King Lear

It is through the eternal themes present in ‘King Lear’ in which directors interpret in various ways. One theme explored extensively in the play is the issue of power and authority. In the first scene, this theme is already established with the deferring of responsibilities of Lear’s kingdom to his daughters so that he may ‘unburdened crawl toward death.’ Thus, Lear relinquishes his authority and command, disturbing the natural order of the Kingdom because it was believed that a King is a direct representation of god. With his power transferred to Goneril and Regan, the kingdom becomes chaotic in which the two daughters use and abuse their power to gain more power and eventually turn against each other. Similarly, the sub-plot shows a transfer of power instigated by Edmund’s envy and desire.

Many critics in history have praised or criticized Shakespeare’s work through their own understanding of the play. The implications of varying interpretations reflect on the changing values of society. A.C. Bradley believes that the hero of all Shakespearean tragedies has a fatal flaw, which brings about their own downfall. Thus, Lear’s fatal flaw does not only present itself in his insecurities but in his ‘love for absolute power’ and his

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Bradley was concerned mainly with the character and motivation, believing that ‘King Lear’ was the tragedy of an individual who suffers as he comes to terms with his personality. Miller uses lighting and backdrops to accentuate the contrast of black and whites, representing evil and goodness.

The feminist movement in the early 20th century has led to the result of a more modern interpretation of ‘King Lear’.

Tate’s Christian doctrine of reconciliation and redemption portrays Cordelia as redeeming Lear, purging him of past sins.

‘I tax not you, you elements, with unkindness;

I never gave you kingdom, called you children…

… then let fall

Your horrible pleasure; here I stand your slave…

…But yet I call you servile ministers,

That which have two pernicious daughters…’

Bradley saw the play as essentially purgative and said that ‘King Lear’ was a product of Shakespeare’s poetic imagination through inferior drama. Tate’s infamous transformation of the play reflected on his view and the society’s values concerning romanticism, spiritual enlightenment and order. Furthermore; the storm in Act III, symbolic of Lear’s insanity enforces the production is redemptive rather than retributive as the storm was not an effect of anger. Kathleen McLuskie argues that Lear is an anti-feminine play and suggests ‘the misogyny of King Lear, both the play and its hero, is constructed out of an ascetic tradition which presents women as the source of primal sins of lust, combining with concerns about the threat to the family posed by the female subordination. The film lacks incidental music and seems to alienate the viewer through jarring and restive camera angles which are often ‘unorthodox’. It is the universal themes of the plot and sub-plot of the play which contributes to the appreciation of the tragedy of ‘King Lear’, and it is the filmic and theatric techniques used by directors which assist to create meaning in the various forms of productions. ’ Thus, the play forces the readers to sympathize with the patriarchs – Lear and Gloucester – and the masculine power structure they represent. The BBC (Johnathon Miller) production of ‘King Lear’ is an example of a redemptive production. Not only does Swinburne take on a complete pessimistic view of the play, but he criticizes and questions Shakespeare’s poetic abilities, he relates the plainness of the tragedy to the greatness of Shakespeare’s reputation. The scene from the storm in Act III, scene ii, portrays the storm as the catalyst for the change in Lear, his deterioration in mind – however, he is still blind to his faults as he continues to curse his daughters.

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