The Simplicity of Madness // Emmett Bryant

 One of the main character developments we get of King Lear is his apparent madness. His state of mind throughout Acts 4-5 (starting in Act 3) seems to be degrading and worsening especially after his episode in the torrential storm. We could sit all day and try to diagnose King Lear and decide what mental illness was plaguing him, but I think it is much more simple than that. Even more, I think Shakespeare meant for it to be very simple. 

King Lear felt as though he was losing everything that made his life normal to him. Partly because of his own bad decisions, but nonetheless he was losing his grip on everything that gave him stability and comfort. He gave away control of his kingdom, he banished his most loyal servant, he gave away his daughter that loved him the most, and his power was taken from him by his oldest two daughters. All in all, I think Shakespeare wanted us to see that when you lose everything that matters the most to you, that's a cause for madness. King Lear couldn't bear the despair he was experiencing and it caused him to crack. King Lear's madness though complex in nature, is quite simple to understand. 

I commented on Bug Olsen's post and on Breanna Poole's post. 

Comments

  1. IsabelleAugust 31, 2021 at 8:58 AM

    I hate to be the one to bring up Game of Thrones, but this exact thing is seen in Game of Thrones! The queens are not going mad or losing their minds! They've just lost so much around them, and they don't know how to deal with it. Maybe Shakespeare wasn't trying to display the cause of madness so much as he was trying to show that madness is just grief.

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