King Lear Critics

quick succession of events, fill mind with tumult of indignation, pity and hope Samuel Johnson- the nature of the play and evoking emotion
disputed whether predominant image in Lear’s disordered mind be the loss of his kingdom or the cruelty of his daughters Samuel Johnson- questioning Lear’s priorities
pride will be the sin that most easily besets him S.T.Coleridge- Lear’s pride
Kent is the nearest to perfect goodness of all Shakespeare’s characters S.T.Coleridge- Kent
fierce dispute/Betwixt damnation and impassioned clay John Keats- essence of the play
his purgatory is to be a purgatory of the mind, of madness Wilson Knight- Lear is cleansed of the madness in his mind
the fool’s use of comedy/laughter is not aimless. If Lear could laugh he might yet save his reason Wilson Knight- comedy in the play
deals with tragic aspects of human life in its most universal form. The conflict of good and evil, of wisdom with folly Enid Welsford- oppositions that Shakespeare addresses in the play
the ‘good’ characters have one quality: fellow-feeling highly developed Enid Welsford- good characters
the meaning of the word Fool is obscure Enid Welsford- who is a fool in the play?
the king having lost everything, including his wits, has become the fool Enid Welsford- Lear becomes the fool
Edmund is the new man of the incipient bourgeois revolution Arnold Kettle- new order vs old order
storm works artisitically on number of levels: elemental storm, social storm shaking kingdom, inner storm driving Lear mad Arnold Kettle- significance of storm
Goneril and Regan’s treatment of their father merely reverses patterns of rule Kathleen McLuskie- feminist, daughters
his progress from being a king to being a man Arnold Kettle- Lear’s journey, Kent supports him through the road
connecting the wicked son with the wicked daughters Samuel Johnson- aligning Edmund and Goneril and Regan
connection between evil women and chaotic world Kathleen McLuskie- females are reason for social storm
the wolf Goneril Dickens- animalistic representation of Goneril
July 14, 2019