A 7 page paper which examines how the play’s court setting reflects the historical aspects of the Tudor dynasty rule. Specifically considered is the argument “King Lear” raises about the exercise of power in the court. Bibliography lists 5 sources.
Name of Research Paper File: TG15_TGklcourt.rtf
Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
that was currently taking place in early seventeenth-century England as well as the ghosts of the earlier Tudor dynasty that died with Elizabeth I in 1603. The very different
Stuart dynasty under James VI had assumed power, but the memory of the Tudors lingered on in terms of ruling power and class hierarchy. In his histories and tragedies,
Shakespeare frequently emphasized the necessity "for a strong central authority running a country," and also dramatized the importance of a leader who ruled not simply through sheer will, but with
an equal combination of head (reason) and heart (responsiveness to the needs of his subjects) (Cahn 144). Lear enjoyed being sequestered at court, comfortable in the attire of crown
and robe, and delighted in having his entrance announced by the sound of a coronet and attentive courtiers standing at attention. The play is entitled King Lear instead of
Lear for that very reason - Lears entire identity revolved around that title and the power and respect it demanded. He viewed the court as exclusively his own or
an extension of his authority rather than as the courtly protector of the people. Shakespeare wastes no time in establishing the court setting in the opening scene, in which the
linkage between ceremony and an interdependent (and overlapping) courtly society is trumpeted (Spotswood 265). In his article, "King Lear and the Patronage System," Jonathan Gibson observes, "King Lear opens
with what looks like an archetypal court patronage struggle - a competition for royal favor between two favorites, watched attentively by lesser courtiers anxious to see how the result of
the competition will affect their own positions" (95). The Earl of Kent, who had been one of Lears most loyal and steadfast courtiers, remarks, "I thought the King had