Tuesday, October 20, 2009

King Lear: Who is her, why is he here, and what does he teach about identitiy?

King Lear is in my opinion the most complex of Shakespeare's plays, however it is probably the most overlooked as well. People are able to follow the plot, but what does it mean? and how does it relate to the idea of finding identity?
King Lear. anyone who knows the story will tell you that he is arguably insane, that his rash actions spout from an almost bipolar disorder.
He banishes the only daughter that loved him, gave up his power to those who would betray him, and acts as though he never saw it coming.
But as Emily Dickinson say. Madness, divinest sense, to a discerning eye; meaning that King Lear may not be insane but actually be logical if one can place a "discerning eye" on the character.
Obviously from Lear's title we know that he is a king; but by his OWN RIGHT gives up his power to his two eldest daughters who act as though their reason for living is to drive their "mad" father to the breaking point of insanity.
So it begs the question who is Lear? if his kingship does not mean enough to him to keep than it obviously does not define his character.
So we look further.....
Lear becomes homeless and we (the readers) are left to deciphere his random babbling with a fine toothed comb, praying to find some glint of truth, of sense.
And then I found my piece of truth:
In act three, arguably the most climatic scene of the play Lear's emotions erupt; they are raw, and almost animistic:
He rages in the storm of the century.... screaming for his loss, "Blow winds blow! and crack your cheeks! RAGE! blow! You cataracts and hurricanos, spout Till you have drenched our steeples, the clocks.... Crack nature's molds, all germens spill at once
THAT MAKES INGRATEFUL MAN." (Act 3 Sec. 2 page 127)
Here we see Lear's truth!!!
He says Crack natures molds, all germens (seeds) spill (destroy) at once.
Lear realizes that his daughters are evil, treacherous beasts whom love him no more than they love an insect.
Heartbroken Lear says that he has been foolish, an "ingrateful man".
So Lear isn't mentally off his rocker, but he is crazy with reality.... he understands that he was blinded by the lavish words of his eldest two daughters.
Lear's character is further defined by the death of Cordelia, his youngest daughter. It was she that loved him, cared for him, no matter if he was a powerful king with loads of physical possessions or when he was in tatters, without a home or any sort of power.
Through Cordelia Lear reveals another side of his identity: his caring heart.
Even after Cordelia is dead Lear carries her dead body around poking her face telling her to just "stay awhile" His grief shows that his madness is not truly "mad" but instead it is LOGICAL.
Through his surroundings Lear's character is defined, his loss of power, the betrayal of his daughters, and the death of the "innocent flower", Cordelia, the daughter whose love could not be portrayed with mere diction but instead was portrayed with her tragic death. This defines Lear's character.