Shakespeare wrote King Lear in the early 1600’s during a time that England was experiencing a social change. Much of this upheaval was caused by the continual shift in religion between Catholicism and Protestantism. Each shift brought with it persecution and death. King Lear was written during a time when the monarchy was the center of the kingdom. James I of England, VI of Scotland who was the king when King Lear was written felt that the powers of a king should be absolute as the position was given by divine right. This caused a number of problems with parliament, which resulted in James son Charles I being beheaded.
In the 1590’s when Elizabeth I was still on the throne. Shakespeare wrote many plays that dealt with the monarchy. These were not just historical stories but also commentaries on the rule of the King or Queen. King Lear deals with patriarchal monarchy. This is the idea that a king is both the head of his house and the country.
The play King Lear is set in the eighth century BC. Still the stories of the ill will visited on both King Lear and the Duke of Gloucester at the hands of their children are representative of fears that would have existed for much of Shakespeare’s audience. The play may have been influenced by a single event. Shortly before King Lear was written a lawsuit was put against Sir Brian Annsley. In the lawsuit the eldest of Annsley’s three daughters attempted to have Sir Annsley confirmed to be insane so that she could take over the running of his property, but Sir Annsley was defended by his youngest daughter Cordell. Another event that may have been used in the play was the case of William Allen. Allen was the mayor of London and had divided his wealth amongst his three daughters after which he was treated poorly by them. Another factor may have been the transfer of power from Elizabeth I to James I, IV. This took place in 1603. King James I, VI had addressed Parliament to unionize the countries of Scotland and Ireland with Englans and in his speeches he referred to the problems of disunion that occurred under King Leir, who is the pseudo-historical source of Shakespeare’s play.
Under Elizabeth I, England had been a society that was strongly ruled by the class system. The lower echelons of society were expected to pay heed and respect to those of a higher station then them. Children were also expected to refer to and obey their parents and the elderly in all things. In King Lear it is shown how this system is actually fragile in that it leaves both noblepersons and parents vulnerable to attacks from immoral children.
Shakespeare may have written King Lear to address social issues and beliefs as well as to support James idea that Great Britain needed to be unified. This is seen in the play when Lear’s kingdom falls apart after he divides it in half. King Lear can be compared to Shakespeare’s historical plays in that they provided a commentary on both the social and political issues of the time. The possible purpose for King Lear may have been to address the negative aspects of a hierarchical society in that one’s status, honor and respect is fluid and dependent on the will of the people. This is a theme seen in a number of Shakespeare’s works such as Coriolanus, King Richard and Julius Caesar.
King Lear can still be relevant today in that it deals with issues of aging and a transfer of power dynamics within a family. King Lear retires and gives all of his property to two of his three daughters. Then he decides that he is going to live between both of their houses. The problem with this is his daughters, who have inherited from him do not really like him, and he likes to bring a hundred soldiers with him when he stays. This is a threat to the new power dynamic in that both his daughters feel that he could change his mind at any time and reclaim his lands. There is also the theme of sibling rivalry in that first Regan, Goneril and Cordelia as expected compete with each other over who can flatter King Lear the best and get the biggest portion of the kingdom. This is an issue because it is known that Cordelia is the favorite and the game is really just a contrivance to give her the biggest share of land. Cordelia believing that the game is pointless when it comes to how much she loves her father refuse to play. This allows both Regan and Goneril to obtain larger shares of land and to win in their sibling rivalry with Cordelia. Later the sibling rivalry will transfer over to Regan and Goneril themselves as they begin to fight over Edmund. King Lear is also about the consequences of making rash decisions. King Lear disowns his favorite and best daughter Cordelia for a petty reason and gives his lands to his selfish and hateful daughters. This results in nearly everyone dying. Finally, one of the most relevant issues in King Lear for modern times in dementia. King Lear shows obvious signs of dementia throughout the play from requesting that his daughters compete in showing their love in order to obtain their inheritance, to the points in the play where he alters between being coherent and speaking nonsense.
References
Greenblatt, Stephen. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. New York: W.W. Norton, 2012. Print.
Monmouth, Geoffrey, and Julia C. Crick. The Historia Regum Britannie of Geoffrey of Monmouth. Cambridge: Brewer, 1989. Print.
The Oxford Companion to Shakespeare, ed. Michael Dobson & Stanley Wells
