Critical Interpretations

What are Critical Interpretations?

From the exam board: "As part of their study of their selected Shakespeare play, students should engage with different interpretations."

How should Critical Interpretations be used?

• Grasp the interpretation being presented regarding the literary text(s).
• Contrast the critic's viewpoint with your reading of the text (or that of another critic or classmate). Note any similarities or differences.
• Agree with the critic's point and find further evidence in Shakespeare's text to support and expand it.
• Disagree with the critic's stance and identify evidence in Shakespeare's text that might bolster your counterargument.
• Adjust the critic's position by finding one aspect you can endorse and another that you wish to refine and clarify with evidence from the text.
• Choose specific quotations that either support or challenge your interpretation of the text to enhance your discussion or literary essay.
• Make sure to reference critical quotations in your essay by using quotation marks and writing down the critic's last name!

Critical Interpretations with Analysis

David Scott Kastan - Shakespearean Tragedy

"Are there reasons for the intolerable suffering? Is the tragic motor human error or capricious fate? Is the catastrophe a just, if appalling, retribution, or an arbitrary destiny reflecting the indifference, or, worse, the malignity of the heavens?"

(Page 7, Essay: Shakespearean Tragedy)

• Kastan emphasizes the uncertainty and lack of clear answers regarding the causes of suffering in Shakespearean tragedy.
• This ambiguity is central to the tragic experience, highlighting the interplay between human actions and the seemingly arbitrary forces of fate.
• In King Lear, this is evident as characters face immense suffering without clear justification, reflecting the chaotic and unpredictable nature of the world.

Supporting Evidence

"Is there any cause in nature that makes these hard hearts?" (Act 3, Scene 6)

• Lear's question reflects his struggle to understand the cruelty and injustice he faces, aligning with Kastan's idea of unresolved suffering.

"Why should a dog, a horse, a rat have life, And thou no breath at all?" (Act 5, Scene 3)

• Lear's lament over Cordelia's death exemplifies the inexplicable and unjust suffering highlighted by Kastan.

Opposing Evidence

"The wheel is come full circle; I am here." (Act 5, Scene 3)

• Edmund's acknowledgement of fate suggests a sense of order and justice in the play's conclusion, challenging the idea of arbitrary suffering.

A. D. Nuttall - The Pleasure of Tragedy

"In the tragic theatre suffering and death are perceived as matter for grief and fear, after which it seems that grief and fear become in their turn matter for enjoyment."

(Page 9, Essay: The Pleasure of Tragedy)

• Nuttall discusses the paradox of deriving pleasure from the emotional experiences of tragedy.
• The intense emotions of grief and fear are transformed into a form of aesthetic enjoyment for the audience.
• In King Lear, the audience experiences this transformation through the profound and tragic downfall of the characters.

Supporting Evidence

"Thou'lt come no more, Never, never, never, never, never." (Act 5, Scene 3)

• Lear's overwhelming grief over Cordelia's death evokes deep emotional responses, which can be cathartic for the audience.

"I am a very foolish fond old man." (Act 4, Scene 7)

• Lear's recognition of his folly and the subsequent emotional reconciliation with Cordelia provide a bittersweet pleasure.

Opposing Evidence

"O, let me not be mad, not mad, sweet heaven! Keep me in temper; I would not be mad!" (Act 1, Scene 5)

• Lear's plea against madness may evoke pure distress without the transformative pleasure Nuttall describes.

A. C. Bradley - The Shakespearean Tragic Hero

"The story, next, leads up to, and includes, the death of the hero. On the one hand (whatever may be true of tragedy elsewhere), no play at the end of which the hero remains alive is, in the full Shakespearean sense, a tragedy."

(Page 11, Essay: The Shakespearean Tragic Hero)

• Bradley asserts that the death of the hero is essential to Shakespearean tragedy.
• The hero's demise is necessary to complete the tragic arc and evoke the full emotional impact.
• In King Lear, the deaths of both Lear and Cordelia fulfil this criterion, cementing the play's status as a tragedy.

Supporting Evidence

"And my poor fool is hanged." (Act 5, Scene 3)

• Lear's realization of Cordelia's death marks the culmination of his tragic journey, aligning with Bradley's view of the hero's demise.

"Howl, howl, howl, howl! O, you are men of stones." (Act 5, Scene 3)

• Lear's intense grief over Cordelia's death underscores the tragic conclusion of his story.

Opposing Evidence

"I have a journey, sir, shortly to go; My master calls me, I must not say no." (Act 5, Scene 3)

• Kent's acceptance of his fate suggests a sense of resolution and continuity beyond the hero's death, challenging the idea that the hero's demise is the sole focus.

