KING LEAR

Historical Context AO4

(Equal weight of marks)

King Lear

Performed in front of a Jacobean audience – religious and superstitious but….set in Pagan EnglandShakespeare not concerned with historical accuracy.The play is full of contemporary images, sights and sounds of Jacobean England

Sir Philip Sidney’s ‘Arcadia’

Story of a Paphlagonian king who is dethroned and blinded by his illegitimate son.

There is a storm and a duel between brothers

(although the bastard son is forgiven)

Montaigne’s Essays

Thought to have influenced the presentation of folly and justice in the play:

‘A dog’s obeyed in office’ (Act4,Sc5)

Samuel Harsnett

Pamphlet which attacked priests for conducting exorcisms provided Egdar as ‘mad Tom’ with vocabulary such as ‘Prince of dumbness’ ‘Flibbertigibbet’ ‘Modo’

Food shortages, poverty, unemployment, riots. Bedlam beggars were familiar and disturbing figures roaming the countryside pleading for charity.

London gossip of the day …..1603……Sir Brian Annsley..Eldest of his 3Daughters (Grace Wildgoose)tried to commit him to alunatic asylum.

His youngest daughterCordell, challengedher sisters in court..

London gossip of the day …..

Sir William Allen,Former Mayor ofLondon, in his oldage, divided hisestate between his3 daughters who allmistreated him.

The memory of the Spanish Armada of 1588 was still fresh in the minds of the audience and the arrival of Cordelia with a French army would have reminded them of the risk of invasion.

First performed on St Stephen’s Day1606-a day of charity and of hospitalitywhen pity was taken on those who suffered.The audience would have seen the parallels in ‘King Lear’ – a king becomes poor, is shut out and asks for hospitality.The character of Kent resolves to‘return and force their curtesie’ according to the St Stephen’s daycustom.

Shakespeare lived during the reign of

ELIZABETH 1ST

a very strong queen ….and woman

… as had been her sister, Mary Tudor ...

People concerned about division of the Kingdom,

foreign monarchs, civil war and inheritance matters..

Followed by King James 1st

Son of Mary Queen of

Scots (rival to Elizabeth)

Desire to unite

Scotland and

England

‘The state of the monarchy is the Supremest thingupon the earth;for Kings are notonly God’slieutenants uponearth, and sits uponGod’s throne, buteven by God himselfthey are called Gods..’1609

THE DIVINE

RIGHT OF KINGS

‘Project for Union’ - important issue of the day.Many were against the unification of Scotland and England

In James’ 3rd session of Parliament (one month before the first performance of the play) he reassured his subjects about England and Scotland.

The Family

Patriarchal

Men did not retire nor relinquish their power or wealth. On their death, the eldest son inherited. Born out of wedlock (bastard) deprived you of any right.

DaughtersWere expected to be

totally subservient and obedient.

A huge shock to the audience that Cordelia

defies not only her father but her King –

and in Court.

1606-1607 – the parliamentary leitmotif of James was ‘Jove’, the Thunder God, the implication being that terrible punishments would be administered if the ‘Project of Union’ stalled.

(Image of Jove prominent in the play)

‘What swarms of Scots came with him, and after him into this Kingdom?’ 1652

Archie Armstrong – James’ court’s fool – very familiar with the King and nobles ‘all licensed fool’ Act1,Sc 1V

However ….

James abused the ‘monopolies’ system – gave to his favourites.

Would ‘coin’ money when he ran short.

He used the ‘Court of Chancery’ to override the legal curbs to his power.

Albany and Cornwall

At the beginning of the play references are made to the two Dukes. A contemporary audience would think of Prince Henry, who was the Duke of Cornwall and his brother Charles who was the Duke of Albany.

Gloucester’s declaration that ‘These late eclipses in the sun and moon portend no good to us’ (Act 1, Sc 2) reflects a common superstition of the time. Unusual events in the skies were regarded as evil omens – an eclipse of the moon took place on 27th Sept 1605, followed by an eclipse of the sun on 2nd Oct.

The discovery of the Gunpowder Plot in that November was proof that the skies could foretell disaster.

Jacobean London: times were changing…. Discovery of the new world, travellers, tradesmen = the self made man.

•James 1st was very authoritative as is Lear• 1604, Count Beaumont wrote to Henry IV of France, commenting that James was far too fond of hunting – Lear’s hobby.

Lear attacks Regan’s elegance. Some onlookers might have noted this as a warning to James who spent four times as much as Elizabeth 1st on fashionable clothing.

Act 3 Sc7

Gloucester is bound to a chair and insulted by Regan and Cornwall.‘I am tied to th’stake..’The Jacobean audience would have recognised the image of a helpless baited bear chained to a post to be savaged by dogs (Regan and Cornwall)Common entertainment

The Blinding of Gloucester

Most acts of violence and murder tended to take place off stage in Shakespeare’s plays. This act would have

been absolutely shocking for the audience to see.

However, blinding was a common punishment

for adultery and Gloucester was in fact

an adulterer!

Lear enters with Cordelia in his arms.

Most Jacobeans would have recognised this image from church paintings (Christ being cradled in His Mother’s arms) and understood it as a symbol of redemption.