The Development of King Lears Madness - Essay Example

?Topic: Analyse the development of King Lear’s madness. How does it relate to the play’s themes? Shakespeare’s monumental tragedy “King Lear” essentially revolves around Lear’s plight- his journey and the experiences he encounters during the course of that journey; experiences that are unfortunate, maddening and bitter but unavoidable. Madness is undoubtedly one of the most integral features of this play. It is note-worthy that Lear’s madness enables him to embark on a journey of self-discovery. The moments of insanity encountered by Lear, are conducive to his evolution- in the true sense of the term. Thus, through his journey of madness, Lear undergoes a transition from ignorance to awareness- from darkness to light. More importantly, this essential element of madness also threads together some of the most thought-provoking and reflective themes of the play namely; the existential predicament of man, suffering as an essential requisite for self-development and lastly the debilitating nihilism that governs the characters’ lives till the end. The following discussion will suffice to explore this premise. It is a commonly observed fact that within every society, madness is perceived as a life-restricting disturbance of the mind. However, contrary to this popular notion, several theories proposed by numerous renowned philosophers, serve to contest and redefine the essential meaning of madness. For instance, in his book entitled, “Hegel’s Theory of Madness”, Daniel Bethold- Bond has claimed that according to Hegel, “insanity (is) an essential …and necessary occurring form or stage… in the development of the soul”(67). Hence, Hegel did not categorize madness as a threatening force. On the contrary, he has maintained that a mild degree of insanity is essential for an individual since the feeling soul never manifests itself within the normal course of the ego-development (Bond 92). In Lear’s case, it is evident that he is initially introduced as a highly demanding patriarchal figure who can be regarded as a solipsist; where solipsism is a philosophical theory resting on the belief that the self is the only reality (The American Heritage Dictionary 787). Lear’s prime focus in life -during his kinship- is that the highly infallible and the exquisite self-image fabricated by him be affirmed by all the people inhabiting his domain. When Cordelia fails to reinforce his self-projected image, his excited anger unleashes itself and without any consideration for his daughter’s sensitivity, he atrociously remarks “Better thou/ Had’st not been born, than not t’ve pleased me better” (I. i. 6-8) .His extreme reaction to Cordelia’s response, bespeaks of a mind which is accustomed to exaggerated and irrational depictions of anger and fury. This important incident in turn, triggers off a series of future resentments, disappointments and disillusionments which consequently result in intermittent phases of Lear’s withdrawal from reality- his brief and prolonged instances of madness. As asserted earlier, Lear’s withdrawal from the objective world or his ‘alienation’ results in the development of the soul. One of primary requisites for an enlightened inner self is that a person address the most significant existential questions pertaining to his being and his identity .Lear’s extremely disturbing and confused state of mind in the following lines, implies his first encounter with ‘madness’: “Does any here know me? This is not Lear/ Does Lear walk thus? Speak thus? Where are his Eyes?” (I. iv. 8-10). Interestingly, at this stage, confusion or madness induces physical regression in Lear (he feels lethargic hereafter) while simultaneously enabling him to address the most significant existential questions pertaining to his being. It is at this moment that Lear abandons the garb of royal identity worn by him thus far, and dares to address the most dreaded and challenging question of all, “Who is it that can tell me who I am?” (I. iv.13). In doing so, Lear attempts to delve into the essence of his existence. He realizes, albeit painfully, that the quintessence of his existence is not dependent on his much prized royal stature that had been conferred upon him previously. Thus, in a way his madness impels him to rethink who he is. Thematically, this quest of Lear to search for his individual identity can be juxtaposed with Edmund’s search for his roots or essential identity as well. Moreover, as established earlier, following his detachment from reality, Lear begins to view things in a larger paradigm. For instance, in the much significant storm scene, Lear voices his sensitivity pertaining to the misery and anguish of all those who are devoid of any form of viable protection against the storm. He empathetically exclaims: “Poor naked wretches, wherso’ever you are/ That bide the pelting of this pitiless storm” (III. iv. 29-30). Thus, the suffering that Lear encounters as a result of his madness enables him to become acquainted with the life of feeling (Bond 92) and compels him to undertake a development of his inner faculties- of his heart and soul. In addition to this, Lear’s suffering enables to become better attuned to the suffering of others- particularly the suffering of the proletariat. This developmental phase of Lear