Robert B.

Heilman
(1948)
THE UNITY OF KING LEAR (1948)

MARK VAN
MARK VAN DOREN prescribes, as
DOREN prescribes, as one of the duties laid upon
duties laid
the studentsin
the students great-bookscollege
in aa great-books collegeof whichhe
of which he has written aa
has written
brief account, the ability to state state precisely the unity of King Lear. Lear.
It may added that when
may be added students are
when the students able to
are able to pass this test,
pass this
their understanding of at least drama ought
least one drama quite
satisfy aa quite
ought to satisfy
preceptor. For the
exactingpreceptor.
exacting unity of
the unity KingLear lies
of King littleon
very little
liesvery on
surface; it can
the surface;
Lhe can be describedonly
be described partiallyin
only partially in terms
terms of of plot
plot
relationships; indeed, as in all all high art, it isis aa question
question of of theme;
theme;
and theme
and extends itself
theme extends ramificationsof dramatic
itself subtly into the ramifications dramatic
I and imagistic
and constructs. This unity is not
imagistic constructs. much discussed
not much discussedby the the
professorial gentlemen to
professorial gentlemen whom Mr
to whom Mr Van Doren's young men
Van Doren’s men
dramaturgic clues;
turn for dramaturgic
might torn various editors of the play,
clues;the various
in fact,
in fact, are intently and
are intently and innocently questing for
innocently questing for sources,
sources, and and
stage history;
and stage
dates, and
dates, history; andand in in their
their busyness
busyness they they have
have not not
much time left, as
much time one of diem
as one candidly -
them candidly —and
and undisturbedly -
puts for aesthetic
puts it, for criticism.But
aestheticcriticism. But some
some of of them
them do do desire
desire to to
show that
show the master,
that die being the
master, being the master,
master, has
has notnot erred
erred in in his
his
duplicity of plot; so Gloucester’s
Gloucester's family situadon
situation andand experiences,
we are
we are told, heighten the
told, heighten the effect produced by
effect produced by Lear’s
Lear's family
family
I experiences;and
situation and experiences; and again, the two plots come come together
in the
in dealings between
the dealings between Lear Lear andand Gloucester,
Gloucester, and and between
between
Edmund and
Edmund and the
the two sisters who
two sisters who desire
desire him; and and again,
again, inin these
these
interrelationshipsinhere
interrelationships inheresomesome remarkable
remarkableironies
ironies which
which odier-
other-
wise would be widiout.
wise the play would without. TheseThese points are are soundly
soundly made,
made,
| and they
and they areare necessary preliminariesTo
necessary preliminaries. .TO them
them we we might
might add,add,
also, diat
also, that die
the Gloucester
Gloucesterplot plot isis initiated
initiatedafter
after the
the Lear
Lear plot
plot isis
firmly under
firmly under way, and effectuallyended
and effectually ended while
while Lear
Lear hashas still
still
I* much
much leftleft to do -
to do —aa kind
kind of of chronological
chronologicaldiscipline
disciplineof of thethe
materialswhich
materials which betokens
betokens the the audior’s
author's tact.
tact. And
And in in iv
IV vi,
vi, inin
 170
170 ROBERT B. HEILM
ROBERT B. AN
HEILMAN

