Shakespeare for Overseas Students ID NUMBER 0917057

Dramatic Effect and Purpose of Madness in Shakespeares King

Lear
Shakespeare composed King Lear a few years after James I accession to the throne (1603), between late 1605 and late 1606. The registration of his play in the Stationers Register in the year 1607 reveals that King Lear was performed for King James I at the Whitehall Palace on St Stephens night, 26 th December of the year 1606. This fact provides evidence of the great fame that King Lear already achieved at that time. In fact, after this royal performance, King Lear maintained being represented in many theatres. Even though, it was a very controversial play and there were also many people that did not understand it, or did not like it.

King Lear is one of the greatest Shakespeares tragedies. Scholars such as Grace Iappolo1 consider that, since 1605 Shakespeare seemed to be very interested in portraying family relationships between fathers and daughters in a tragic way. He observes that Shakespeares later plays such as Hamlet, Othello, Pericles, The Winters Tale, The Tempest, and, especially King Lear, present the bond between father and daughter often bordered on incest or tragedy, threatening the foundations not just of the family but of society itself. (Grace Ioppolo, 2003:2).

Causes of Lears madness

Grace Iappolo, A Routledge Literary Sourcebook on William Shakespeares King Lear (2003).

Shakespeare for Overseas Students ID NUMBER 0917057

Lear was the king of Britain during the Celtic and pre-Christian times. In this play we are told the Lear tried to divide his kingdom between his three daughters attending to their quatity of love towards him. As a consequence of his rational mind and lack of feeling, his family will also result divided and, finally, he will become mad and die. Shakespeare also introduced another parallel story, considered a subplot of the play, this is the story of Gloucesters family. In this case, his little knowledge about his sons will cause his own physical blindness. There are a lot of similarities between these two fathers, and this is why they are related and compared in most of the cases.

King Lear is continuously thinking about the fact that turned he mad. He considers that the main thing that caused his madness is his daughters ingratitude. Kenneth Muir and Stanley Wells2 talk about shocks, instead of causes, that happen in chronological order and provoke Lears insanity. As Goldberg says in his essay, King Lear is a play commonly thought to represent a man moving from blindness and folly, through the bitter lessons of his consequent suffering, eventually to see the truth3.

1. The first shock that emotionally affects to Lear is the attack made by Gonoril when she wants him to reduce his retinue. He is angrily surprised at her aggressive behaviour to him. He even asks her: Are you our daughter?. This represents the first action in which Lear begins to realize that his judgements about his daughters were wrong.

Ill tell thee. (To Gonoril) Life and death! I am ashamed That thou hast power to shake my manhood thus, That these hot tears, that break from me perforce
2 3

Their work is entitled Aspects of King Lear (1982, pp.27-30). S.L Goldbergs An Essay on King Lear. (1974. p.4)

Shakespeare for Overseas Students ID NUMBER 0917057 And should make thee worst basts and fogs upon thee!4.

At this point he already seems to recognize that he wronged Cordelia. O most small fault,
How ugly didst thou in Cordelia show! [...] O Lear, Lear, Lear! Beat at this gate, that let thy folly in, And thy dear judgement out!5.

And, as a consequence of this, Lear begins to regret himself of his behaviour towards Cordelia. He is even scared of becoming mad: O, let me not be mad, not mad, sweet heaven!/ Keep me in temper: I would not be mad! 6. This fact is very significant because, in fact, he will become mad. Therefore, we can say that he is absolutely recognizing that he banished Cordelia unjustly, and this is why he is punished by being turned insane. This fact reminds to the Christian religion, Lear is punished because he committed a sin: he misunderstood his daughters feelings because of his lack of knowledge about them.

2. The second shock that Muir and Stanley Wells consider appears later, in the seventh scene7. This happens when Shakespeare goes to Gloucesters home and he finds Kent in the stocks. At the beginning he cannot believe that Cornwall and Regan could have been able to sent him to such a humiliating place:

Whats he that hath so much thy place mistook

4 5

Stanley Wells, The Oxford Shakespeare King Lear, 2001. Scene IV, pp.140 Kenneth Muirs and Stanley Wellss, Aspects of King Lear (1982:27). 6 Aspects of King Lear (1982:27) 7 The Oxford Shakespeare King Lear is not divided into acts, instead it contains 24 scenes.

