King Lear is often regarded as one of Shakespeare’s finest pieces of literature. One reason this is true is because Shakespeare singlehandedly shows the reader what the human condition looks like as the play unfolds. Shakespeare lets the reader watch this develop in Lear’s own decisions and search for the purpose of life while unable to escape his solitude and ultimately his own death. Examining the philosophies Shakespeare embeds into the language and actions of King Lear allows the reader a better understanding of the play and why the play is important to life today. Because Lear is rooted in flawed epistemology, attempting to find the meaning of life, he can only create corrupted actions and policies. Not only does Lear’s epistemology only cause him greater problems, but this epistemology also relates back to the political nature of the play. Politics must be understood as a process of fabrication in which the end utopian goal justifies and underpins rulership, control and domination (Saurette). Nowhere is this better shown than when Lear decides to step down from the throne and give his seat on the throne to the daughter who “loves” him most (Damrosch 1361-1363) and when he does, the two daughters who fabricate their “love” for their father rule his former kingdom through authoritarianism and totalitarianism. This paper seeks to analyze distinct philosophies in King Lear, such as existentialism and nihilism, to allow the reader a better grasp on why certain actions in the play occur and why these political philosophies drive Lear further into his problems. Although referred to as a distinct philosophy, it seems nearly impossible to find an exact definition for the term “existentialism.” This is primarily true because existen... ... middle of paper ... ...inia Military Institute. 2012. 8-10. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. Kain, Philip J. “Nietzsche, Eternal Recurrence, and the Horror of Existence.” Journal of Nietzshe Studies. Vol. 33. 2007. 49-63. Print. ---. “Eternal Recurrence and the Categorical Imperitive. The Southern Journal of Philosopy. Vol. 45 Issue 1. 2007. 105-116. Print. Nighan, Raymond. Meditations. Dr. Nighan's British Literature and AP page: http://stjohns-chs.org/english/Seventeenth/Sev-bk.html. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. Pratt, Alan. “Nihilism.” Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 3 May 2005. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. Saurette, Paul. “I Mistrust All Systemizers and Avoid Them: Nietzsche Arendt and the Crisis of the Will to Order in International Relations Theory.” Journal of International Studies. Vol. 25. No. 1. 1996. Print. Yalom, Irvin D. “Yalom’s Ultimate Concerns.” Existential Psychotherapy. 1980. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.
The Shakespearean play King Lear is one of great merit, with an excellent story. The play depicts the kingdom of Lear. Because the king is nearing the end of the reign, he divides his land amongst his daughters. However, once his daughters have received what they want, they begin to distance themselves from their father. There were other small sub-stories tucked away within the main plot of the story, most containing small amounts of corruption. The turning point of the story is when Lear makes the discovery that his daughters are beginning to betray him. The once prideful and stoic king falls apart emotionally, and the kingdom undergoes a dramatic split as the King’s once loyal colleagues let loose their corruption and evil as they turn into
Guignon, B. C. and Pereboom, D. (eds). (2001). Existentialism: Basic Writings. Indianapolis, IN: Hacket Publishing.
...ernational Journal Of Applied Philosophy 21.1 (2007): 1-24. Academic Search Complete. Web. 4 Feb. 2014.
Jasper: Lear behaves a lot like child towards those who try to warn him against giving up his kingdowm to his two daughters, Regan and Goneril. He banishes Kent who tries to warn him, he threatens to whip the Fool who tries to warn him and he even ignores Cordelia's speech about the speeches her sisters have given.
Wittgenstein, Ludwig; G. E. M. Anscombe, P.M.S. Hacker and Joachim Schulte (eds. and trans.). Philosophical Investigations. 4th edition, Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009. Print.
Throughout history, men have been depicted in literature in various ways: as warriors, heroes, rulers, fathers, brothers, sons and lovers. Shakespeare's King Lear gives a glimpse of a man's psyche in the course of the relationships he has with the women of the play. King Lear brings out the worst of Goneril and Regan, invoking within them deceit, greed and manipulation, portraying women as foul and loathsome creatures who give rise to suffering and discord. While Cordelia embodies a positive female image, King Lear is illogical in his actions toward her due to her sexuality and his opinion of how a female should honor her father.
