King Lear and the book of Ecclesiastes - Essay Example

King Lear and the book of Ecclesiastes The play by Shakespeare entitled The Tragedy of King Lear is believed to borrow from Christian values and ethics leading to the question on whether Shakespeare was influenced by Christianity. In actual sense scholars believe that by the time the play was written Christianity had not reached Europe as such it could not influence the play whatsoever. However, the analysis of the play with the book of Ecclesiastes in the bible indicate that massive similarities exist which illustrates the connection between Christianity and the play. However, from the intended audience, it is evident that there was influence of the religion on the play because the audience is assumed to be Elizabethan audience (Ioppolo 125). According to analysis such as Carolyn French, the play depends on this orientation rather than the Shakespeare tragedies in order to fully understand the plot and setting of the play. The argument of French is different from Margret Webster who argues that the play does not have Christian rational. However, a critical evaluation of the play by Webster illustrates that the play does not have any rational. French counter the claim by stating that the play can be classified or referred to as a Christian Justice play. Consequently, the play is about Christian patience, folly which French refer to as Christian wisdom. The folly and Christian wisdom illustrated by French are also defined in the book of Ecclesiastes in the bible. Issues of folly, vanity and wisdom are addressed in Ecclesiastes chapter ten, which covers the issues of wisdom and folly and addresses the nature of the leader or kings and the impact the kings will have on the people of the world. Therefore, when analysis the play, it is vital to evaluate the Christian principles reflected in the chapter and the behavior of the king. Chapter ten, verse one of Ecclesiastes states that dead flies can cause a good ointment to bring forth a stinking smell and as such little folly can cause serious challenge for the wisdom and honor. Right from the start of the play, it is evident that King Lear values appearances that are absurd and unreal. The king wants to be treated as a king but does not want to accomplish the tasks associated with being a good king and guiding the subjects to greater freedom. His behavior is clearly a representation of the first verse of chapter ten of Ecclesiastes (Ioppolo 145). The king has folly which is affecting his decision making process. For instance, the king values public display of love compared to the real love when he asks; “which of you shall we say doth love most?” this question is absurd because from the play it is evident that he has a favorite daughter named Cordelia. As such, presumably he knows that she loves him most, but the king also values Goneril and Regan’s fawning over the filial duty sincerity of Cordelia. Ecclesiastes, chapter ten verse two, states that a wise man heart is at his right hand while a foolish man’s heart is at his left hand. This statement is depicted in the character of King Lear because he seems not to learn from his past mistakes in order to develop his personality. In fact, he does not change is character in relation to learning from the past experience which is different from the expected behavior of human beings. In some ways the king does not develop to become a better person because his sanity is not fully covered to emerge as a better king. Ecclesiastes states that folly is set in great dignity and the rich sit in low place. The theme of the book of Ecclesiastes is present early in the play because greatness of the kin is presented in a similar fashion as presented in the being of the book. While comparing King Solomon with King Lear, it is evident that the two have massive similarities in their leadership and organizational skills. in a reasoning similar to King Solomon, King Lear begins his discourse by cheering on the gods and yelling; “Let the great Gods, that keep this dreadful pother o’er our heads, find out their enemies now”(3.24.49-51). After the declaration, the king focuses on the un-divulged crimes and un-whipped of justice. The statement illustrates that king Lear believes that the storm is not directed at him, but to his enemies. He concludes by implying that he has been more sinned against than he has sinned. Therefore, the storm is unfair to him and the gods are treating him unfairly. His feeling is similar to the king Solomon whose statement; “God shall judge the righteous and the wicked.” the two passages indicates that people suffer because they have sinned against their respective gods. The king's desire to help the oppressed leads to knowledge of the king’s role in helping the oppressed and the consideration of the king as the oppressors. In fact, the king realizes that he is one of the oppressors who have not offered comfort to the people similar to the realization of King Solomon the author of Ecclesiastes. In order to understand the Shakespeare play, which is written in the protestant country, the statement; “vanity of vanities” by the preacher is vital because it illustrates the behavior of King Lear. The play focuses on justice and human cruelty and awful meaningless disasters. The succession of terrible events leads to the fundamental question of justice which is core in the play and the book of Ecclesiastes (Ioppolo 135). At the end of the play, both the just and the unjust die illustrating vanity of vanities stated in Ecclesiastes. The challenge of folly is depicted in the behavior of the king towards his subject. The king does not accept criticism as such a foolish king. According to Ecclesiastes, the wisdom of the fool is folly and does not accept correction and reproof from others. This challenge is revealed in the approach employed by the King in handling issues within the territory. The king does not help others achieve greatness but looks at public display of affection and love which does not add value to the leadership style. From the play and the book of Ecclesiastes, similarity of focus and concern can be drawn. In fact, poor leadership and folly is depicted in the play through the actions of the king and his subordinates. In fact, both Kin Solomon and Lear agree that they have failed to undertake the necessary steps in the protection of the subordinates. The play borrows heavily the Christian perspective about life and addresses the problem of injustice and other related social issues. Works Cited Ioppolo, Grace, ed. A Routledge Literary Sourcebook on William Shakespeare's King Lear. New York: Psychology Press, 2003. Print. Shakespeare, William. King Lear. New York: W. A. Moore and C. S. Bernard, 1860, 1860. Print. Read More