Shakespeare for Overseas Students ID NUMBER 0917057 To set thee here? [...] They would not, could not dot.Tis worse than murder, To do upon respect such violent outrage. (The Oxford Shakespeare King Lear, 2001:163-164)

Then, as Muir and Stanley Wells observe, Lear shows his first physical symptoms of hysteria, that is, of his madness: O, how this mother swells up toward my heart!
Hyterica passio, down, thou climbing sorrow; Thy elements below.8

3. Muir and Stanley Wells propose a third shock. This is the last one and takes place immediatly after the second shock. It is based on Lears rejection by his daughter Regan. Regan was the only daughter that Lear finally trusted, but, then he realizes that both are treacherous, and that the only faithful daughter was Cordelia. Therefore, this betrayal also influences to develop his illnes.

No, Ill not weep.[...]

I have full cause of weeping, but this heart Shall break into a hundred thousand flaws Or ere Ill weep. O fool, I shall go mad! (The Oxford Shakespeare King Lear, 2001:175-176)

Even though these three facts contributed to provoke Lears madness, we should admit that it was also Lear himself the main cause of it. As Grace Ioppolo says in his work9 King Lear represents the classical Aristotelian concept of a great mans fall by
8 9

Aspects of King Lear (1982:28). William Shakespeares King Lear (2003)

Shakespeare for Overseas Students ID NUMBER 0917057

means of his own actions and faults. Lear is portrayed as a very rational being and his fault is that does not pay attention to peoples feelings. We can see his obsession for quantitative norms he measures and compares how much his daughters love him:

Tell me, my daughters, Which of you shall we say doth love us most, That our largest bounty may extend Where merit doth most challenge it? (The Oxford Shakespeare King Lear, 2001:102)

This dialogue belongs to the scene of the division of his kingdom, which can be seen, metaphorically as the source of the division of his own family. Lear banishes Cordelia while he was trying to divide his kingdom. The reason is that Cordelia is the only daughter that sincerely recognizes that she cannot love him all. Then, the other two daughters, who had lied about their love to Lear, receive the whole kingdom. But, as soon as they get the kingdom, they conspire against their father to assure their inheritance. And, finally, the two eldest daughters also fight between themselves because of their greed; they try to achieve as much wealth as possible. Therefore, at the end the whole family is divided and destroyed because of the kingdom division.

Representation of Lears madness in different ways Robert Bechtold Heilman10 proposes the term pattern to refer to the different motifs in which the madness theme appears in this play. He assures that [...] the reader soon becomes aware that the madness functions in more ways than one 11. The most
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Robert Bethtold Heilmans This Great Stage. Image and Structure in King Lear (1948). pp. 173- 174 This Great Stage. Image and structure in King Lear. (1948). p. 173

Shakespeare for Overseas Students ID NUMBER 0917057

outstanding way of interpreting madness in this play is as a psycho-physiological phenomenon suffered by Lear caused by his daughters ingratitude towards him.

Related to this there is another way of considering madness in this play, and this is as an intellectual phenomenon. Bechtold calls it intellectual because he says that it appears as a way of expressing a failure of understanding the complex situation between Lear and his three daughters.

This critic observes more ways of perceiving madness in this play. He considers that madness also appears at a different sphere, that is to say, at a moral sphere. In this sense, the fact that Lear failed at understanding his daughters behaviour provokes the achievement of better knowledge at the end. Lear becomes mad not only as a consequence of his daughters actions, but also as a way of escaping from the chaotic sphere that governs his kingdom. This way he is able to analize and understand the situation that is taking place. Madness represents a means of liberating his own problems and imagination, which helps him reconsider all his actions and attitudes and apologize to Cordelia. Many critics and scholars characterize this play as a cautionary tale because the main characters, Lear and Gloucester, improve at the end as a consequence of their faults. There is a similar problem in the case of Gloucester, but, in his case, instead of turning mad, he is punished by means of turning him blind. The symbolic meaning of this physical blindness is related to the fact of being able to see or not be able to see who the good son is and who the evil son. Shakespeare plays with the word sight and insight. Therefore Gloucesters lack of insight causes his own loss of sight, that is, his blindness.