Lear’s madn
which Lear's
which madness brings him
ess brings him to to a climax disillusioned
climax of disillusioned
insight, so diat
insight, gnomic Edgar can
the gnomic
that the distill from this
can distill scene the
this scene
parad
paradox 'Reason in madn
ox ‘Reason ess', Lear weaves
madness*, Gloucester into his
weaves Gloucester
brillia
brilliant synthesis of the world
nt synthesis world and and of the play: . . . Your eyes
are in a heavy case, your purse in a light. You see how the world world
goes ... A man
goes. man maymay seesee how the world goes
the world eyes.'
with no eyes.*
goes with
Insofarr as
Insofa subject of the
the subject
as the the play is Lear's mind,
is Lear*s Gloucester has
mind, Gloucester
becomee a part of that subject.
becom subject.
But these considerationsare relativ
these considerations relatively eral, and we still
peripheral,
ely periph still
inquire in
need to inquire
need in what way it is that
what way that the stories of youth-
the two stories youth-
father-and-child,are
and-age, of father-and-child,
and-age, are not mere as, and
replicas,
mere replic and what
transcends the rhetor
coexistence transcends
advantage in their coexistence
advantage ical. What,
rhetorical. What, in
words,, is
other words is the
the meani
meaning Lear plot, and
the Lear
ng of the and the meani
meaningng
Gloucester plot, and
the Gloucester
of the and how are are the meani
meanings ngs relate d? To
related? To
fundamentalkinship
this fundamental
define this
define kinship we must first examinethe tragic
first examine
flaws of the
flaws the protag onists. The flaws
protagonists. flaws may may bé described,I think,
be described,
understanding, and King Lear may be read as a play
as errors of understanding,
ah the ways
al: 'lit .the ways of percei ving truth: it has
perceiving has aa good deal deal to say
say
about the
about the ways which the huma
ways in which humann reasonreason may function, and
may function, and
imagination.Our proble
about the imagination. problem m then
then is to discover
discover how this
themauc
thema substance receiv
tic substance receiveses necess
necessarilyarily different,
different, rather than
arbitrarily repeti
arbitrarily repetitious, formulationsin die
tious,formulations Lear plot and
the Lear and in the
Gloucester
Gloucester plot.
Lear does
Lear does not not have the pride
have die pride in in reason
reason of, say, say, Oedipus
Oedipus or
! Faustus,
Faustus, but he does undertake to reason
does undertake reason about certaincertain pheno¬
pheno-
mena, and
mena, and by reason
reasoninging faultily
faultily he inaugurates
inaugurates a series series of tragic
1 consequences.His very first
consequences. first error
error is is typica
typically lly ration alistic:the
rationalisdc: the
introductionof aa mensu
introducdon rationalstandard
mensurational standard wherewhere it is is not appli¬
appli-
1
cable. He insists upon the untena untenableble propos ition that love can be
proposition
; measured,
measu red,as as if it were material quantum
were aa material quantum of aa certain certain size
size or
shape. . In his intellectual
shape his intellectualconfusion forgets
confusion he forgets that deedsdeeds rather
than words
than words are are the
the symbols
symbols of of love.
love. The confusion
confusion may be
described
described quite quite literally
literallyas failure imagination:
as a failure of imagination: love must
be apprehended
apprehended by images, images, and the images images are richly available
available to
to
him -
him —not in in verbal
verbal shortcuts uts and formulae,
shortc and formulae, but in the the lives
lives of
daughters
daugh ters whom he has observed
observed from infancy. infancy. Now this kind kind of
evidence,when
evidence, when it is is not abstracted
abstractedby literaryliterary art from
from thethe full
full I

