The Destruction of the Body Politic in "King Lear"

Paper Summary:

This essay discusses the actions of the King in Shakespeare's "King Lear," and how his narcissism, distrust for those closest to him and descent into madness lead the King to divide rule of the fictional, ancient England. The paper explores how this solitary act effectively destroys the
body politic of England. The essay argues that it is the unnatural passing of power that destroys the social order of England and that the kingdom will not easily recover from the mess King Lear has created. Further, the paper argues that the play implies that the only act that could save England would be replacing the brutal leaders with a single, worthy king.

From the Paper:

"It is only too late that Lear realizes he gave power to those who would seek to destroy him and pushed away those he should have put faith in. The treacherous acts of those around him, the shunning of those he should trust, and the descent into madness that King Lear experiences effectively destroy the Body Politic as well as the lives of the characters."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Brown, Dennis. "King Lear: The Lost Leader; Group Disintegration, Transformation and Suspended Reconsolidation." Critical Survey. 13 (2001): 19-39.
• Dollimore, Jonathan. "King Lear (c. 1605-1606) and Essentialist Humanism." Shakespeare's Tragedies. Ed. Emma Smith. Malden: Blackwell Publishing, 2004. 60-72.
• Hadfield, Andrew. "The Power and Rights of the Crown in Hamlet and King Lear: 'The King-The King's to Blame.'" Review of English Studies: The Leading Journal of English Literature and the English Language. 217 (2003): 566-586.
• McEachern, Claire. "Figures of Fidelity: Believing in King Lear." Modern Philology. 2 (2000):211-230.
• Rubinstein, Frankie. "Speculation on mysteries: religion and politics in King Lear." Renaissance Studies: Journal of the Society for Renaissance Studies. 2 (2002): 234-262.

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