Ways of thinking about King Lear

Marxist criticismThe feminist approachPsychoanalysis

There have been many different critical perspectives on King Lear, a play which defies any attempt
to reach a final and definitive view. Most critics have used whatever critical techniques seem most
appropriate, focusing on the precise meaning of Shakespeare’s language, the resonance of his
imagery and the effects produced in performance. Contextual matters have also been very
important, reading the drama against its literary, historical, social, philosophical and religious
background, leading to a better understanding of Shakespeare’s intentions.

Amongst this wide diversity of approaches are the following:

Marxist criticism
A Marxist approach to King Lear would consider it to be a reflection of the political and economic
structures of the society in which it was written. The focus would therefore be on Lear as a feudal
lord whose concern for personal power has led either to exploitative relationships with his subjects
or simply to neglect. This sort of approach would look particularly at Lear's realisation in Act 3
Scene 4 that he has taken 'too little care' of the 'poor naked wretches' in his kingdom.

Marxist criticism would also consider the way in which political and economic considerations affect
relationships and the way in which Lear's sense of personal identity is dependent upon
possessions, such as the number of knights he must keep after his abdication.

The feminist approach

A feminist approach to the play would look at the way in which male attitudes to women have
shaped the depiction of female characters and how they behave in the drama. Society in
Shakespeare's day was male-dominated (a patriarchy). Girls were seen as 'belonging' to their
fathers before they became the responsibility/possession of their husbands. Queen Elizabeth was
very much an exception in a world which generally denied political and economic power to
women.

A feminist view of King Lear would consider Lear's attitudes to his three daughters, focusing on the
way his expectations of them are different to a father's expectations of sons. The approach would
also be interested in how male attitudes towards women influence the behaviour of Lear's
daughters. Have years of repression, for instance, led Goneril and Regan ruthlessly to seize power
when their father gives them the opportunity? Are they cruel or are they redressing the balance,
asserting themselves in a world otherwise ruled by men?

Feminists would also focus on why Lear should curse Goneril and Regan by wishing infertility upon
them, and indeed the play contains many examples of male disgust at female sexuality. There are no
mothers in the play and little evidence of ‘nurturing’ female/male bonds (the King of France is off-
stage after the first scene of the play).