The Not So Happy Catastrophe of King Lear (Acts 4/5) - Hailey Walsh




    While discussing Shakespeare's King Lear in class, we touched slightly on two types of tragedic endings: the "eucatastrophe," or happy catastrophe, and the "peripeteia," or ultimate catastrophe. Now, after finally finishing the denouement, I've concluded that this tragedy is without a doubt a peripeteia at multiple levels.


    First, Lear starts out having everything: a prospering kingdom, the respect of most of his subjects, and a good relationship with at least one of his daughters. By the end of Act 4, however, Lear has lost all of those things. The woven crown of weeds he has placed on his head suggests denial and ever-worsening insanity. Though he gains back a bit of his mind with the restoration of his relationship with Cordelia, Lear never sees his former glory again and ends up losing the only child who ever truly loved him. With the innocent Cordelia's death goes any hope of a better future, and Lear dies a heartbroken, crownless man.

    On another note, the villainous Edmund also sees his downfall, and not in as innocent a light. Although he wins the battle for Lear's thrown, he is quickly put to justice by Edgar's sword. Shortly before dying, he breathes "Yet Edmund was beloved" and confesses to ordering the death of Cordelia and Lear (5.3. 238). Does this odd observation and confession (a little late, as Cordelia is executed anyway) redeem him from his portrait as a ruthless, power-thirsty villain? Possibly? But, it still doesn't change the fact that this is no happy catastrophe. Like Lear, Edmund has fallen from everything he could have been.

-HW

{I commented on Breanna Poole's and Bug Olsen's blog posts}

Comments

  1. Abigale BellAugust 29, 2021 at 6:59 PM

    Awesome blog post! You brought out some great points! To decide whether this story is a 'eucatastrophe' or 'peripeteia' I think one should decide which side of the story to follow. Lear as a king certainly looses everything. However, Lear as a father comes to see Cordelia as his daughter again, gaining her forgiveness, even though she dies in the end.

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    1. Hailey WalshAugust 30, 2021 at 8:05 PM

      I think your right. Whether it is a 'peripeteia' or a 'eucatastrophe' is really subjective. It depends on what angle you look at it, and how Lear is viewed. Thank you, Abigale!

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  2. Raygan BosterAugust 30, 2021 at 4:15 PM

    Lear does end the story with no one heir to the throne and a broken kingdom. However, at least before they both died, they had some resolution of their relationship. Either way, it still is sad that he loses Cordelia physically, it is a comfort that he gets her back emotionally before they pass.

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    1. Hailey WalshAugust 30, 2021 at 8:08 PM

      Very true, Raygan! I had thought about that. But I thought, even though he gains her back emotionally, does that make it a happy catastrophe? I suppose they were closer in the moments before her death than they were at the beginning of the play. His whole outlook towards her love for him changed, and his self-seeking love of self seems to melt.

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