Shakespeare for Overseas Students ID NUMBER 0917057

Madness is reflected in a broader sense according to Bechtolds theories. It is a symbol of the disordered and unstructured society that appears when the patriarchal norms break down and the social order is altered. This play is contextualized in a patriarchal society where social orders and positions are very fixed at the beginning and any kind of disturbance or change is a threat to the natural order. As Gonoril and Regan tried to deceive their father by getting his position as ruler, they also provoke the destruction of this established society. When Lear is already mad, he talks about fantasies and apparent nonsenses, but, in fact, Shakespeare sets this kind of dialogues on him on purpose. It is a way of criticising his society through an indirect way. One of Lears discourses is about social order, and he blames women on the destruction of the established social order. Modern critics consider that Shakespeare may have tried to warn about the negative consequences of the society portrayed in this play. This is a patriarchal society, and mysogynist in a certain way, therefore women should not be allowed to rule it. Lear considers that the source of this disorder and chaos are his daughters, that is to say, women. Shakespeare may be trying to show the disastrous consequences of womens reign.

Finally, he observes that madness is related to other facts in this play. It is related to the assumed madness of Edgar as Poor Tom, the madness of the Fool and all the comments about madness that appear throughtout the play:

O, let me not be mad, sweet heaven! I would not be mad. Keep me in temper. I would not be mad.12
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Stanley Wells, The Oxford Shakespeare King Lear (2000) p.144. These words are said by Lear after having an argument with his daughter Gonoril. He begins to be afraid of turning insane.

Shakespeare for Overseas Students ID NUMBER 0917057 [...] Now I prithee, daughter, do not make me mad.13 [...] Here, sir, but trouble him not; his wits are gone.14

Celeste Flower considers that the madness developed by the Fool is professional, eccentric, witty, exposing weakness and folly: The hedge-sparrow fed the cuckoo so long/ That its had it head bit off by it young 15. This is a clear metaphor of Lears family. But more interesting is Edgars assumed madness disguised as Poor Tom of Bedlam. Edgar disguises himself as Poor Tom of Bedlam as a way to be hidden because his father is pursuing him to kill him. As Ioppolo says in his work 16, the fact that Edgar includes the name Bedlam in his own name already implies that Edgar is representing a madman because Bedlam is a slang term that was employed to refer to the Bethlehem Hospital, a London insane asylum.

Poor Toms madness: assumed madness Lears identification with the storm is a symbol of his madness. This rhetoric feature whereby the weather reflects the behaviour or the mood of the characters is known as pathetic fallacy. As Celeste Flower17 considers in her essay, in this case, the stormy weather shows us the inner torment that Lear is suffering as a consequence of

13

Stanley Wells, The Oxford Shakespeare King Lear (2000) p. 173. Again Lear makes allusions to madness. This happens when Lear begins to realize that his two eldest daughters are deceiving him. 14 Stanley Wells, The Oxford Shakespeare King Lear (2000) p. 203. Kent says this to Gloucester referring to Lear. 15 Cambridge Student Guide. Shakespeare. King Lear (2002) p. 73 16 Grace Ioppolo, A Routledge Literay Sourcebook on William Shakespeares King Lear. (2003), pp. 119 17 Cambridge Student Guide. Shakespeare. King Lear, pp. 73

Shakespeare for Overseas Students ID NUMBER 0917057

the cruel treatment that he received from his daughters. Muir and Wells assure that in this scene Lear is not totally mad yet. They consider that when he turns completely mad is when Poor Tom appears. This character represents both a living embodiment of naked poverty and one who is apparently what Lear had feared to become. Edgar, in acting madness, precipitates Lears (Aspects of King Lear, 1982:28). John Reibetanz 18 argues that Shakespeare must have followed the theory of Renaissance iconographers in portraying truth without clothes. According to Heilman,
Lears redemptive experience is manifested in a sucession of tableaux relating to Lears headgear: the King goes from crown to bare head, to crown of weeds19.

This way Lear loses his crown as King of England, and as a consequence his wits become wrong. We also see the relation between madness and nakedness in Edgar disguised as Poor Tom because this character is supposed to be mad, and he does not wear clothes20.

In Shakespeares times, mad people were considered to be possessed by devils and they were marginalized in dark and isolated places. Madness was a topic that did not like to the society at that time and people talked about it by employing severe terms and in an uncomfortable way. This is the main reason why this great play did not achieve huge audiences at the beginning of its performances.

But the main purpose of Shakespeare to include madness as one of the main topics of this play is because it helped him talk about different topics in a free way. King Lear
18 19

In The Lear World, A Study of King Lear in Its Dramatic Context. (1977) This Great Stage. Image and Structure in King Lear (pp. 67-87) 20 Stanley Wells, The Oxford Shakespeare King Lear, Edgar is often presented as virtually, sometimes (in modern performance) entirely, naked; [in this play] [...] he wears a blanket round his loins.

