Places Discussed

Heath

Heath. Large tract of uncultivated land covered with small plants and shrubs (the type of landscape also known as a “moor” in Britain), on which the play’s memorable scenes are set. Barren and desolate, far removed from civilized society, the heath represents elemental Nature, a place for fools and madmen—and tragic kings. In the pelting rain and stripped of the garments of majesty, Lear vents his grief and anger by railing against his daughters’ ingratitude, the injustice rampant in society, and the forces of Nature surrounding him.

Lear’s palace

Lear’s palace. Royal residence of King Lear in whose stateroom the play opens. The palace provides a visual contrast with the scenes on the heath, and the setting for the first scene displays Lear at his most powerful. Supported by this environment and invested with the external objects of majesty, Lear can function arbitrarily in the division of his kingdom.

Gloucester’s castle

Gloucester’s castle (GLAHS-ter). Residence of the duke of Gloucester, which is the site of two of the most painful scenes in the play—the moments when Lear is rejected by Goneril and Regan, and when Gloucester is blinded. Significantly, the setting is located halfway between the palace of absolute power and the heath of total nothingness.

Fields near Dover

Fields near Dover. Region in southeastern England, on the edge of the British kingdom, where Gloucester attempts suicide and Lear deteriorates into madness. It is the landing place for Cordelia and the forces that will restore order and justice. These fields are a place of the natural world, where men must deal with themselves as merely “poor, bare, forked animals.”

Expert Q&A

What is the setting of King Lear?

The setting of "King Lear" is ancient Britain, portrayed as a pagan land devoid of Christian moral values. This creates a world where characters are subject to fate without any guiding morality. Key locations include Lear's palace, Gloucester's castle, a nearby farmhouse, the Duke of Albany's palace, a forest, a heath, and a field near Dover where armies are encamped. The setting underscores the play's themes of fate and moral ambiguity.

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Which scene in King Lear is known as the "heath scene"?

The "heath scene" in King Lear is Act 3, Scene 2, where Lear and his Fool are on a heath during a violent storm. This pivotal scene highlights themes of human insignificance against nature's indifference. The desolate setting mirrors Lear's mental turmoil as he rants about injustice and betrayal, with the storm symbolizing his emotional chaos. It underscores the tragic human struggle against nature's relentless forces.

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Historical Background

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Shakespeare’s work can be understood more clearly if we follow its development as a reflection of the rapidly-changing world of the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries in which he lived. After the colorful reign of Henry VIII, which ushered in the Protestant Reformation, England was never the same. John Calvin and Michelangelo both died the year Shakespeare was born, placing his life and work at the peak of the Reformation and the Renaissance in Europe. When Queen Elizabeth I came to the throne in 1558, the time was right to bring in “the golden age” of English history. The arts flourished during the Elizabethan era. Some of Shakespeare’s contemporary dramatists were such notables as Christopher Marlowe and Ben Jonson.

King James VI of Scotland succeeded Elizabeth to the throne after her death in 1603 uniting the kingdoms of England and Scotland. The monarch’s new title was King James I. Fortunately for Shakespeare, the new king was a patron of the arts and agreed to sponsor the King’s Men, Shakespeare’s theatrical group. According to the Stationers’ Register recorded on November 26, 1607, King Lear was performed for King James I at Whitehall on St. Stephen’s night as a Christmas celebration on December 26, 1606.

The legend of King Lear, well-known in Shakespeare’s day, was about a mythical British king dating back to the obscurity of ancient times. It was first recorded in 1135 by Geoffrey of Monmouth in Historia Britonum. In 1574 it appeared in A Mirror for Magistrates and later in Holinshed’s Chronicles in 1577. The subplot, which concerned Gloucester and his sons, was taken from Philip Sidney’s Arcadia. An older version of the play called The True Chronicle History of King Leir first appeared on the stage in 1590. Comments on public response to the play in Shakespeare’s day would necessarily be based on conjecture but in 1681, an adaptation of the original play was published by Nahum Tate, a...

(This entire section contains 369 words.)