Ain, Philip J. “Nietzsche, Skepticism AND Eternal Recurrence." Canadian Journal of Philosophy 13, (September 1, 1983): 365-388. Philosopher's Index, EBSCOhost (accessed November 8, 2013).
The Merriam – Webster Dictionary defines existentialism as a chiefly 20th century philosophical movement embracing diverse doctrines but centering on analysis of individual existence in an unfathomable universe and the plight of the individual who must assume ultimate responsibility for acts of free will without any certain knowledge of what is right or wrong or good or bad (Merriam, 2011). In other words, an existentialist believes that our natures are the natures we make for ourselves, the meaning of our existence is that we just exist and there may or may not be a meaning for the existence, and we have to individually decide what is right or wrong and good or bad for ourselves. No one can answer any of those things for us. A good example of existentialism is Woody Allen’s movie, Deconstructing Harry. A man is haunted by his past and his past has followed him into the present. He is a wreck not because of the things that happened to him, but because of the choices he made. He is consumed by regret and insecurity and he tries to find blame in his situation with someone other than himself, however he cannot (Barnes, 2011). Throughout the rest of this paper I will be discussing two of the most prominent existentialists, Kierkegaard and Nietzsche.
Individuals aim to have a profound lifestyle that is constructed by delicately crafted goals and ambitions, they in turn end up determining the “outlook” that an individual has on how to go about their daily lifestyle. Individuals are persuaded by the lust of ambition, regardless of the nuances that come with realism in terms of the legitimacy of their ultimate goals. In the play, “King Lear”, William Shakespeare effectively establishes the comparison of characters who have differing but relatively same ambition in terms of their validity, he vindicates the various consequences of their actions by juxtaposing the impact they have had on the life of others and self. The ambition that drives the
Although referred to as a distinct philosophy, it seems nearly impossible to find an exact definition for the term “existentialism.” This is primarily true because existentialist thinkers, such as Friedrich Nietzchse, Søren Kierkegaard, and Fjodor Dostoyevsky, never agree on what the definition of existentialism is or its terms. However, according to a definition provided by St. Aslem College, existentialist thought can be defined as being “thrown into existence first without a predetermined nature and only later do we construct our nature or essence through our actions (Banach).” This means several things. First, we have no predestined nature to control what we are, do, or find valuable. Second, we are free to act individually of willpower by outside influences. Third, we construct our human nature through our free choices as we experience emotions such as love, hate, and fear. And lastly, we form our values through our free choices. In the context of Shakespeare’s King Lear, Shakespeare touches on the existentials of the human condition, which shall be discussed later in further detail. Existentialism provides substance to the play where the reader can watch King Lear shape his destiny through the choices he makes.
Kaufman, Whitley R.P. Karma, Rebirth and the Problem of Evil: Philosophy East and West; Jan 2005, Vol. 55 Issue 1, pg 15-32,
William Shakespeare's King Lear King Lear is universal - the tragedy is in a distantly remote and
No tragedy of Shakespeare moves us more deeply that we can hardly look upon the bitter ending than King Lear. Though, in reality, Lear is far from like us. He himself is not an everyday man but a powerful king. Could it be that recognize in Lear the matter of dying? Each of us is, in some sense, a king who must eventually give up his kingdom. To illustrate the process of dying, Shakespeare has given Lear a picture of old age in great detail. Lear’s habit to slip out of a conversation (Shakespeare I. v. 19-33), his brash banishment of his most beloved and honest daughter, and his bitter resentment towards his own loss of function and control, highlighted as he ironically curses Goneril specifically on her functions of youth and prays that her
The King Lear play resonates a clear distinction between good and evil. Within the structures of these antagonistic forces lies the personal schema of the individual. Through the circumstances of their harsh environment the characters of the play move toward a survival-of-the-fittest-type approach. The existence of a dog-eat-dog society forces this position. In such a world, to consider the collective good of the group or the well being of another is potentially hazardous to the individual - the virtue of selflessness perhaps harmful.