** 1 ***•ÿ
 The Unity of
of King Lear 171
171
and resis
and tant textu
resistant texture experience,is
re of experience, is vast and inch
vast and oate and
inchoate and
demanding task -
shirks a demanding
difficult; Lear shirks
difficult; —the imaginative
imaginative appre¬ appre-
hens
hension
easy ratio
easy
symbols, we all
ion of symbols,
nalisticway out.
rationalistic
know, is not
all know,
out. His failure
not easy
failure of unde
—
easy —and seeks an
and seeks
rstanding here is
understanding
analo failure to perce
gous to his failure
analogous perceiveive that cannot be a king
diat a king cannot
with crown and
out a crown
without cannot main
and cannot maintain his perq
tain his uisites by a kind
perquisites
of oral recip contract, that is, aa pure
recipee or contract, purelyly ratio
rationalized formula-
nalizedformula¬
status whic
tion of a status involves respo
whichh involves nsibilitiesas well as right
responsibilities rights.s.
endeavor to
From his endeavor boundd a value
to boun standards of
irrelevant standards
value by irrelevant
meas urement,Lear
measurement, goes on to
Lear goes to still error: his misi
another error:
still another nter-
misinter¬
preta tion of those
pretation verball meas
those verba urements of love whic
measurements whichh his
demands have
demands have broubrought forth: he is who
ght forth: wholly taken in by the
lly taken
mean abstractionsand
inglessabstractions
meaningless and hype
hyperboles Goneril and
rboles of Goneril and Rega
Regann
and -
and —in another
another striking imagination -
failure of imagination
striking failure —completely
completely
miss
misseses the import Cordelia's preci
import of Cordelia’s precisese meta phor, ‘I
metaphor, 'I love your
Maje
Majesty According to
sty// According to my bondbond;; no more nor less: Lear,, then,
less:’' Lear
invit
inviteses trage
regardd to
regar
tragedy dy by three
to the natu
errors of
three errors
re.of king
nature,
of unde
understanding
ship, the natu
kingship, nature
—
rstanding—errors errors with
re of love, and and the
natur language (the value
naturee of language value of certain statements about
certain statements love).
about love).
errors are not the negli
these errors
Then: diese
Then: gible slips of a mere observer
negligible observer
who has time to to check and prove correct; they are the terrib
prove and correct; le
terrible
mista
mistakeskes of a man action, of aa man whos
man of action, action is a publ
whosee action public ic
action. Lear impo
action. imposes seson his worldd his
his worl erroneous conclusions
his erroneous conclusions
children and
about children
about court.
and court.
Glou accepts rathe
cester accepts
Gloucester than impo
ratherr dian ses: his troub
imposes: troublele is inaugu-
is inaugu¬
rated
rated by Edmund’s spontaneously unde
Edmund's spontaneously rtaking, with
undertaking, withoutout being
offered such
offered such an opening as
an opening as Lear gives to Goneril and Rega
to Goneril Regan, n, to
deceive his
deceive father. Both
his father. Both fathers, course, are
fathers, of course, are mud
muddled;dled; even
even
while ironically, they feel
while,, ironically, astute, diey
feel astute, they reaso
reasonn wron
wronglygly from the
evidence.Like
evidence. Like Lear, Gloucestermigh
Lear, Gloucester mightt have consulted his non-
have consulted
ratio nal, experiendal
rational, awareness of his child’s
experiential awareness child's quality.
quality. Yet
Gloucester is die
Gloucester object of mani
the object pulation; his error
manipulation; error of unde rstand-
understand¬
that he too
ing is diat easily falls
too easily falls unde
underr the influ ence exerted
influence exerted upon
him. We have odier other evidence,
evidence,howe ver, of the natur
however, nature e of his flaw.
flaw.
Edm und's illegitimacy
Edmund’s illegitimacywe are neve allowed to
neverr allowed forget, and
to forget, and near
the end Edga
die end specificallyconnects
Edgarr specifically connects Gloucester’s
Gloucester's suffering
suffering with
adultery; he tells Edm
his adultery; Edmund,und, ‘The
'The dark and vicio us place wher
vicious where e

II
 172
172 ROBERT
ROBERT n. HEILMAN
B. HEILMAN

thee
thee he got // Cost
Cost him
him his eyes.' Then there
his eyes/ the even
there is die even more
evidence of Gloucester’s
obvious evidence Gloucester's attitude to the
attitude to die new Goneril—
new Goneril—
Regan
Regan regime: Gloucester plainly
regime: Gloucester has doubts
plainly has about the
doubts about die way
way
things are going,
things are going, but that
that aa principle is involved,
principle is involved, aa principle
principle
which
which insists
insists that
diat he make a stand, does not
simply does
stand, simply occur to
not occur
him. I-le
He regrets Cornwall’s
Cornwall's stocking
stocking Lear's
Lear’s follower, Kent; but
follower, Kent; |
he himself contributes to
himself contributes the infuriation
to die infuriation of Lear by his effortsefforts to
'fix it up'
‘fix up’ between
between him and and Cornwall.
Cornwall.‘You'You know die the fiery
fieryquality
quality
of the Duke’,
Duke', he tells
tells Lear, and, more maddeningly
maddeningly for Lear, ‘I 'l
would
would have all all well
well betwixt
betwixt you.' has hopes
Gloucester has
you.’ Gloucester diat he
hopes that
can ‘do
can 'do business
business with' genuine discomfort,
despite his genuine
widi’ Cornwall: despite discomfort,
he is inclined
inclined to accept
accept die status quo. Now, what a glance
the status glance atat his i

