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Brooke Degner

Dr. Holt

AP English Literature and Composition:4

7 May 2021

Hidden Human Nature in Appropriate, Death of England, and King Lear

In his book Renaissance Self-Fashioning, Stephen Greenblatt analyzes the process in

which an individual molds their identity with the influence of outside cultural and societal forces.

He called this process self-fashioning. The premise of his concept of self-fashioning is that each

individual has free will—the ability to make their own decisions and actions—but not autonomy:

there are other forces in the world that impact the formation of their identity. He describes the

relationship between an authority, an alien, and the self, and how each works on the others to

build an individual. Shakespeare’s King Lear, Jacob-Jenkins’ Appropriate, and Williams’ Death

of England are three completely different plays that all follow one or more journeys of

self-fashioning. Each of the three plays centralize the concepts of agency vs. autonomy, the

authority alien self triangle, and self-fashioning through a story about kids discovering the true

sides and characteristics of their parent and how they respond to uncomfortable truths. The

playwrights’ choices to focus the plays on self-fashioning serve to enlighten the audience on

several inconspicuous aspects of human nature—such as an individual’s tendency to assume

good in those closest to them and themselves, the too powerful and devastating influence of a

parent as an authority, and above all, the human ability to change—and their impact on relevant

issues like racism, inequality, selfishness, and mental illnesses.

Through the stories of self-fashioning, each of the three plays display in different ways

how it is human nature for individuals to block out negative information about the people closest
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to them, in an effort to avoid painful confrontation and disappointment. The thought process of

individuals when discovering uncomfortable truths is revealed through self-fashioning in the

plays because the readers/the audience get to see and hear inside the minds of the characters. For

example, in Appropriate, the family members are all gathered together in their father’s old house

from before he died. While reuniting there, they discover a photo-book full of photos of

lynchings and other torturings of black persons. While Rachael—an outsider of the family

married to Bo—immediately reveals other sketchy things their father has said, many of the

family members, such as Toni, respond in disbelief and denial. After rejecting Rachael’s stories

about their father’s anti-semitism, Toni claims to Franz, “you know our father wasn’t guilty of

one thing that witch just accused him of and you and Bo just sat there!” (Jacobs-Jenkins 30). As

the play continues, more evidence appears that aligns with the suspicions of Rachael: for

instance, a pointy white hat, a story from Bo, and more. Near the conclusion of the play, Toni

reveals, “there’s no one left in this family—in the whole world—who could have told me about

the whole me—the me before I became...this. Daddy was the last” (74). Toni’s revelation serves

to emphasize the way humans see the world: full of bias and protection of their loved ones. She

wanted to protect the image that she had of her dad, and thus her mind twisted her reality. In the

real world, this same concept happens every single day when people claim “I’m not a bad

person, so I’m not racist,” but then proceed to make racist remarks, discriminate against

others—whether in secrecy or in public—and not speak out against others who are racist, such as

friends and family. It is almost as if they are altering their reality in order to avoid the problem,

because they want to believe that they are a good person rather than live with guilt and

self-loathing. In Death of England, after his father, Alan, passes away, Michael begins to

contemplate the beliefs of his father after noticing several inconsistencies. This marks the start of
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Michael’s journey towards understanding who his father really was and what he really believed

in. Right after Alan’s death, Michael reveals some remarks that his father said, such as “England

for the English,” and racist things that he did, such as never voicing out against racism that he

claimed he was against (Williams 11). For example, Michael exclaims, “if you hated it so bad,

why didn’t you say something?” (22) As the play continues, Michael meets a man who reveals a

lot of information about his father and his true beliefs. At first, he responds with denial and

disbelief, angrily responding to his father’s friend with racist jokes. However, as he thinks about

everything more, he realizes that he has control over his beliefs, and that he doesn’t have to

follow his father’s. He reveals to Carly, “fuck what Dad used to say, fuck what he used to think.