Maynard Mack - Tragedy and Madness

"Madness often seems to be a form of divine punishment, but also brings with it special insight and freedom to speak the truth."

(Page 13, Essay: Tragedy and Madness)

• Mack explores the role of madness in Shakespeare's tragedies, noting its dual nature as both punishment and insight.
• Madness allows characters to express truths and emotions that might otherwise be censored or restrained.
• In King Lear, Lear's descent into madness provides a deeper understanding of his character and the play's themes.

Supporting Evidence

"O, let me not be mad, not mad, sweet heaven! Keep me in temper; I would not be mad!" (Act 1, Scene 5)

• Lear's plea highlights his fear of madness, which he later succumbs to, revealing deeper truths about his character.

"The tempest in my mind Doth from my senses take all feeling else Save what beats there." (Act 3, Scene 4)

• Lear's expression of inner turmoil through madness provides insight into his emotional state.

Opposing Evidence

"Reason not the need!" (Act 2, Scene 4)

• Lear's assertion of his authority and needs, even in the face of his daughters' opposition, suggests moments of clarity amidst his madness.

Carol Rutter - Language and Female Power in King Lear

"The eel pie of my title figures the daughters' tongues. It is a grotesque image, an ugly image. But then the play makes the daughters ugly: the two who speak are monsters; the one who does not is monstered."

(Page 27, Essay: Language and Female Power in King Lear)

• Rutter explores the representation of female power through language in King Lear.
• The grotesque imagery of "eel pie" is used to depict the daughters' speech as monstrous.
• This interpretation suggests that the play portrays women who speak out as dangerous, while those who do not are still demonized.

Supporting Evidence

"I love you more than words can wield the matter, Dearer than eyesight, space, and liberty." (Act 1, Scene 1)

• Goneril's exaggerated declaration of love is a performative use of language that aligns with Rutter's depiction of the daughters' manipulative speech

"What need you five-and-twenty, ten, or five?" (Act 2, Scene 4)

• Regan's questioning of Lear's need for knights demonstrates her use of language to assert power and control over her father.

Opposing Evidence

"Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave My heart into my mouth." (Act 1, Scene 1)

• Cordelia's refusal to flatter Lear with insincere words shows integrity in her silence, challenging the idea that all speech by Lear's daughters is monstrous.

Frank Kermode - Ways of Speaking in King Lear

"King Lear keeps coming back to the issue of speech and silence. So does my analysis, because what I want to say about the daughters returns constantly to their speech and to their speech withheld and to the opposition between speech and silence that the play always constructs as an opposition between mouth and heart."

(Page 28, Essay: Ways of Speaking in King Lear)

• Kermode examines the significance of speech and silence in the play.
• The opposition between spoken words and heartfelt silence is central to the characters' interactions.
• This perspective emphasizes how the play uses language to explore deeper emotional truths and conflicts.

Supporting Evidence

"Nothing, my lord." (Act 1, Scene 1)

• Cordelia's simple, honest response contrasts with her sisters' elaborate flattery, highlighting the tension between speech and silence.

"Peace, Kent. Come not between the dragon and his wrath." (Act 1, Scene 1)

• Lear's command illustrates the power dynamics enforced through speech, as well as the potential destructiveness of unbridled language.

Opposing Evidence

"I will have such revenge on you both That all the world shall—I will do such things— What they are, yet I know not, but they shall be The terrors of the earth." (Act 2, Scene 4)

• Lear's empty threats show how speech can be impotent and disconnected from action, complicating the simple opposition of speech and silence.

Fintan O'Toole - The Morality of King Lear

"There is no simple sense of morality – of what is virtue and what is vice – in King Lear. ... The traditional morality of loyalty, of knowing one's place and keeping it, is no longer of much use."

(Page 32, Essay: The Morality of King Lear)

• O'Toole argues that King Lear challenges conventional moral frameworks.
• The play presents a complex moral landscape where traditional values such as loyalty are insufficient to navigate the chaos and suffering.
• This view suggests that the play reflects the breakdown of established moral and social orders.

Supporting Evidence

"Thou, nature, art my goddess; to thy law, My services are bound." (Act 1, Scene 2)

• Edmund's rejection of societal norms in favour of natural law exemplifies the play's questioning of traditional morality.

"The wheel is come full circle; I am here." (Act 5, Scene 3)

• Edmund's recognition of karmic retribution highlights the complex interplay of fate and morality.

Opposing Evidence

"My life will be too short, And every measure fail me." (Act 4, Scene 6)

• Gloucester's despair and subsequent moral awakening emphasize individual redemption and the enduring importance of personal virtue.