King Lear Essay | Critical Essay #14

King Lear Critical Essay #14

Source: The Politics of "King Lear," Jackson, Son & Company, 1947, 24 p.

[In the following excerpt from a lecture delivered at the University of Glasgow in April 1946, Muir discusses Goneril and Regan as representatives of a new political   order. In the early 1600s, when the play was written, the medieval concept of communal traditions was giving way to modern notions of political rule-ones that emphasized effectiveness rather than principles, the critic observes. With their unconcern {or traditional values or customs, Muir explains, Goneril and Regan embody the amorality of Realpolitik (Politics based on practical factors rather than ethical or moral considerations) and the unscrupulous emphasis on power associated with Machiavellianism (the theory that the attainment of political power is Justified by any means). The critic points out their lack of individuality and argues that they are like impersonal forces, beyond human appeal or understanding.]