King Lear By William Shakespeare: Critical Insights Of Humanism And Catholicism
The Redemption of King Lear by Cherrell Guilfoyle and King Lear and Essential Humanism by Jonathan Dollimore are two critical essays that analyze the theme of suffering in the play, King Lear, into two distinct and intertwining aspects. Cherrell Guilfoyle- an honorary research associate at the University of Western Australia who is known for her study of Hamlet, depicts the suffering in the play as one that is parallel to the sufferings found in the Bible. Her study connects these parallels to several figures in the play and portrays evidence of their connection to Christianity. For instance, she relates the blinding scene of Gloucester to Caiaphas plot of torture to Jesus. Like Jesus's torturer, the servants of Regan and Cornwall forced Gloucester to sit and tied him up to a chair to make punishment easier. This suffering then leads to redemption. After Gloucester loses his eyesight, he discovers the truth and realizes that his son Edgar was innocent. Another example of this recurring parallel is the comparison between the sin of Adam and Eve to Goneril and Regan’s evil-doings. She intertwines the two and describes them as the provocation of nature’s general curse. She then states that “the redeemer from this general curse is Christ. According to Danby, Cordelia "analogically" is "the redemptive principle itself”.
Cordelia is the main Christ-like figure in the play. Her death, which is cruel and unnecessary, is sacrificial like Christ’s. Cherrell Guilfoyle conveys the meaning of suffering in the play as a redemptive sign designed by an omnipotent being for a higher purpose which mirrors the same message from the bible. On the other hand, Jonathan Dollimore - a professor at the University of York, interprets the meaning of suffering in a different but similar approach. Dollimore looks at the play with a humanist point of view and reckons that the justification of suffering is what it reveals about one’s intrinsic nature. It is in his study that the play “is seen as the greatest of tragedies because it not only strips and reduces and assaults human dignity but because it also shows with the greatest force and detail the process of restoration by which humanity can recover from degradation”. In his critical essay, Dollimore also focuses on the connection between suffering, redemption, and pity. According to Dollimore, “pity is the prerequisite for compassionate action”. He believes that to show compassion to others, one must feel their suffering first. Dollimore presents this idea through the characters of King Lear, Gloucester, and Edgar - three characters who only then sympathize with the weak and poor when they have experienced the lowest of the low. Redemption of self is then achieved when one learns from this Turla 3experience and is successful to endure the pain and restore themselves fully.
Jonathan Dollimore depicts the suffering in the play as a way to achieve transcendence. Guilfoyle’s and Dollimore’s belief are different from each other in terms of the essential meaning behind suffering but they both relate to the process of suffering to attain redemption. Turla 4Reflection : The two essays that I have reviewed gave me both a deeper understanding of a familiar subject in Shakespeare’s play and a different point of view. Cherrell Guilfoyle’s critical essay provided me more insight about the obvious allusion of the play to the Bible. Her connection of Cordelia’s banishment to Lucifer’s fall from heaven was a different take on the story that I found very interesting. Guilfoyle also makes an intriguing comparison between the Old Testament God and Mad Lear allowing me to appreciate Shakespeare’s cleverness in hiding these biblical allusions in the play. She also points a parallel I did not notice between the story of Jacob and Isaac to the story of Gloucester and his sons.
Guilfoyle’s essay does not only talk about the parallels of the play and the bible but also informative possibilities of Shakespeare’s alteration to the original story. In her study, she states that “Shakespeare first altered the timing of Cordelia's death from his sources so that Lear survives her; now he alters the death itself from suicide to murder. I found this important because the connection between Christ and Cordelia would have been irrelevant if her death was suicidal instead of murder.
While Guilfoyle’s essay gave me a deeper understanding of the theme of Christianity in the play, John Dollimore’s essay allowed me to look at it differently. Dollimore’s critical insight placed focus on the character itself and not its connection to other known figures. In his work, he talks about the ability to reach transcendence through suffering, this permitted me to gain a deeper appreciation for specific characters in the play and enabled me to see the sufferings shown in the play as Turla 5something more relevant than just being a tragedy. For instance, my judgment on Lear has changed from pity to proud. Dollimore’s point of view made me proud of Lear because, during his journey through madness, Lear finds the truth and reveals his strong human values. In his state of madness, he finds compassion and truth showing the possibilities of what humans can achieve even if they are at their lowest. Dollimore also points out a principal connection between indifference, pity, and compassion in the play. Here, Dollimore suggests that Lear’s disregard for the poor is not caused by “callous indifference but simply because he has not experienced it”, which is a profound truth. His compassion towards the poor comes afterward when he, himself experiences their hardships. This explanation provides a deep comparison to almost all human beings who have a hard time empathizing.
During my review of this part of Dollimore’s essay, I realized that I cannot judge Lear for his indifference because even I have a hard time putting myself in someone else’s shoes and trying to understand how they feel. Jonathan Dollimore humanist view has provided me with a different approach to the evaluation of each character. His study allowed me to find a deeper connection between suffering, redemption, and being an actual human being as it relates to the play.