Shakespeare for Overseas Students ID NUMBER 0917057

emerges a series of taboo issues at that time. Therefore, he was able to deal with suicide: Gloucesters attempt to commit suicide, and also the murder and suicide of Lears two eldest daughters; rivalry inside families and violence : King Lear is a play full of violence, the most cruel scene is when Gloucester is taken his eyes off by the Duke of Cornwall and Regan. Uncontrolled sexuality is another topic that appears, for example, between Edmund and Gonoril. The adultery theme also appears as in the case of Edmund (illegitimate son of Gloucester), and even as in the case of Lear. Some critics such as Muir and Stanley Wells consider that when Lear is becoming mad, he alludes to the fact that his wife, to whom we find no other mention than this one, could have been unfaithful to him:

Regan, I think you are. I know what reason I have to think so. If thou shouldst not be glad I would divorce me from thy mothers shrine,

Sepulcring an adultress (...)21

All these topics were considered taboo at that time, they were not common topics and it was very dangerous to talk about them. But, there is another main topic in this play, in fact, from this political topic the rest of the action follows: the division of the kingdom. The division of the kingdom provoked the division of Lears family as well. Medieval and Renaissance historians confirm that, during the pre-Christian Celtic age, which corresponds to the period in which King Lear ruled, Britain was just one country, it was not divided yet. Later, as a consequence of invasions, it became divided into three separate countries: England, Scotland and Wales. These three separate countries were those that Lear wanted to create at the beginning of the play.
21

Stanley Wells, The Oxford Shakespeare King Lear (2000), p. 168

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Shakespeare for Overseas Students ID NUMBER 0917057

King Lear was written during King James I reign, in which James I unsuccessfully tried to reunite Scotland and England. Therefore, Shakespeare may have composed King Lear as a way to warn his King, James I, not to attempt to unify both countries, otherwise England could be invaded by other coutries. In King Lear we see that as a consequence of the division of the Lears kingdom, the country was left unattended, so England was invaded by France and Lears monarchy disappeared.

Orwell also regarded Lears madness as a protective technique that allowed Shakespeare to deal with dangerous and difficult themes for society. He talked about this topic very well:

[Shakespeare] is noticeable cautious, not to say cowardly, in his maner of uttering unpopular opinions. Almost never does he put a subversive or sceptikal remark into the mouth of a character likely to be identified with himself. Throughout his plays, the acute social critics, the people who are not taken in by accepted fallacies, are buffoons, villains, lunatics or persons who are shamming insanity or are in a state of violent hysteria. Lear is a play in which this tendency is particularly well marked. It contains a great deal of veiled social criticism [...] but it is all buttered by the Fool, by Edgar when he is pretending to be mad, or by Lear during his bouts of madness. In his sane moments Lear hardly ever makes an intelligent remark. And yet the very fact Shakespeare had to use these subterfuges shows how widely his thoughts ranged22.

22

G. Orwell, Selected Plays (1957), pp. 116. This quotation was taken from Muir and Wells, Aspects of King Lear. (1982), pp. 24

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Shakespeare for Overseas Students ID NUMBER 0917057

King Lear has provoked many different reactions on both theatrical and literal audiences. Since it was published, it has been characterized in many different ways. It has been considered a distressing play, shocking, horrific... But, in fact, critics consider that no other Shakesperian play has caused such contradictory reactions simultaneously. They believe that King Lear is the most representative play of Skakespeares skills as playwright and poet. In addtion, as Muir and Wells assure in their work Aspects of King Lear, Shakespeare achieved a very realist and good depiction of madness following the 16th century theory about madness. In this play, both kinds of madness, the assumed madness of Edgar and the true madness of King Lear represent the destruction of social or natural order as a consequence of treachery and ingratitude. Madness symbolizes the breaking of the fixed social structure, and the following chaotic world without norms and full of violence and selfishness.

REFERENCES: Bechtod Heilman, Robert. This Great Stage. Image and Structure in King Lear. USA. Louisiana State University Press. 1948

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Shakespeare for Overseas Students ID NUMBER 0917057

Flower, Celeste. Cambridge Student Guide. Shakespeare. King Lear. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press. 2002 Goldgerg, S.L. An Essay on King Lear. London. Cambridge University Press. 1974 Grace Ioppolo. A Routledge Literary Sourcebook on William Shakespeares King Lear. London. 1st published in 2003 Muir, Kenneth and Wells, Stanley. Aspects of King Lear. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press. 1982 Wells Stanley. The Oxford Shakespeare King Lear. Oxford. Oxford University Press. 2000

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