Dad’s dead, he’s dead, Carly! And believe me, he’s no right to tell you how to live. He can’t tell

you what to do anymore...we need to find our own way now” (43). Michael’s realization that his

dad was different from who he thought led him to understand his agency: his ability to make his

own decisions and decide his own beliefs. This self-fashioning story of Michael displays

perfectly the tendency of individuals to assume good in the actions of those closest to them, just

as Michael did with his father. Before his father died, he never bothered to question his beliefs

and purpose in the world. However, when his father is gone, he discovers a world of new

possibilities and explanations. He even admits to being racist. The impact that this aspect of

human nature—believing without question those around us and turning a blind eye to them—has

on global issues such as racism, sexism, and inequality, is intense and immeasurable. There are

endless individuals living in the world right now who discriminate against others without even

realizing it, because they tell themselves that what they are doing isn’t wrong. This is the same

thing that happens with the characters in Death of England and Appropriate when they deny

evidence that their fathers’ are racist or inconsiderate with their actions. Essentially, the plays
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strive to display how the environment that surrounds an individual has the ability to alter their

perception of those closest to them, thus enabling significant issues like racism to survive

unnoticed and unopposed.

Another crucial aspect of human nature that the three plays strive to reveal is a parent’s

powerful role as an authority figure—in the authority, alien, self triangle—in the self-fashioning

and development of their children. As Stephen Greenblatt argues in his book, Renaissance

Self-Fashioning, self-fashioning—or the formation of one’s identity—is both in the control of an

individual and their surroundings, not one or the other. In other words, during self-fashioning, an

individual has free will—or agency—but not autonomy. For the majority of humans, one of the

biggest outside forces that acts on their self-fashioning experience is their parents. When children

grow up, they spend a sizeable amount of time with their parents; on the contrary, children are

rarely exposed to outside beliefs and ideals. This is one of the main reasons why so many kids

see their moms or dads as heroes: they develop to view their parents as authority figures. Due to

their natural position as an authority figure, a parent has more influence and power over their

child’s identity formation than anyone. The three plays emphasize how this power can be

destructive and detrimental to a developing child through a parent’s inadequate role as an

authority figure. For instance, in King Lear, Gloucester—Edmund’s father—rejects Edmund as a

son for being illegitimate. Consequently, Edmund spends his entire childhood feeling rejected,

neglected and abandoned over something he had no control over. Thus, he grew up with a

warped authority in his self-fashioning that took a toll on the person he becomes. Angry at his

lack of inheritance and importance due to his illegitimacy, Edmund frames Edgar—the legitimate

son—for planning to murder their father so that he can inherit the land he was denied at birth.

When Edmund first enters into the play, he questions, “‘why bastard’? Wherefore ‘base,’ When
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my dimensions are as well compact, My mind as generous and my shape as true As honest

madam’s issue? Why brand they us With ‘base,’ with ‘baseness,’ ‘bastardy,’ ‘base,’ ‘base,’”

(Shakespeare 29). Edmund contemplates why the world labeled him illegitimate and let that one

characteristic determine the quality of his entire life. He grows up angry, confused, and vengeful.

These emotions end up driving him to manipulate his father and brother, putting many lives at

stake. During a moment of reflection, Edmund declares, “Edmund the base Shall [top] th’

legitimate. I grow, I prosper: Now, gods, stand up for bastards!” (31) His response to the wrongs

done to him emphasizes the power that a parent can have on the self-fashioning of a child, and

how it can be devastating to a family or even a society. Appropriate takes on a more modern

interpretation of this concept: through the impact that the father had on Franz during his

formative years of youth. Throughout the beginning of the play, the other family members

repeatedly hint toward Franz’s alcoholism or drug abuse. For example, Toni says, “Frank, are

you high?...How much did you drink through? How much did you smoke through?”

(Jacobs-Jenkins 16, 35). However, despite all of these questions, Franz remains silent on the

reason for his return, indicating a self-fashioning story of confrontation and acceptance. During

an intense family discussion, Franz decides to open up about his life for the past ten years,

admitting to being an alcoholic, a drug addict, and engaging in other destructive behaviors.

