LEC052008-Anaswara.T.H
Critical Significance of Madness in King Lear
King Lear ,one of the greatest tragedies, is an ingenious depiction of human fate and ordeals woven into an unparalleled piece of art by the great Shakespeare.Among many other subjects discussed by the play,madness is a strong and obvious theme,skillfully portrayed which serves to enhance the dramatic and tragic effect of the tale.
Although Shakespearean tragedies accord with Senecan tragedies , the portrayal of King Lear's character is comparable to Aristotle's exposition of a tragic hero.This explains the deterioration of the sanity of the titular character.Lear's stubbornness and overweening pride inform his tragic flaw that lead him to misjudgement of his daughters and the eventual madness.As Mahshid Mirmasoomi asserts "the supreme arrogance fills Lear with uncontrollable seething rage and prevents him from making accurate judgements.This lack of motivation is also the reason behind his insanity which deters him from appearing normal and acting sensibly"[19].The theme of madness hence acts as a part of establishing Lear as a tragic hero.
Madness essentially enables him to view the world from a new perspective. Lear confronts the reality of life ,abandoned by daughters and stripped of the royal privileges.In the night hit by the storm Lear shows the initial signs of madness which ironically lend him the insight into the lives of the underprivileged.For the first time he empathizes with the "houseless heads" and "unfed sides" and admits his meagre kingship.
Madness brings a revelation of truth and wisdom for the protagonist .Insanity imparts a clear vision that enables him to see Cordelia's unconditional love and honesty.As David Daiches observes ,"in this teeming tragedy,with its cunning alternation of prose and verse ,its paradoxical play with reason and madness and innumerable other pairs of apparent contraries , Shakespeare challenges all the categories with which men comfort themselves into a delusion that they know the moral universe they live in".[280]
Shakespeare deliberately employs the theme of madness effectively in constructing a tragic hero.It undoubtedly enhances the dramatic and tragic effect of the play.
References
1). Abrahms,M. H.,and Harpham,Geoffrey Galt.A Glossary of Literary terms.11th ed,Cengage Learning,2015.
2). Mirmasoomi,Mahshid."Hamartia and Catharsis in Shakespeare's King Lear and Bahram Beyzaie's Death of Yazdgerd."International Letters of Social and Humanities Sciences.vol.74,July.2016,p.p 16-25.
3).Halio,Jay L.The Tragedy of King Lear.12 th ed,Cambridge University Press,1992.
4).Daiches,David."A Critical History of English Literature."vol.1,9th ed,Martin Secker and Warburg Limited,1960.
The writing was good and as well as the language. the first lien of each paragraph should be indented 0.5 inches. there is no need for numbering the references.
ReplyDeleteVery good writing. But you didn't put a clear thesis statement, or your argument in the essay in the first paragraph. The end was deviating from the flow of the essay.
ReplyDeleteThe essay is very well written and has quotes to support the points presented. The works cited aren't alphabetically ordered.
ReplyDeleteVery good writing.There is no need for numbering the references and the final paragraph is too short so you can add more
ReplyDeleteWell written essay. Topic sentences are evident. The concluding paragraph could have been better. MLA style is not strictly followed.
ReplyDeleteVery good writing with supportive references. The end paragraph could have been more clearer and elaborated.
ReplyDeleteThe language is good and the resources used support the arguments in the essay. Introductory paragraph is weak as the thesis statement is not clear. There are some errors with regard to the space after a comma and period. There are many variations from the MLA style (square brackets, paragraph indentation, references). Last para could have been better. The topic sentences are clear but the connection between paragraphs is weak.
ReplyDeleteThe overall essay is good. MLA format should have been followed strictly throughout the essay. There are mistakes in the works cited ( reference) part that they are numbered and not alphabetically arranged. The second line of the second reference is not indented. The end part of the essay could have been better. The language of the essay is fine.
ReplyDeleteYou have very good vocabulary and language skills.Giving more attention to the content part would have made it a better essay.Also pay attention to the MLA format regarding the indentation.The introduction could have included some of your views to be elaborated in the following paragraphs. Intext citations should be in parantheses.There was a lack of supportive materials in strengthening the arguments and proving the thesis. Also, the paragraphs could have been developed more. The work cited needs to be arranged in alphabetic order and need not be numbered.
ReplyDelete