whole career
career tells
tells us is diat
that his conduct is allall of a piece: Glouces-
piece: Glouces¬
ter is the passive
is die passive man who is too ready to
too ready to fall in with
fall in with whatever
whatever
influencesare brought
influences brought to bear upon him. He is die man who falls
the man falls
into step with world, especially when to be out
the world,
widi die step would
out of step
mean aa stem
mean quarrel both with
stern quarrel widi diethe world and with
world and widi aa part
part of
himself.
himself. In die liaison of which
the liaison Edmund is die
which Edmund the fruit he fell fell in
with
widi die worldliness that took sexual
the worldliness sexual morality lightly; years
morality lightly; years
later - —even in Edmund’s
Edmund's hearing, it seems seems- —he refers
refers jauntily
jaundly to
Edmund's origin.
Edmund’s origin. Then he falls falls in with Edmund's suggestions
with Edmund’s suggestions
about the evil Edgar: he becomes
purposes of Edgar:
evil purposes becomes die man of die
the man the
world who knows a plot when when he sees sees one knows what to
and knows
one and
do about it, and and who is incapable opposing the
incapable of opposing immediate
die immediate
painstakingly, upon die
pressure by drawing, painstakingly, the knowledge which
transcends circumstancesof the moment. Finally, as we have
transcends the circumstances
seen, he falls
seen, widi, does his best to get on with, die
falls in with, the Goneril—
Goneril-
tyranny. A fine
Regan tyranny. fine stroke in the management
management of diis this part of I
ambiguity of the lines
die play is the ambiguity
the lines in which Gloucester tells
which Gloucester tells
Edmund that he intends to aid sympathies are unques-
aid Lear. His sympadiies unques¬
tionably aroused; that
tionably aroused; picture. But
diat is one part of the picture. also
But it is also
true that
true diat he says, injuries die
'These injuries
says, ‘These the King now bears
King now will be
bears will
revenged home; there's there’s part of a power already
already footed; we must
incline to the King.'King.’ He does pity Lear, but it is equally equally true that
to be pro-Lear may be a good thing; thing; and Gloucester is at
and Gloucester at least
least
in part maneuvering
maneuvering toward the comfortable stream of things.
comfortable stream
Not untiluntil he suffersfor it is
he suffers is his
his new commitmentmorally
new commitment morally in in

M
V

The Unity of
The Unity Lear
King Lear
of King 173
173
clear. His whole tendency
the clear.
say in these
as we say
'adjustrnent', as
‘adjustment’,
toward conformity —toward
tendency toward
times -
these high times —has
has already
—
already been
astrological habit of
summarizedby his astrological
admirably summarized
admirably of mind, which,
shared by no one else
we should observe, is shared in the play. It exactly
else in
Gloucester.If ‘These
suits Gloucester.
suits eclipsesin
late eclipses
'These late sun and
the sun
in the moon
and moon
\ portend no good to us', canhe
us’, what can he do it? It is
about it?
do about Glouces-
is Glouces¬
ter's flaw never
ter’s flaw wholly to
never wholly understand what
to understand what is implied in
is implied the
in the
situations in which
situations which hehe finds himself, even
finds himself, though he
even though feels
he feels
worldlywise seeks what is
voluntarily seeks
worldlywise enough. Not that he voluntarily is evil:
too easily
simply that he too
it is simply to that
yields to
easilyyields in which
that in should
which he should
see evil.
questioning his own rightness, imposes his will
Lear, without questioning
upon others; Gloucester
Gloucester accepts
accepts the will of of others without effec¬effec-
tually questioning
tually questioning their rightness. Thus ThusLear
Lear and Gloucester are,
and Gloucester are,
in terms of
in terms structure,not
of structure, duplicates,but
not duplicates, complements:this
but complements: this isis
one key toto the unity of King Lear. The completeness
completeness of of the play,
cosmic inclusiveness,
its cosmic inclusiveness,which
which we sense without
we sense without being able able toto
put our finger
put our finger upon it, isis in
upon it, part attributable
in part attributableto double-
this double-
to this
focused presentation
focused presentation of the tragic
of the tragic error of understanding. We
of understanding.
see its
see its basic forms, action
basic forms, action and and inaction;
inaction; one tragic character
one tragic character
imposes error, the other
imposes other accepts
accepts it. The roles continue
The roles continue con¬ con-
sistently throughout
sistently
passive.
throughout the the play
Gloucester,it is
passive. Gloucester, is clear,
—
play —LearLear as
does at
clear, does
as active,
active, Gloucester
at times
times act
Gloucester as
—
act —enough
enough to
as
to
become more than an allegorical
allegoricalfigure, than a worldlier Griselda.
But things
But keep happening
things keep happeningto him: whereas
to him: whereasLear combats his
Lear combats his
furiously and
daughters furiously dashes of
and dashes of his own will
will out into the night,
Gloucester is betrayed, is captured, and and isis tortured. TheThe master
master
touch depiction of
touch in the depiction his career
of his is that his giving in
career is in finally
finally
becomes giving .up:
becomes giving he yields
up: he yields to to despair
despair (the(the Christian
Christian ana- ana-
familiar to all
chronisms are familiar all commentators), suicidesuicide is to be his
is to
final adjustment.It is
final adjustment. wholly right,
is wholly right, for the worldly
for the worldly manman is one
is one
f who, by accepting
accepting the custom
custom of the time, despairs despairs ofof the good.
good.
But Lear is
But Lear alwaysaa vigorous,
is always vigorous, aggressive
aggressivefigure;
figure; he fights his
he fights his
to
daughters the bitter end; even even in his madness
madness he imposes his
personality upon the others.
others. At the time time of of his recovery
recovery he is is
contrastingly quiet
contrastingly for aa brief
quiet for while, but again
brief while, again atat the end he
the end he
becomes commanding, dominating
becomes aa commanding, dominating figurefigure beside
beside whom
whom the