When Toni questions him on what he was forgiving them for, he replies, “You two left me here

with a mentally ill man when I was just a kid. And i’ve had to live with the consequences of that

my whole life” (36). He further goes on to explain that he thought their father was bipolar,

depressed, sick, and an inadequate authority figure for a child. His experience with his father

during the time of his life that is considered the most constructive to one’s identity molded him

into an alcoholic, addict, and person who has done countless other inexcusable actions. However,
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Franz’s ability to understand his father’s role as a damaging authority enabled him to destroy that

authority and assume a new one: a 12 step plan to recovery. In essence, these plays illustrate how

individuals can become people with poor habits and behaviors as a result of their parents' care.

Last but not least, the three plays bring to light the human ability to change and grow by

providing various lenses through which the audience can see themselves in the characters. Greed,

addiction, racism, betrayal, loneliness, abandonment, mistakes, betrayal, and family conflict are

some of the most relatable and significant themes that appear in the plays. These are conflicts

that so many ordinary individuals face and struggle to overcome. The self-fashioning stories of

Franz in Appropriate and Michael in Death of England emphasize the ability to destroy a

calamitous authority and assume a worthy alien; their stories illuminate the idea that nobody is

chained to their mistakes. For many people in today’s society, this is a lesson that they need to

learn: it is not too late to change. Franz spent years and years of his life trapped in a cycle of

depression, addiction, and confusion. However, he decided that he was worth improving for, and

decided to follow a recovery plan that involved confronting his family members, apologizing,

and most importantly, finding a new, healthy authority. Franz describes the lake water calling

him, saying, “Go on in. Go in and cleanse yourself. Cleanse everyone. Wipe it all away. Take it

all in with you and leave it there” (67). And so, Franz walked into the water—photobook in

hand—stepping into the waters of a new authority. After the experience, he describes “I took

everything—all my pain, all Daddy’s pain, this family’s pain, the pictures—and I left it there. I

washed it away” (67). His ability to transform into a spiritual person who helps others, such as

Rhys, improve themselves emphasizes the human ability to grow into someone better. In Death

of England, the audience follows Michael through his adventure to understand the root of his

father’s—and his country’s—racism, which subsequently led to him understanding his own. He
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moves from a stage of denial to a stage of understanding when he reveals, “well not that a stupid

racist cunt like me could see anyway” (29). After taking time to explore his father’s ideology, he

had a change of his own when he encouraged his sister Carly to express her love for his black

friend Delroy. He exclaimed, “Fuck what Dad used to say, fuck what he used to think...we need

to find our own way now” (43). Michael’s change in heart provides a character that ordinary

people can relate to; he isn’t some wizard or King from centuries ago, but rather a normal,

confused individual who makes an effort to change. This is extremely significant in the impact it

has on the members of the audience: it is subtly encouraging and supporting them to start their

journey of self-growth. These plays all work together to highlight the possibility for an

individual to take their life in a different direction, whether that mean fighting addiction,

confronting family conflict, researching racism, accepting mistakes, or something totally

different.

All in all, the self-fashioning stories in Appropriate, Death of England, and King Lear all

have a common purpose: reveal the often undetectable human tendency to block out intimidating

information, illustrate the power of a parent, and emphasize the ability to change, grow, and

inspire others. In order to accomplish these goals, the plays centralize the concepts of agency vs.

autonomy, the authority alien self triangle, and self fashioning; as a result, audience members

slowly begin to understand that they are not alone in the creation of their identity, but that they

have the ability to act on it and take it in the direction that they want to. This is such an important

concept to understand when society is plagued by imaginary, socially constructed conflicts and

divisions, such as racism, inequality, sexism, discrimination, hate, class divisions, oppression,

and more. All of these issues are invented by individuals and passed down through generations,

to the point where people don’t even know why they believe what they believe. These plays help
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individuals understand that they need to educate themselves, and go on a spiritual journey to

understand their true ideals and who they really are.