King Lear | Madness

Kenneth Muir, in the first excerpt, maintains that Lear's attacks on hypocrisy and worldly justice "show profound insight" into the human condition. However, the critic cautions readers against assuming that these speeches represent Shakespeare's own point of view. In the second selection, Josephine Bennett focuses on three scenes—III.iv, III.vi, and V.vi—where, in her estimation, Lear shows unmistakable signs of insanity.

Kenneth Muir
[Muir discusses the theme of "reason in madness" in King Lear and outlines the king's descent into insanity. Goneril's sharp complaints, Lear's discovery of Kent in the stocks, and Regan's rejection progressively disorder his mind, the critic argues, and the sudden appearance of Edgar as Poor Tom pushes him over the edge. Muir maintains that Lear's subsequent attacks on hypocrisy and worldly justice "show profound insight" into the human condition. However, the critic cautions readers against assuming that these speeches represent Shakespeare's own...

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