l
 174
174 ROBERT
ROBERT B. HEILMAN
B. HEILMAN
others seem small. He kills
seem small. kills ‘the slave that was
'the slave was a hanging thee’ thee'
(v iii
iii 274) dies trying to
and dies
274) and establish that Cordelia
to establish alive.
Cordelia is alive.
Lear Gloucester are tragic
and Gloucester
Lear and heroes: they are
tragic heroes: essentially
are essentially
good men.
good men. We have seen the
have seen the complementary
complementaryerrors errors of under-
under¬
standing to good man
which the good
to which man is liable, and thus two
liable, and two kinds of
evil in the world. Now a part
genesis of evil remarkable full-
part of the remarkable
ness of the play
ness play is that it shows
shows us not not only the release
release ofof evil
but the subsequent course of evil. In Goneril and Regan, and in
Edmund, we see see the evil which originates
originates in Lear and and Gloucester
v
set free in the world. The old
set free old menmen themselves
themselves comecome to to insight
through suffering,but they
through suffering, they have
have loosed forces that
loosed forces terrible
that do terrible
I destroy themselves. Yet other children of
other children
damage before they
damage before they destroy themselves. Yet
Lear and Gloucester not not only combat the evil forces but also, by
• their existenceand
their very existence and by positive
positive aid aid to
to their
their unjust parents,
unjust parents,
contribute to
contribute whatever of recovery
to whatever recovery the old men
the old achieve. The
men achieve.
;
children as group, that is to
as a group, to say, represent the different elements
which
which are in conflict in the fathers;
in conflict fathers; hence,
hence, in a play
play with an an un-
un¬
usually large number of main
usually main characters
characters and aa greatgreat complexity
complexity
actions, there
of actions, there is the-tightest integration of their
the tightest integration component
their component
elements. We see
elements. see good and and evil in conflict
conflict in thethe world, but by
structure of the play we are reminded
the structure reminded that the conflictconflict is an
emanationof that
emanation that in the
the individual
individualsoul. By By the
the fact
fact of relation-
relation¬
ship the outer
ship outer and
and the inner evil become
the inner become one, one, the twotwo struggles
struggles
are united.
are united. The children
children are not children
are not children for nothing;
nothing; to to be thethe
father of Goneril
father Goneril is toto create
create aa symbol
symbol of the the evil brought forth
from oneself.
from oneself. The discerning
discerning readerreader of the the play
play will hardly feel feel
that he has done all his duty by hating hating Goneril.
Edmund's worldliness is an amplification
Edmund’s worldliness amplification and a positivizing of
Gloucester's.Gloucester
Gloucester’s. Gloucesterwantswants to to do as as the world
world doesdoes andand be
comfortable; Edmund wants
comfortable; wants to have what the world has - —‘have
'have
lands
lands by wit', as he puts
wit’, as puts it - —and 'grow' and
and ‘grow’ and ‘prosper’
'prosper' in it. The
shallow foxiness which Gloucester exhibits in his imagined detec¬ detec-
tion
tion of of Edgar
Edgar ripens
ripens intointo an an effective
effectivewiliness
wilinessin in Edmund.
Edmund.
Gloucesterforgets morality;
Gloucester Edmund flouts
morality; Edmund flouts it. Edmund
Edmund is half half of
Gloucester, liberated
liberated from the other half, and matured in its own
terms. Gloucester's gullibility
terms. Gloucester’s
conscious worldliness — —
gullibility —the the ironic
ironic failure
worldliness —becomes the whole of Edgar as Edgar
failure of of his
his self-
self-
Edgar is

