Jayne, Sears. “Charity in King Lear.” Shakespeare Quarterly, vol. 15, no. 2, 1964, pp. 277–88.
JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/2867900. Accessed 31 May 2022.
“Charity in King Lear,” written by Sears Jayne, is a journal article published in 1964 in Shakespeare Quarterly about Lear’s humanity. The article studied Shakespeare’s intent of Lear’s immoral actions at the beginning of the play and how Shakespeare was able to portray Lear as becoming progressively moral and humane as the play develops and the events unfold. Sears Jayne is known to be a reliable writer as he is the author of three books in the field of literature and was a Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Brown University. In addition, this article was published by the Oxford University Press, which further proves its reliability. Jayne explores the evidence pointing to Lear’s rise in morality, increasing sympathetic qualities, and ability to become more sensitive. Jayne made a connection between Lear at the beginning of the play and Lear in the middle of the play through his relation to Kent - Lear’s extremely loyal servant. For example, at the beginning of the play, when Lear’s youngest daughter Cordelia cannot express her love for her father, Lear is unforgiving and controlling towards Kent for speaking his mind about her banishment, resulting in Lear banishing Kent as well. Conversely, in a future event in the play, Lear supports and helps a disguised Kent when he is placed in the stocks. Lear’s character develops slowly, progressing into a better person. Jayne proves the theory that Lear’s morality progressively increases throughout the play when he says:
Lear shows more sensitivity to Kent’s position as his new servant than he had shown to Kent in court, and yet this new servant is Kent; this ironic complex of sensitivity and insensitivity, awareness and unawareness, is more than a matter of appearance and reality; it is, as Lear himself says it is, failing to know because of failure to feel. (Jayne, 279)
McLaughlin, John J. “The Dynamics of Power in King Lear: An Adlerian Interpretation.”
Shakespeare Quarterly, vol. 29, no. 1, 1978, pp. 37–43. JSTOR,
https://doi.org/10.2307/2869167. Accessed 31 May 2022.
John McLaughlin wrote “The Dynamics of Power in King Lear: An Adlerian Interpretation,” published in Shakespeare Quarterly in 1978. Throughout the journal article, McLaughlin examines the psychology behind Lear’s initial power and madness and how it relates to his need to be superior, and moves to Lear’s development into a noble person. It mentions that Lear’s mind makes him do anything and everything to keep his power over others intact even after he has agreed to give it up. This article is deemed reliable as it has been published by Oxford University Press. Furthermore, McLaughlin is a well-known author specializing in Wisdom literature, Prophetic literature and the Synoptic Gospels. One specific part of the article mentions one of Lear’s turning points as his ability to leave his palace and go to the sheltered hovel with Kent (disguised as Caius) - Lear’s loyal servant - and the Fool - Lear’s loyal jester in the midst of a large storm. Shakespeare employs a pathetic fallacy in which Lear’s emotions of anger and sadness mimic the external storm. The palace was a place of power, whereas the hovel was a place of humanity and community. For example, during his time in the hovel, Lear had his first moment of morality when he put the Fool’s well-being before his own, offering him first access to warmth, knowing it was cold outside. McLaughlin supports this idea that Lear first showed compassion towards others, putting aside his royal status, in the hovel as he states:
The hovel is precious to Lear, not because it is minimal shelter, but because it leads him, for the first time in his life, to a concern for other people. With the Fool, Kent, and Edgar, he becomes one with the dispossessed of the world, sharing their misery in the storm and by doing so reversing his lifelong quest for personal superiority. (McLaughlin, 43)
Snyder, Susan. “King Lear and the Psychology of Dying.” Shakespeare Quarterly, vol. 33, no.
4, 1982, pp. 449–60. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/2870125. Accessed 30 May 2022.
“King Lear and the Psychology of Dying” is a journal article written by Susan Snyder in 1982. This article explains how Lear’s need for power is linked to his old age. Although Lear agreed to give up his power, he made a purposeful comment about keeping his title as King. Lear holds much regard for his title as King and believes that losing this title means there is no reason to live. Snyder relates how as humans age, there is a loss of autonomy, power and influence, resulting in bitterness, and loss of purpose and hope. This article was published by the Oxford University Press in Shakespeare’s Quarterly, proving its reliability. In addition, Susan Snyder is the author of a book called “The Comic Matrix of Shakespeare’s Tragedies: Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Othello, and King Lear,” which proves her vast knowledge of the subject. The article details Lear’s inability to let go of the little power he has left. Lear has an issue with self-perception as he is incapable of viewing himself truthfully: powerless, old, and in need of help. Snyder proves that although Lear renounced his power, he has difficulty admitting it and perceiving himself accurately:
Lear himself is no Everyman but an autocratic king. He begins the play by abdicating, but even in the act of giving up power he clings to “the name, and all the’ addition to a king,” (Snyder, 450)
Stern, Jeffrey. “King Lear: The Transference of the Kingdom.” Shakespeare Quarterly, vol. 41,
no. 3, 1990, pp. 299–308. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/2870480. Accessed 30 May
2022.
In 1990, Jeffrey Stern wrote the journal article “King Lear: The Transference of the Kingdom,” which details Lear’s reaction to losing his power. The article explains Lear’s journey from inhumane blindness to moral insight as he slowly loses everyone he once had power over - Goneril, Reagan and Cordelia. This article was also published in Shakespeare’s Quarterly by the Oxford University Press. Further proving this source’s reliability is that Jeffrey Stern is an award-winning journalist and author. During the play, Lear goes from being the one with the biggest influence to having no influence or power at all. For example, at the beginning of the play, he is in charge of the entire kingdom and has the power to decide anything, whereas, by the end, he gets sent to jail. Stern supports the part of my thesis that states Lear has a gradual decrease of power throughout the play when he states:
From the one hundred nights in his retinue to none. When his words lose all their force, when he is to have no follower who would act on them, Lear flees into the storm and into madness. (Stern, 302)
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