reaffirms the most pivotal thematic concerns of the play- the unassailable role of suffering in the development of the self. Enlightenment attained as a result of suffering, is also evident from the tragic plight of both Edgar and Gloucester. Similar to Lear, both these characters emerge as much more ethically evolved and reformed individuals as a result of their personal misfortunes. Once he is able to palpably experience the ravages of the storm himself, Lear acknowledges the insensitivity and the malevolence depicted by him towards his subjects during his kinship and the painful guilt experienced by him thereafter is poignantly evident from this remark: “…O, I have taken/Too little care of this” (III. iv. 34). Thus, at times such as these, his cloud of madness is frequently tinted with rational insights- insights that urge him to renounce his former blindness and to assume responsibility for the grievous wrongs committed by him. It is note-worthy that realization and responsibility if unaccompanied by productive measures, lead to no plausible results. In Lear’s case, the tragedy resides in the fact that once Lear has realized the failures and injustice generated during his reign as a king; he feels he lacks the strength to recompense for his past mistakes. Nevertheless, this prospect of justice abused, perpetually and irrevocably haunts him; to such an extent that his mental faculties deteriorate to the point of mental sickness; thus unconsciously allowing him to escape responsibility. Due to this reason, instances of assumed responsibility (as stated earlier) are instantly followed by an altogether evasion of reality as evident from these lines: “Is man no more than this? Consider him well…/ Off, off you lendings: come, unbutton here (tears off his clothes)” (III. iv. 95-101).Thus, Lear’s mind while subconsciously prompting him to forego responsibility, incites him to relinquish his clothes and an organized speech pattern- two features which are the hallmarks of normally accepted behaviour. Furthermore, according to Hegel’s hypothesis, “madness is diagnosed as a sense of failed idealism” (Bond 164). A sense of failed idealism in turn, generates feelings of hopelessness within a person and makes him reflect on the meaninglessness of life- the hallmarks of nihilistic belief (Pratt n.p ). The mock trial scene devised by Lear, the fool and Kent (III.vi) serves to reinforce the fact that utter disillusionment and an awareness of betrayed ideals, propels a man to take desperate measures. The mock trial scene is in fact an attempt to counterfeit reality and to reproduce it in order to satisfy the unquenched sense of failed idealism and the heinous unredeemable wrongs imposed upon Lear by his elder daughters. Once Lear is reunited with Cordelia, his mind oscillates between moments of sanity and insanity. This dual aspect of Lear’s sanity once again reinforces the central theme of nihilism that reverberates throughout the play. Perhaps one of the reasons for this marked oscillation is his inability to comprehend and embrace reality for what it is. When Edmund’s officers brutally drag Cordelia and Lear towards prison, the latter joyfully exclaims, “so we’ll live/And pray, and sing, and tell old tales and laugh/At gilded butterflies” (V. iii. 23-25). This overtly optimistic statement voiced by Lear at a moment when he and Cordelia are on the verge of falling into an abyss, depicts his complete detachment from reality. It at this moment that one witnesses pronounced fluctuations in his insanity. Cordelia’s death is undoubtedly the best parameter for judging the degree of Lear’s insanity. His initial response to Cordelia’s death is one of denial. However, this brief phase of denial is followed by his anguished acceptance of the finality of Cordelia’s death when he exclaims, “I know when one is dead, and when one lives,/ She’s dead as earth” ( V. iii. 37-39). At this moment Lear regains his sanity and renounces all faith in life and a sense of despair envelops him- his mind exhibits the characteristic features of a nihilist. Once Lear comes into direct brutal contact with the nihilism encompassing this life, he refuses to survive. Cordelia’s death makes him painfully and acutely aware of the fact that all values are baseless and that nothing can ever be effectively communicated to the dystopian world society (Pratt n.p). Conclusively, the end of the play is not much different from the beginning, in terms of qualitative change. There is an onslaught of futile deaths and monarchy is restored towards the end. However, in terms of personal transformation, Lear’s bitter confrontation with madness redeems him in the eyes of the audience. If the factor of madness is eliminated from the equation of the play, the play will lose its coherence and intensity in terms of the outstanding tragic effect it elicits. WORKS CITED: 1) Berthold-Bond, Daniel. Hegel’s Theory of Madness: Suny Series in Hegelian Studies. Cambridge: Icon Books Ltd, 1986. Print. 2) Pratt, Alan. “Nihilism”. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: A Peer- Reviewed Academic Resource. 23 April 2001.Web. 2nd March, 2011. 3) Shakespeare, William. King Lear. London: Penguin Books Ltd, 1994. Print. 4) The American Heritage Dictionary, 4th ed. New York: Random House, Inc., 1956. Print. Read More