King Lear
It was written almost 300 years before Bronte’s novel Wuthering Heights., covers much of the same ground discussed above. Shakespeare’s famous play named King Lear has several interesting elements that can be recognized in Wuthering Heights.
For example, the idea of a villain hero, a figure who has pledged to avenge the disgrace inflicted upon him because of his social standing, is introduced by Shakespeare in Lear with the character of Edmund.(Though in Lear, this character is a part of a subplot and has much less importance.) This figure resembles Heathcliff in many ways.
Both were social outcasts, both were fairly negative and vindictive, and both have managed to fulfill their evil plans and inflict damage upon their advisories. The themes of revenge, social injustice and love, taken up by Bronte, are present in many of Shakespeare’s works, ranging from Lear, Macbeth to Richard III.
King Lear raises many questions – issues regarding the human character, love, interfamilial relations, as well as socio- economic factors.
The king, upon his retirement, decided to divide his kingdom between three of his beloved daughters. Partly because of his egotism, and economic considerations, Lear staged an event in which all three of them would praise him in order to receive the intended goods.
In effect, Cordelia, the daughter who chose not to praise him in an unrealistic manner and answer honestly, was ousted from the kingdom. The two remaining daughters plot to deprive Lear of power, resulting in him going mad, destruction of societal order and death of Cordelia.
Lear’s decision to concentrate on satisfying his vanity as well as fulfilling his socio –economic goals, rather on focusing on his love for Cordelia – the only honest daughter he had – shattered the community, and resulted in death and suffering for its inhabitants.
As an effect, it takes a disaster – a complete destruction of the community and the “old ways”- before the figures can come to some sort of revelation or closure.
The storm in act III is a very good example of this. The storm can be considered as a heart of the play - a climax that culminates in Lear’s revelation about the human character and insignificance of ones social position. The harsh wilderness and the savage winds reflect the storm occurring within Lear - an ever growing madness stemming from the realization that he has chosen badly - he ousted the daughter who truly loved him and he laid all of his power in hands of people who strive to gain complete control of the kingdom, and will stop at nothing in order to acquire it.
One of the most dramatic exclamations in the play is Lear’s realization that all men are the same. During his dialog with Edgar – Edmunds brother and the legitimate heir to Gloucester estate; at this stage a poor hopeless victim of Edmunds evil scheme to deprive him of power – Lear exclaimed: Man is no more but such a poor, bare, forked animal as thou art.
Off, off, you lendings! come unbutton here.
When faced with a decision of we should set aside our considerations about societal expectations, class origin, economic factors, vanity and vindictiveness and focus on the bare, native and impulsive feeling of love.