King Lear as with many Shakespearean works is based on strong male figures who are often crippled by emotional frailties which are viewed by some as feminine weakness. Coppelia Kahn has interpreted King Lear and viewed Lear’s troubles as stemming from his inability to embrace the feminine mystique within himself in order to reconcile choices that he made regarding his daughters. King Lear does depict a man driven by his own sense of power and entitlement; however I cannot say that I absolutely agree with her premise.
Ms. Kahn viewed King Lear’s mind state of “hysteria” as his coming to grips with his vulnerability. She equates this with Lear’s identification with “the mother”, his more feminine emotions or mindset. I however viewed Lear’s “hysteria” as a break in his mental facilities as a result of the aging process and possible bouts of dementia. Ms. Kahn viewed Lear’s break as a result of his repression of those emotional tendencies of weeping, feeling vulnerable and needy which would be viewed during that time period as feminine and therefore not what a man would do. I however have witnessed these types of responses in those in our population that we classify as the elderly. There are elderly men and women who after living rich and vibrant lives realize that they are no longer physically or emotionally capable of doing the things they once did or being the people they once were. I don’t know if I would therefore say that the behavior of elderly men is necessarily borne of feminine tendencies that have been repressed as it is a response to the physical and psychological changes that can occur in the aging process. If Ms. Kahn is correct in her assessment how would she interpret this behavior in elderly women? Ms. Kahn has based her perspective largely upon her view of King Lear’s weeping, which as a ruler and leader are not traits that would be considered desirable or within the norm, she believes as Lear realizes his vulnerability and the weeping becomes a catharsis by which he comes to terms with his life. I believe King Lear’s weeping brought about a breaking point in his ability to cope with the stresses of his situation and as opposed to Lear coming to terms with his life he entered into a state of wonderment where his thoughts and behavior teetered between reality and whimsy. This type of behavior is often seen in those suffering nervous breakdowns as well as in patients suffering from dementia and Alzheimer’s, unfortunately this behavior is evident in both men and women which would make Ms. Kahn interpretation open to speculation.
I agree with your idea about Lear's emotions, and that they are not necessarily directly connected to his masculine or feminine sides. The fact that Lear was growing old in age probably does have a lot more to do with his emotional instability, especially after a long, disciplined life as a successful and strong king. When I read this play, I instantly related Lear's breakdowns with age more so than with feminism and I really like that you focused on that in your blog.
ReplyDeleteWith respect to Lear’s age and mental state, I agree that his emotions alone don’t lead to the conclusion that he is becoming more “feminine”. Also, Lear seems like an emotional man in general throughout the play. He is subject to frequent outbursts, like when he basically curses Goneril after she threatens to take away his 100 knights. At several points he is on the brink of tears, and it was in the moment of his anger that he banished Kent and basically disowned Cordelia. It seems to me that it was only a matter of time before tears became present as a result of his emotional nature. I don’t see much development in this area from Act 1 to Act 4, but what was internalized in Lear before does become expressed more freely by the end of the play. At least, as far as his more vulnerable emotion of sorrow is concerned.
ReplyDeleteHis aging condition was a point that Dr. Bowers brought up in regards to Lear's erratic behavior. I think Khan has an interesting interpretation for his declining grip on reality but I am in Bower's (and now your) camp on the reason for his behavior, not to be attributed to his lack of feminine expression.
ReplyDeleteThere are many reasons why Lear suffered. I am not ready to throw Khan's argument out the door since her interpretation has some insight into how female characters are portrayed in Shakespeare's plays. The editor of my text for a Shakespeare class I took recently summed up one point by saying the female death's of Shakespeare's plays reveal to men the naked truth's of reality. I think Lear, upon witnessing his mother's death, sees man as a hallow and empty shell, where evil can manifest itself and do horrible horrible things. Even the protection of one's blood line is not there as shown by the twisted acts of the elder sisters and the remorseless actions of Edmund. If there is any femininity in Lear it is Cordelia and her emphasis on the bond she shares with her father and desire to nurture him, even in his ailing age.
Khan's thesis is a provocative one but further examination of Shakespeare's texts and characters are needed.