King Lear's Timelessness

The play is about the King of Britain, whose daughters marry the Duke of Cornwall, the Duke of Albany, and the King of France. The Earls of Kent and Gloucester remain loyal to the King after he gives away his land to his daughter and has nowhere to go. Now, how many time periods can you think of where such events can take place?

Somehow, despite the events which seem so drastically different from our lives, King Lear seems applicable to today. The position of royalty does not have much application to today, but certainly the feelings of insecurity,  threats of betrayal and even looming insanity are characteristic of the human condition throughout time.

The reader, even in modern times, is able to relate to and empathize with the characters in the story, and I do not think any knowledge of the time is required. The play is not meant to comment upon the nature of royalty, but upon a man's journey into insanity as he finds himself helpless. Perhaps that's why so many have decided to take a stab at reinterpreting the tale, such as Kurosawa in the movie Ran (which, by the way, was awesome).

Comments

[Rachel S.]

I think this is true of most of Shakespeare works. In fact, one of the reason's Shakespeare is considered "great literature" is because it has stood the test of time.. meaning that people today still read it! Now whether or not that's just high school kids suffering through it is for you to decide...

Anyways, I'm doing a program this semester where I assist a freshman english teacher. They just started Romeo and Juliet, and today we went over the Prologue which sums up the story of the "star-crossed lovers... etc..." After reading the Prologue one boy shouted out "that's like every love story!!"

I guess my point is that I agree, even though Shakespeare's plays may have lots of excess embellishment, the general ideas still apply to today.

[Alex P.]

I agree. While Shakespeare's plays are set in a specific time period, one of the things that makes them classics is that the human emotions in the stories are timeless.

Oh, and Ran looks awesome. We should watch it in class.

[Kelsey R]

I think any story, no matter what time period or place it is set in can be applied to modern, everyday life. The situations, though a little varied, are ultimately the same when talking about happiness, sorrow, anger, you name it. Emotions and human conflict have continuously provided as a muse to the writers throughout the centuries, so those reading it can truly relate to the piece of work.

[Junli S.]

I agree - and this is true of almost all great literature. Classics such as Shakespeare have withstood the test of time b/c they are not stories of a specific era, but rather stories of humanity. Which is something everyone in all ages and generations can relate to!

[Caroline H]

I definitely agree, Jon. I think that's what makes Shakespeare so extraordinary. His plays, despite their Elizabethan feel, have a universality that strikes at the core of human existence. Shakespeare basically hits every human experience in his plays and as you mentioned above insecurity, betrayal, insanity, and even love play an important role in King Lear which allows us to draw interesting parallels in our lives.