King Lear critics Flashcards
John Cunningham- “the opening”
“Readers or spectators coming to King Lear for the first time are often seriously prejudiced against the play by the content of the first two scenes. it is not uncommon to hear comments on the “incredible stupidity” of Lear in choosing a daughter whose only fault is honesty, as the object of hatred and rejection, while he accepts the glib praises of her elders, who are manifestly false”
people who read the first 2 scenes are bias against Lear because of how he acts towards his daughters
Dr Farah Karim-Cooper- comedy in tragedy
“Even in Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies there are moments of comedy - and never more than in King Lear”
Still moments of Comedy even in tragedies such as Lear
G. K. Wilson- comedy in tragedy
“A shifting flash of comedy across the pain of the purely tragic both increases tension and suggests resolution.”
Comedy increases tension and gives hope
Wilson Knight- Violence in King Lear
“The gouging out of Gloucester’s eyes is a thing unnecessary, crude, disgusting; it is meant to be. It helps to provide an accompanying exaggeration of one element - that of cruelty - in the horror that makes Lear’s madness. And not only horror: there is even again something satanically comic bedded deep within it. The sight of physical torment, to the uneducated, brings laughter.”
Violence is meant to be horrible- exaggerates cruelty and gives an air of sadistic comedy (suffering is funny to the uneducated)
John Saunders- the ending
“The ending of King Lear has always been controversial… Samuel Johnson much preferred Nahum Tate’s. rewriting of King Lear which ended with Cordelia and Lear alive and reunited and Cordelia about to marry Edgar, the marriage blessed by the consent of both fathers (Gloucester too having survived).”
Ending is controversial, many people prefer Nahum Tate’s version where Lear + Cordelia + Gloucester survive and Cordelia marries Edgar
Marilyn French/ Linda Bamber- feminist criticism of King Lear
Early feminist criticism of the play suggests that Shakespeare is a feminist writer, sympathetic to the difficulties of the female he represents. However, this doesn’t take into account historical circumstance, only the values ascribed to men and women.
People at the time of writing thought Shakespeare was a feminist, but the historical context needs to be taken into account to (heavily sexist at the time)
Kathleen McLuskie- feminist criticism of King Lear
McLuskie sees the play as fundamentally misogynistic. Tragedy is misogynistic as the protagonist is always male, with male concerns and plots. Adding to this, Shakespeare aligns anarchy and sexual insubordination with Goneril and Regan. In King Lear, all female resistance is defined by gender, sexuality and position in the family, family relations are fixed and any move against them is portrayed as a destructive move against the rightful order.
Play is sexist, Tragedy is sexist, Shakespeare is sexist
Coppélia Kahn- feminist criticism of King Lear
Kahn charts Lear’s progress from misogynist rejection of womanly values to a final acceptance of his more womanly qualities. She sees the play as an exploration of male anxiety in a historical account of the way feelings are apparently feminine. Hers is a psychoanalytical reading of play which suggests Lear’s desire to be mothered by Cordelia.
Lear’s progression in the play leads to him accepting his feminine qualities, Lear desires to be mothered by Cordelia