j
 * The Unity of
of King L
Lear
car 175
175
seen at the beginning of the play; the emergent moral mastery of
Gloucester
Gloucester is paralleled
paralleled in the development personal force in
development of personal
Edgar; the kindliness of Gloucester
Edgar; Gloucester to Lear is the same love and
loyalty which come to Gloucester
Gloucester himself from Edgar. Edgar's Edgar’s
final defeat of Edmund,
Edmund, Edgar's
Edgar’s reunion with his father, and his
conquest of his father’s
conquest father's despair may all be read as a symbolic ver¬
symbolic ver-
sion
sion of the gaining
gaining of the upper
of the hand, in
upper hand, Gloucester,of
in Gloucester, the
of the
portion of his moral being which had long been in eclipse.
portion eclipse. But
extension of inner conflicts into conflicting characters who
this extension who in
part objectify theiwarrin
thewarringg subjective
subjective elements is most marked in
Lear’s
Lear's family. From the start, of course, discern in Cordelia
course, we discern Cordelia
die
the sharp insight into people and values of which Lear is capable
and to which he is restored by the revival of his
die eventual, tardy revival
imagination; in her is Lear’s
imagination; Lear's submerged tenderness,s, just as
submerged tendernes as his
tempestuo echoed in Kent; in die
usness is echoed
tempestuousness the aid
aid which bodi of
which both
them give him we see Lear’s better side
see Lear's side struggling for the mas-mas¬
Yet Cordelia is more complex
tery. Yet complex dian critics have been
than some cridcs
willing to admit, for there
willing her some admixture of what Cole¬
diere is in her Cole-
ridge called sullenness-
called sullenness recusancy,, a stubborn anupadiy
-- of a recusancy antipathy to
the disciplining,
diséiplining, restricting action involvement
action which involveme nt in the
world makes inevitable.
world personalityy may in some
unfettered personalit
inevitable. The unfettered
contexts
contexts be the right moral moral goal;
goal; but it may lead to a narrow
may lead narrow
protection of self; it is not a moral absolute.absolute. Lear will not rule,
he will
and he understand the
will not understand the terms in whichwhich experience speaks;
Cordelia will not accept
Cordelia will the terms of speech
accept die imposed by ex¬
speech imposed ex-
perience. There is a clash wills, each
clash of wills, combatant bent on self¬
each combatant self-
protection.. Lear’s
protection Lear's withdrawa ironically evokes Cordelia’s
wididrawall ironically Cordelia's
the daughter springs from
wididrawal;l; the
withdrawa from thethe father. In this
father. In this reading
reading
Cordelia becomes a part of the substance rather than a
the tragic substance
mere innocent and viedm of the
and pathetic victim die forces clashing
clashing in diethe
world.
world.
The symbolism of
The symbolism kinship is subtlest
of kinship subtlest and
and most important
important inin die
the
link between
between LearLear and his elder daughters:
daughters: here we find find the
the
central irony of
central the play
of the fundamental
play and a fundamen statement of
tal statement of dieme.
theme.
Lear’s tragic flaw
Lear's die whole
flaw is the whole being
being of of Goneril
Goneril and Regan. Lear
and Regan. Lear
makes fatal error of
makes aa fatal understanding:
of understand ing: then his essential
then his method of
essential method of
:
diought
thought is picked up
is picked his daughters
by his
up by daughters and made their
and made way of
their way life.
of life.