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dramatist of the Restoration period. Tate’s sentimental adaptation gives the play a happy ending in which Lear and Gloucester are united with their children. Virtue is rewarded and justice reigns in Tate’s version. It was not until 1838 that Macready reinstated Shakespeare’s original version on the stage.

Modern Connections

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Modern audiences of King Lear frequently notice the recurring imagery and references to eyes and related actions such as crying, looking, and seeing. These numerous mentions of eyes and their functions contribute to a thematic development that is almost certainly intentional on Shakespeare's part. By examining specific references, we can further explore the significance of the theme of "eyelessness" or "blindness" in the play.

The most obvious example is Gloucester's line, "I stumbled when I saw" (IV.i.19). He comes to realize that even when he had his eyesight, he was unable to discern the truth about his sons, Edgar and Edmund. Gloucester understands that there is an internal sense more adept at perceiving truth than eyesight, which is traditionally considered our primary sense.

Initially, Lear fails to recognize the truth about his daughters' love for him. However, he soon understands that Goneril and Regan, having usurped his power, have turned against him. He questions the gods, "If it be you that stirs these daughters' hearts / Against their father" (II.iv.274-75). Lear's primary issue, it could be argued, is not that he fails to see the truth about his children like Gloucester. Instead, Lear's ultimate failure might be that he cannot see through his tears. He often finds himself crying but feels that his tears are unbecoming of his gender and position.

Old fond eyes,
Beweep this cause again, I'll pluck ye out,
And cast you, with the waters that you loose,
To temper clay. (I.iv.301-04)

When Lear realizes that Goneril and Regan have betrayed him, he fiercely battles his tears, pleading with the gods:

. . . touch me with noble anger
And let not women's weapons, water-drops,
Stain my man's cheeks ... . . .
You think I'll weep:
No, I'll not weep.
I have full cause of weeping, but this heart
Shall break into a hundred thousand flaws
Or ere I'll weep. (II.iv.276-78; 282-84)

His anger at his own tears signifies his inability to trust and fully experience his emotions. This inability initially led him to misjudge the emotional bond between himself and Cordelia. He felt the need to test her, and her response was perhaps an incredulous reaction to his lack of trust. This resulted in Lear's petulant rejection of her, masking his true feelings and prompting Kent to say, "See better, Lear, and let me still remain / The true blank of thine eye" (Li. 158-59). One might argue that Lear's petulance is an emotional truth that must be acknowledged if feelings, rather than sight, are considered the measure of truth. However, it can also be argued that Lear's love for Cordelia is fundamental, and his dissatisfaction with her is only a temporary distortion of a deeper emotional truth.

Lear's inability to trust the emotional truth of Cordelia's love for him is one of the most universally relatable and timeless elements of the play. How often do we see the love between parents and children put to the test by either or both parties? Like Lear, modern parents may feel the need to question their children's love, often highlighting all they have done for them, especially when the children are on the verge of making decisions that the parents disapprove of. Similarly, children who are being disciplined may feel the punishment is unjust (as Cordelia likely felt her banishment was), leading them to question their parents' love.

In 1681, Nahum Tate adapted Shakespeare's King Lear. Tate's version, which replaced Shakespeare's original until well into the nineteenth century, features a happy ending. In this adaptation, Cordelia survives, and Lear's crown is restored by Albany. Additionally, Tate removed Lear's Fool and the blinding of Gloucester, while adding a romantic subplot between Edgar and Cordelia.

Tate's happy ending, which was favored by critics and audiences for nearly 150 years, might make modern readers question why Shakespeare chose such a bleak conclusion for his King Lear. The tragic ending has been the subject of much debate over the centuries. Some argue that the play's ending is a natural and inevitable result of Lear's suffering. Others see it as evidence that there is no divine justice or retribution for evil, while some believe it underscores the play's Christian theme of the redemptive power of love. Finally, many contend that the ending is neither pessimistic nor optimistic but rather reflects the enigmatic nature of human existence.

Analysis

Connections and Further Reading