Throughout the play of Shakespeare’s King Lear, the reader notices how insane Lear becomes. After he found out Goneril and Regan did not love him, he became angry and upset. His insanity starts to reveal itself in Act 3. In Act 3 Scene 4, Lear relates his situation to Edgar saying, “Didst thou give all to thy daughters, and art thou come to this?” (Shakespeare 139). When in reality, Edgar’s situation had nothing to do with daughters betraying their father. Lear cannot see anyone’s pain but his own. Lear perceives himself to be insane, but is he really insane? Or is he just upset because his daughters have done him wrong? Daniels states, “They are not suffering from any illness when they made their donations; what they were suffering from was an incomplete knowledge of the character of their children” (Daniels 10). I tend to agree with this statement because Lear was perfectly fine before he gave his land away. Lear did not realize how selfish his daughters were. I also believe his banishment of his most precious and loyal daughter made him even more upset. His emotions lashed out in an unusual manner making one assume he was insane.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Is King Lear Insane?
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After reading what you wrote Andrea, I begin to question if Lear truly went insane. You brought up a good point when you quoted Daniels. Lear did not show any form of insanity before Goneril and Regan betrayed his trust. I am beginning to think it may seem as Lear went mad, but in reality he is heartbroken because of his three daughters. Lear was disowned by Goneril and Regan, and lost the only person who truly loved him. I believe when Lear realizes he does not have anything left, he expresses his emotions in a dramatic way. He may act this way in order for people to feel sorry for him and to come to his rescue. Although this may be his motive, in the end Lear dies of heartbreak.
ReplyDeleteAndrea, you make an interesting point when speaking about Lear acting insane when in reality, he may not be. Maybe he wanted the attention of others because he was heartbroken that Goneril and Regan did not love him as much as he expected? Disappointment often comes with expectation. Maybe he was disappointed in them and himself for banishing the one daughter that truly loved him? Lear might have been acting over dramatically because his emotions were uncontrollable in parallel to his problems.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, I disagree with the statement you made about Lear acting insane rather than being insane. As Daniels stated, "Whatever his illness, he had had it for at least some time before he divided up his kingdom and gave it to his daughters" (Daniels 10). With that being said, this lead me to believe that Lear was already in a crazy state before anything had happened. Daniel also states, "In old age, people become more like themselves, their salient characteristics coming to dominate their whole personality" (Daniels 10). In the play, Lear is obviously at an old age which is why he is retiring and passing down his land to his daughters. Because Lear is at an old age and was already mad to begin with, Lear is expressing his true identity which defines him as insane.
Andrea and Anna, I completely agree with your thoughts. Lear was mentally stable. Rather than conjure up excuses to justify Lear’s actions, researchers should come to terms with reality; Lear is human. Ashley, I disagree with your opinion on Lear being insane from the very beginning. Personally, I feel Lear does not suffer from a mental illness; he suffers from the consequences humans must bear during their life time on Earth. Although he is a king, Lear is susceptible to stress, love, anger and most importantly, mistakes. Lear is not infallible. The quote Andrea mentioned by Daniels, “They are not suffering from any illness when they made their donations; what they were suffering from was an incomplete knowledge of the character of their children”, supports my theory; Lear suffers from being human. Similar to most humans, Lear is unable to distinguish the truth from a lie. He is easily deceived. After Lear had foolishly banished the daughter who truly loved him and fell victim to the lies his other two daughters recited, Lear has to now cope with the consequences of his decisions. Admitting one’s mistakes and apologizing is a difficult task for the average human, including a king. I feel Lear’s “insanity” stems from his inability to deal with life consequences, not from a mental illness.
ReplyDeleteGuys/Gals, look at his consorts? A fool, an actor, and an acolyte.
ReplyDeleteI got the horses in the back
ReplyDeletehorse tack is attached