Critical Essay | Critical Essay by Joseph Wittreich

Critical Essay by Joseph Wittreich

SOURCE: Wittreich, Joseph. “The Reversal of All Histories.” In “Image of That Horror”: History, Prophecy, and Apocalypse in King Lear, pp. 14-46. San Marino, Calif.: Huntington Library, 1984.

In the following essay, Wittreich suggests that King Lear is a veiled commentary on the actions of King James I, especially his attempt to unite England, Scotland, and Wales. The critic also emphasizes the influence of the New Testament's Book of Revelation on the play, particularly the idea of the Apocalypse.

The darkness at first has shape, but … falls at last into that Chaos in which the world will end … Here … unrolls … the history of a great King … who, through the darkness of the mind, reaches the Night of the Soul (but not that which is known by the Saints)—and, through the Night of the Soul, reaches the light.

—Edith Sitwell

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