King Lear: A Revelatory Journey of Man from Materialism to Meditation
Tragedy as a genre is never solely based on a protagonist. By discussing an event in the life of an individual tragedy addresses the challenges faced by mankind relating it to human existence in the universe. Thus tragedy encompasses human existence. One of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies King Lear shows the heart wrenching downfall of a king as the price he pays for the attainment of spiritual transcendence. Shakespeare, through Lear, has highlighted the factors that are necessary for an individual to have a view of the world beyond their ego as this is the only way a man can truly understand his nature and reach his full potential. The state of mind of Lear fluctuates …show more content…
The struggle between different parts of Lear’s psyche is evident from the beginning of the play when he holds the redundant love test on the basis of which he will divide his kingdom. In Freudian terms the only reason for this ‘darker purpose’ is the gratification of his ego (Shakespeare 7). Freud divides the human mind into three parts based on the structural theory that he presented in his book The Ego and the Id. The id is the unconscious part of the human mind consisting of the basic and most primitive human instincts. Id works on the pleasure principle which demands the immediate gratification of all impulses. Therefore when Lear’s ego cannot establish peace between his id and superego he fails to come to terms with it and Cordelia’s unexpected reply causes anxiety for Lear. The drives of the id are directed by two main forces which are the life and death instinct. The life instinct deals with the basic survival of a species and thus it includes all the needs for the continuation of a species like food, water, shelter, reproduction. The death instinct is the exact opposite, comprising of every human’s unconscious wish to die as death is the …show more content…
But death does not come to him before his spiritual rejuvenation is complete. It is when all the aspects of his psyche stop working to gratify his id that he gains insight into his individual self in relation to the cosmic world. The ego is the rational and logical part of the psyche which is directly influenced by the society and culture of an individual. Since the ego works on the reality principle it seeks out socially acceptable ways to satisfy the instinctive impulses of the id. Lear’s vain attempts at reinforcing his ego include keeping a hundred knights. Even when Goneril tells him that he is not allowed to do so he is unable to accept the reality, ‘I should be false persuaded I had daughters’ (Shakespeare 55). This conflict between his id and superego results in the ego taking refuge from anxiety through denial. His denial is natural but it overpowers his reason and he still believes that Regan will treat him differently. The superego is the ideal self and manifests itself in the unconscious through the values and morals that have been inculcated by the higher authority which could be religious figures, parents or any other individuals in the surrounding environment
Tragedy as a genre is never solely based on a protagonist. By discussing an event in the life of an individual tragedy addresses the challenges faced by mankind relating it to human existence in the universe. Thus tragedy encompasses human existence. One of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies King Lear shows the heart wrenching downfall of a king as the price he pays for the attainment of spiritual transcendence. Shakespeare, through Lear, has highlighted the factors that are necessary for an individual to have a view of the world beyond their ego as this is the only way a man can truly understand his nature and reach his full potential. The state of mind of Lear fluctuates …show more content…
The struggle between different parts of Lear’s psyche is evident from the beginning of the play when he holds the redundant love test on the basis of which he will divide his kingdom. In Freudian terms the only reason for this ‘darker purpose’ is the gratification of his ego (Shakespeare 7). Freud divides the human mind into three parts based on the structural theory that he presented in his book The Ego and the Id. The id is the unconscious part of the human mind consisting of the basic and most primitive human instincts. Id works on the pleasure principle which demands the immediate gratification of all impulses. Therefore when Lear’s ego cannot establish peace between his id and superego he fails to come to terms with it and Cordelia’s unexpected reply causes anxiety for Lear. The drives of the id are directed by two main forces which are the life and death instinct. The life instinct deals with the basic survival of a species and thus it includes all the needs for the continuation of a species like food, water, shelter, reproduction. The death instinct is the exact opposite, comprising of every human’s unconscious wish to die as death is the …show more content…
But death does not come to him before his spiritual rejuvenation is complete. It is when all the aspects of his psyche stop working to gratify his id that he gains insight into his individual self in relation to the cosmic world. The ego is the rational and logical part of the psyche which is directly influenced by the society and culture of an individual. Since the ego works on the reality principle it seeks out socially acceptable ways to satisfy the instinctive impulses of the id. Lear’s vain attempts at reinforcing his ego include keeping a hundred knights. Even when Goneril tells him that he is not allowed to do so he is unable to accept the reality, ‘I should be false persuaded I had daughters’ (Shakespeare 55). This conflict between his id and superego results in the ego taking refuge from anxiety through denial. His denial is natural but it overpowers his reason and he still believes that Regan will treat him differently. The superego is the ideal self and manifests itself in the unconscious through the values and morals that have been inculcated by the higher authority which could be religious figures, parents or any other individuals in the surrounding environment