boost among my daughters, you get the largest piece. Commence the brown-nosing). His first two daughters, Regan and Goneril, submit to this suck-up contest on a herculean scale, espousing a torrent of flowery descriptions of how awesome Lear is. His third daughter, Cordelia, does not. While she is not disrespectful or impolite, she doesn't feel the need to heap overly dramatic praise, and as a result Lear removes her from any of the treasures of the throne, and instead splits the kingdom between Regan and Goneril. The Earl of Kent challenges Lear's action as a false one, and since Lear isn't a huge proponent of contrary opinions, banishes Kent from the country.

And this singular action spirals Lear's kingdom wildly out of control. Both of the daughters lack respect or honor in regards to their father now that his is no longer king, thinking of him as irrelevant and senile in his old age. They reject him outright, throwing him into a whirlwind of anger at their ungratefulness and sadness at the fact they would deem their own father beneath them. He only finds support in the form of Kent, who snuck back into the country in disguise only to assist the man who banished him, and the Earl of Gloucester, who believes what is happening to Lear is awful but finds himself in tragedy later when his eyes are gouged out. Also Cordelia, the very daughter he shunned, comes to the aid of Lear, who is increasingly losing his grip on sanity.

The state the kingdom has been left in because of Regan and Goneril's mistakes leaves the country very vulnerable, and the French attempt an invasion, which the British army does succeed in defeating. But the paranoia and mistrust among the family reaches a fever pitch as Goneril fatally poisons Regan. Goneril confesses to the poisoning, but only before fatally stabbing herself as well, because apparently self-destructive diva behavior was hereditary in Lear's lineage. Cordelia is slain by a killer sent by the enemy of the country, Edmund, and the now stark raving mad Lear mourns Cordelia's demise as he holds her in his arms. Lear dies shortly after, his mind completely fallen victim to madness by this point. The play ends with one of two secondary characters, Edgar or Albany, being crowned based on which version of the play you read (in my version Albany ascends the throne).

My Thoughts

King Lear begins with a message that seems to illustrate the dangers of the well-known verse from Proverbs "pride goeth before the fall". Lear's decision to spread the kingdom between the two daughters who are heaping such an absurd amount of praise that its clear they aren't the most honest of women is a clear omen that giving them the reins of the kingdom was a poor decision on Lear's part. Cordelia's need to be honest and upfront about where the line is in regards to her relationship with her father makes her the clear candidate for who should replace him as the head of royalty. But Lear's own pride causes him to rebuff Cordelia's response and instead give the throne to the two other less authentic daughters. This is the action that ultimately dooms him and all three of his daughters. It also becomes apparent through the shunning Lear receives from the two ruling daughters that their worship of him was clearly only for the purpose of acquisition, and their admiration was only applicable when they had something to gain from him.

Ultimately Cordelia is the key figure in the play. Lear's brief flirtation with narcissism in the play does indeed lead to a tragic end for the two ungrateful daughters, and manages to cause Lear to descent into insanity and perish himself. But it also leads to Cordelia's demise, meaning that Lear's actions destroyed those who maintained guilt for the state of the kingdom, but also lead to the destruction of the sole innocent figure in the family. By rejecting the one virtuous daughter, he ultimately dooms her and the entire family. Had he embraced her for her blunt but honest words, it would be interesting to see if the play would have had the same conclusion.

For as well as it is known by title, "King Lear" is seriously under-read compared to the other classic Shakespearean tragedies. Which is a shame because the richness in the story, and the fact that it has more women in prominent authoritative roles than most Elizabethan plays makes it an interesting and absorbing read. And like several of Shakespeare's plays, it is a story you will notice as having been retooled and reworked for several other contemporary works.

And I leave you this post with a rather humorous Shakespeare-related video from British comedy icons Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean) and Hugh Laurie (Dr. House):