In this first lecture, we observe how the first scene of Shakespeare's great tragedy introduces his grand theme of how power and authority lose their claim to legitimacy.

We witness an old King Lear surrendering his crown, and bequeathing his power and authority unto his three daughters. He proposes to divide his kingdom, a kingdom that at this stage is in unity and concord.

There is a lot going on. The scene isn't only describing a transfer of power, or a 'retirement' from office - a very modern concept. It is a dramatic exploration of the question of legitimacy, a theme that dominates the play, including the subplot. Can there be any legitimacy if the outcome is arbitrary and eternal division?

Is legitimacy rooted in virtue, or in nature? Lear rejects both. For him, it is rooted in his sovereign and autonomous will. Lear doesn't confer his power and authority on the basis of primogeniture or established merit. Instead, he appeals to the principle of equality. Lear demands his three daughters participate in a contest of virtue-signalling, professing how great their love for him is.

It is the act of a selfish old man.

His two elder daughters happily (and selfishly) oblige him in this contest in hypocrisy. His beloved youngest daughter, however, who also loves her father sincerely, refuses to participate in this charade of seeming virtue. Her love is real, as is the virtue in her incorruptible character.

She is punished by an astonishingly rash act of retribution.

The tragedy of King Lear is a tragedy depicting what happens when the will is ungoverned by moral reasoning. The divided kingdom is an immediate consequence of his folly. Yet not only is the kingdom divided, those that deserve the reward for true moral virtue, like Cordelia and his good servant Kent, are banished. All those who remain simply lust for power.

Comparisons with contemporary adherence to voluntarism - the legitimacy of arbitrary 'choice' and the idol of equality seem appropriate. A play set in a pagan era could hardly be more relevant today.

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#Shakespeare #KingLear #madness

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