l
 .1: 1
176
176 ROBERT B.
ROBERT B. HEILM
HEILMAN AN
dividing the
In dividing die land, principlewhich
introducesa principle
Lear introduces
land, Lear Goneril
which Goneril
and Regan carry on to extreme; they show what happe
logical extreme;
to a logical ns
happens
when element in him
when an element him is from the restra
freed from
is freed int impos
restraint imposeded by
the rest
rest of the person ality. In this play, person
personality. equili-
alityis the equili¬
personality
brium conflicting forces;
brium of conflicting evil is ready
forces; evil at all
ready at to break
times to
all times break
loose from die
loose spiritual whole;
the spiritual autonomy is
whole; autonomy and any
is its end, and
disturbance of tension
disturbance tensionss may set it on its way. Lear, we have seen,
forces the use
forces of the princi
use of pleof measu
principle remenwhere
measurement t
where it is not
not ;
1
applicable; he introduces
applicable; calculation; and he is ruthles
introduces a spirit of calculation; ruthlesss
in punish ing what does not
punishing contribute to his propos
not contribute proposed advantage.
ed advantage.
Goneril and
Thus Goneril and Regan come to power
Regan come And what comes
power.. And comes to to
power with diem calculation:in
them is the spirit of calculation: fact, throug
in fact, diroughout hout
tracing the history
Shakespeare tracing
the rest of the play we see Shakespeare three
history of diree
people -
people —Edmund’s alliance with the sisters is morall
Edmund's alliance morally right -
y right —in
whom
whom the cold cold calculation advantage has
calculation of advantage almost totally
has almost totally ex¬ex-
adherenceto other values
cluded adherence
cluded values.. Shelley said of his world that
Shelleysaid
it had
had substituted calculation for imagi
substituted calculation nation. That is precis
imagination. ely
precisely
what thas happe
ÄVha happenedned in the world of the play: Lear’s imagination
Lear's imagination
has failed —
failed —the value-
come into control
come
value-preserving faculty -
preserving faculty —and there have
and so there
calculators.One by one
imagination-lesscalculators.
control the imagination-less
they dispos dispose of, their
plan to dispose
disposee of, or plan enemies,In the final
their enemies. final
irony they turn on and
symbol of die
symbol
dispose of each
and dispose
self-destructivenessof their
the self-destructiveness
—
each other —a magn
kind of world
their kind world..
ificent
magnificent

ofiron
course, is full of
The play, of course, ic revers
ironic als.Of those releva
reversals. relevantnt
question of unity, the most remar
to the question coming to
kable is the coming
remarkable
under Gloucester and
standing of Gloucester
understanding Gloucester gains
and Lear. Gloucester gains fullfull
insight just as
insight as he is blinde
blinded; accepts too easily
man who accepts
d; the man easily is
punish
punished ed at his one momemoment affirmation-
nt of high affirmation -- the assertion
die assertion
of the valuess of the
the value the old order against
old order againstthe the up-to -date world
up-to-date world..
Lear's new insight
Lear’s initially pound
insight is initially pounded ed into him in 1I iv and 11 Il iv,
scenes in which
the scenes
die which he is all incredulousof the blows
all but incredulous blows poure
pouredd !
upon him by Goneril Goneril and These scenes
Regan. These
and Regan. scenes demand
demand our
notice becau
because se it is they which establish the moral link
which establish link betwe
between en
Lear
Lear and and his
his elder daughters. For in
elder daughters. in these scenes the
these scenes the main
main
busin
business is the
essis quarrelover
the quarrel the numb
over the number retainersLear
erof retainers Lear is is to
quarrel takes
have: the quarrel takes the form of bargai ning, even haggli
bargaining, haggling.ng. But I
this is not the first haggl
this hagglinging in die
the play: the first dispute over
first dispute '
 -V

