lear viewpoints + lenses Flashcards
Where do we see the unconscious mind in Lear?
He’s controlled by the super ego + only acts on bad desires
What does the Paranoid Schizoid position mean for Lear?
He reverts to PSP when his desires aren’t fulfilled
Unable to move past a primitive mental state + split good from bad
What study was there under the Absence of a mother figure?
Kleins Object Relations Theory
What does the absence of a mother figure + Kleins object relation theory mean for Lear?
He objectified his mother as an infant; as an adult he hasn’t moved past objectification w his daughters
What does the validation Lear demands from his daughters mean?
It defends what he fears worst + when they all eventually refuse he falls into false fantasy + insecurity
What does Freud say about muteness?
3 Caskets
Cordelia’s muteness is typically rep of death + her silence adds to Lear’s spiral so she may have sealed her own fate of death in doing so
What is shown of Regression in the play?
Ego defence mechanism
Lear shows signs of reverting to less mature stages - views Cordelia as mother figure?
“Old fools are babes again”
He is “unbuttoned”
What complex is used for women?
Madonna-whore complex
What is the Madonna-whore complex?
Stereotypical view that women can either be good or bad
Cordelia; nurturing
Goneril + Regan; evil
NO ARC
What anti fem aspects are shown in King Lear?
Shakespeare shows dangers of women in power
What does act 2 do from a feminist lens?
Anti-feminist - Goneril + Regan’s harsh treatment of Lear + their husbands; unforgiving
What does the subplot of Regan + Goneril tell us?
Their desire for infidelity for Edmund
Cordelia’s chastity is glorified + her sisters meet devastating ends for infidelity
What would a Marxist say about obedience in Lear?
K.L. only believes in obedience from subjects and when he doesn’t get this he spirals
What is carnivalesque?
When the Fool is wiser than the King; satire
Carnival spirit mocks authority
What does marxism say about emergence of capitalism in Lear?
Lear is king just bc he was born into it and it causes damage
