For
me, King Lear is one of those plays that I love
and admire, even though I am convinced that 90% of it has gone over my head.
But I mean that in a very good way. It’s not particularly difficult to
understand or anything, but there is simply so much there! It
is astounding.
The first thing that must be said about this play is a bit about
its extraordinary title character. Lear is among Shakespeare’s best creations,
in my opinion. The first time I read (or saw? I don’t even remember which now) this
play, I was bothered by how he acted because it didn’t seem rational. Coming
back to it more recently (particularly in light of recent events), however, I
was really struck by his behavior. It was a powerful statement that humans don’t always behave rationally. We can sometimes be governed too
forcefully by emotions.
Lear’s actions don’t resonate because they function as sometime
kind of cautionary, dystopian view of human nature. They resonate because they
are familiar.
In many ways, although he has admirable traits, Lear represents
the worst of human nature. He is selfish, insecure, and unwilling to admit
fault and seems incapable of recognizing who his true friends are. His foil is
his daughter, Cordelia, who has the courage to stand up and point out something
she sees as problematic and refuses to indulge in flattering him or
pampering his vanity. Not only that, but she is then willing to forgive him.
I love that Shakespeare does
not shy away from showing us what these dark traits can lead to. Lear doesn’t
get the easy way out. He loses his daughter and is forced to confront the fact that
it was his own actions that led to her death, which could have been easily
prevented if he had been a better leader.
This king, perhaps more than
any other character in any of Shakespeare’s plays, can stir very raw emotions
surrounding our own nature. The broken part of each of us, and our traits that
undermine our own happiness and success. Further than that, it shows us that the
process of healing and becoming our best selves is not always pleasant or easy.
That’s why it will continue to be a powerful story about the flaws of human nature and how we can overcome them.
