Ricky L. Tsui

ENG OA1-01

26 October 1999

In the play King Lear, by William Shakespeare, the main character, Lear, takes the audience through his journey toward his enlightenment. At the beginning of the play Lear appears to be an arrogant man who is too much of the flesh. He associates money and power with love and respect. Thus, when Lear has given all this material possessions to his daughters, Goneril and Regan, he begins his long journey of self discovery. Through the analysation of two passages, one can see the transition of Lear from a man blinded by the flesh to a caring and compassionate madman that sees the truth.

The first passage comes from act I, scene iv. Lear's arrogance is illustrated in this passage as he commands nature to make Goneril infertile ; "Dry up in her organs of increase, / And from her derogate body never spring / A babe to honour her!..." (I.iv.245-258). As Lear speaks angrily to an external subject, nature, he is really speaking angrily inwardly to his subconscious. As seen in Oedipus Rex, the realisation of a truth is very painful process and often brings out strong emotions such as anger. Usually the truth is presented to a character in small increments so as not to overwhelm the character. Thus, the anger displayed by Lear is a reflection of the pain he feels from his daughter's betrayal.

The contrary of this is found in the second passage. In this scene the audience is shown humble Lear. When he says "Let copulation thrive; for Gloucester's bastard son / Was kinder to his father than my daughters / Got 'tween the lawful sheets. / To't luxury, pell-mell! for I lack soldiers." (IV.vi.110-114). This supports that Lear is much humbler. As seen in the first excerpt, Lear commanded nature to exact revenge upon his daughters for the crime they committed against them. However, in this scene the audience sees a more humble Lear who blames himself for the way his daughters turned out. The anger, brought forth by the realization of the truth, has humbled Lear; Thus, he no longer commands nature, but is confined to nature's laws.

Although it is evident that Lear's arrogance has been dissolved, Lear's perception of Goneril and Regan has not changed. In act I, scene iv, Lear describes how Goneril's evil deeds against him is "sharper than a serpent's tooth . . ." (I.iv.254). This is an accurate description of Goneril's role; In the story of Genesis, the serpent was a character that brought forth Adam and Eve's enlightenment to a higher state of consciousness. Similarly, in King Lear, the characters Goneril and Regan have forced the rebirth of Lear through their betrayal of their father.

Lear's speech in the first passage follows a well constructed, ten syllables per line, verse which is common to most of Shakespeare's characters. An example of this is when Lear says, "Into her womb convey sterility! / Dry up in her the organs of increase, / And from her derogate body never spring / . . ." (I.iv.245-247). However in the second passage, Lear's speech becomes very erratic, with lines ranging from four syllables to as many as fourteen syllables. Also, Lear changes from verse to prose in the last three lines of this passage:

There's hell, there's darkness, there is the sulphurous pit,
Burning, scalding, stench, consumption; fie, fie, fie! pah, pah! Give me
an once of civet, good apothecary, to sweeten my imagination: there's
money for thee. (IV.vi.124-127)

This change, from traditional verse to erratic verse to prose, represents Lear's mental state being disturbed. Although Lear is angered in the first passage, he still maintained his sanity and state through his language. This has changed in the second passage, Lear's state has been almost completely abolished, his mental stability is in jeopardy, and he is alone in the country side. When Lear changes from verse to prose, he is reverting back to a child-like state which allows him to go deeper into his subconscious to perform his soul work. When the soul work is complete, Lear will regain his sanity and once again speak in an exulted speech; That is, verse.

A similarity found between the two passages is that the imagery of sex is very prominent. This is seen when Lear says, "Into her womb convey sterility!" (I.iv.245) and "Got 'tween the lawful sheets. / To't luxury, pell-mell! for I lack soldiers." (IV.vi.112-113). Throughout most of the play, Lear is impotent; He is unable to bear new life because he cannot bear the truth. This constant reference to sex is an unconscious cry from within Lear, begging him to reveal the truth. Hence, when Lear has found the truth and been enlightened by it, he will be able to bear his new life.

The nature motif is also a major component to both passages. The nature motif is when nature reflects back on man. This is illustrated when Lear says:

Here, Nature, hear! dear goddess, hear!
Suspend thy purpose, if thou didst intend
To make this creature fruitful!
Into her womb convey sterility!
Dry up in her the organs of increase,
And from her derogate body never spring
A babe to honour her! (I.iv.241-248)

As seen here, the command that Lear gives to nature is a reflection of his own impotency which is due to his lack of enlightenment. Likewise, in the second passage the nature imagery is that of: Quakes, adultery, Centaurs, fiends, hell, darkness, burning, scalding, stench, and consumption (IV.vi.104-127). These words paint a picture of a chaotic world, which is reflective Lear's current mental state. Through these images of nature, one can see how far Lear is on his journey. Likewise, both these passages assists the audience to better understand the nature of Lear; That is, what is going on inside him.

Through the analysation of these two passages, one can see the changes in Lear's language and the imagery he conveys about nature. These changes are a representation of Lear's transformation from a sane man, blinded of the truth, to a madman, closer to the truth than any sane man. This study supports that Lear's character has made a significant advance in his journey towards the truth.

Sophocles. "Oedipus Rex." Elements of Literature. Ed. Robert Scholes, Nancy Comley,

Carl H. Klaus, and David Staines. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1990. 714-757.

Shakespeare. "King Lear." Elements of Literature. Ed. Robert Scholes, Nancy Comley, Carl H. Klaus, and David Staines. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1990.