The Unity of
The of King Lear 177
177
amounts and prices, so to
amounts speak, is
to speak, that brought about in i1 ii by
Lear's
Lear’s demanding that his daughters measure
measure their love for him.
I. There,
There, he insisted on an inappropriate calculation;
calculation;here, he is the
victim
victim of anan inappropriate calculation by the
inappropriate calculation the very daughters
very daughters
who had
had profited
profited from his own misapplied arithmetic. The
misapplied arithmetic.
daughters' love required
daughters’ required aa different
different kind estimatefrom
kind of estimate from that
that
which
which Lear
Lear proposed; likewise his demand
proposed; likewise demand for aa hundred
hundred
i retainers needs toto be estimated
estimated by another standard
standard than the
rational
rational one of necessity. The daughters
necessity. The Lear's own error —
daughters apply Lear’s
the seeking of a rationalistic shortcut through a diflicult difficult area
—
area of
meaning which has
meaning which has to
to be traversed,
traversed, in diethe long run, by extra- extra-
rational
rational means.
means. Love must must be felt through
through its its proper symbols;
proper symbols;
the retainers must be imaginatively
imaginatively understood
understood as as symbols
symbols of
position. The utilitarian
utilitarian -andard
andard is absolutely
absolutely irrelevant.
irrelevant. So the
whole issue
issue is brilliantly summarized
summarized in the first line of Lear's Lear’s
last speech before the storm:
storm: ‘O,'O, reason not the need'
not die need’ (n(11iv 267).
267).
But the reasoning
But reasoning of needneed in diese scenes is
these scenes is aa symptom
symptom of the the
new way of life that is to dominate Lear’s Lear's kingdom. That way of
life was prepared for by Lear himself. His daughters might have
said to cannot reason our love.’
'We cannot
to Lear, ‘We love.' In effect Cordelia
Cordelia did
say it: by using a metaphor
metaphor rather than the neat neat logical statement
statement
Lear wanted.
Lear wanted.
suggests the reasons why it is right for tragedy
King Lear suggests tragedy toto
use characters ‘in place’ and intra-family complications -
'in high place' —as
it regularly did in Greek and Elizabethan practice. Rulers were
public figures; their tragedies became representative; ennoble¬ ennoble-
ment
ment through suffering was
through suffering was aa general and meaningful,
general and meaningful, not not a
shut-off private experience by which many suffered suffered but few were
ennobled. Yet in the public plot melodrama is just around the
ennobled.
corner: our view of public
comer: inclines to
always inclines
public life always to the melo-
melo¬
dramatic, for we look for heroes
dramatic, and villains
heroes and whom we can
villains whom can
understand simply. We tend to to identify evil with certain figures
or groups, and if we can can injure or destroy them, we cause cause the
good to to triumph.
triumph. We look for Gonerils Gonerils andand Regans
Regans and and Ed¬
Ed-
munds and turn turn all our wrath upon them; we forget die the Goneril
and Regan and Edmund that are within us all. The public event event
may reality, the
private reality,
obscure the private
may obscure the private reality in terms
private reality terms
178
I78 ROBERT B. HEILMAN
ROBERT B. HEILMAN

experience is universal. But the ultimate identity of

of which the experience
public private is exactly
and private
public and exactly figured symbolism of
figured forth in the symbolism
family mediates
kinship: the family
kinship: between the soul of man and the
mediates between
community to which he belongs. It is at at once a public fact and a
projection of the soul; through
projection the representa
through it die tively public and
representatively
the representa tivelyprivate
representatively seen to
private are seen to be one. By being the
father of Goneril
father and of Cordelia,
Goneril and includes both of them
Cordelia, Lear includes
himself; we cannot then idly hate Goneril as
within himself;
within as evil but we
and hence modify our sym¬
genesis of evil and
recognize the genesis
must recognize sym- )\
sensitiveness
identification with Lear so that it includes a sensitiveness
pathetic identification
to spiritual trouble within him. Thus we move from melo-
to the spiritual melo¬
drama, which represents
drama, represents the externaliz
externalizeded conflict
conflict as reality, to
to
tragedy, in which the externalized
externalized conflict
conflict exactly corresponds to
exactly corresponds to
widiin the soul -
the war within —whether the begetting affirmation
begetting is an affirmation
and an imposition
and imposition of error or a Gloucester-like
Gloucester-like acquiescence
acquiescencein
worldly imperfecti ons. Some
imperfections. Some such
such understan ding of tragedy,
understanding
and of the mode of its universali
and ty, follows
universality, follows from an examination
examination
the remarkabl
of die remarkableeunity of King Lear. Lear.
SOURCE:
SOURCE: Sewanee Review
Review (1948).
(1948).