Tuesday, January 6, 2015

How is redemption present in "King Lear?"

The theme of 'redemption' is not stated explicitly by Shakespeare in 'King Lear' because Shakespeare likes his audience to think about the characters who achieve redemption on a "man's (or woman's) deliverance from sin and damnation basis". There's the prospect that those who are 'pure evil' such as Goneril, Regan, Cornwall and Oswald have no opportunity for redemption but those that possess various shades of 'good' such as Edmund, Lear, Cordelia, Edgar and Gloucester at least redeem themselves on a personal and 'each other's eyes' basis even though the tragedy is that the wisdom of their errors and follies comes too late.


Therefore, the theme of redemption functions on a personal, familial/domestic, public, theosophical/philosophical basis to show the effect of individual's 'sins' on self, family and nation. Despite the chaos that ensues in Act 5, with so many dead, the country is spared the rule of evil doers and from the ashes of chaos an era of good is ushered in by new king Edgar who will see harmony and prosperity reign in 'old Albion'.

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