Discuss Shakespeare’s treatment of the issue of control in King Lear:

Shakespeare’s treatment of the issue of control in King Lear is varied and full of depth. He uses control whether control is free or rigid. Control is stressed as important in King Lear and Shakespeare presents to the audience what happens when natural order and control is dismissed.

Loss of control is prevalent from the very first scene of King Lear and acts as a catalyst for the play’s events. Lear gives up control of the kingdom and in return loses control over his mind. "Tis our fast intent to shake all cares and business from our age, conferring them onto younger strengths, so that we unburdened crawl towards death" The verb 'fast' shows Lear's sense of urgency. The verb 'shake' hints at the disrupted nature of the love test and also shows how the kingdom is also shaken by Lear's "darker purpose". "Younger strengths" shows the audience that Lear is aware of his age. The verb 'crawl' is often associated with babies and this replicates how Lear's mind becomes child-like as he loses control over his kingdom and also his mind. Andrew Hadfield said that “King Lear must be read in terms of the danger of a monarch cutting himself off from the people he rules, and so destroying what he has so carefully built up.” Divine Right of Kings/ James 1/ Division of the Kingdom.

Shakespeare’s treatment of the issue of control is also evident in Lear’s control over weeping. In Act 2, Scene 2, Lear responds to his mistreatment by Goneril and Regan. "Touch me with noble anger and let not women’s weapons, water drops, stain my man’s cheeks!" There is a stark contrast between the gentle verb 'touch' and the harshness of 'anger'. 'Noble' implies that Lear still wants to remain a man of strength who desires to control his emotions. 'Women's weapon's' implies that when women show emotion, it is a personal attack upon Lear. This also foreshadows the final act of the play when Lear eventually succumbs to tears over the death of Cordelia. Critically, feminists would view this quote as highly misogynistic as it implies that women crying is a sign of weakness, rather than strength. Some feminist critics would argue that the play has this tone throughout and is especially prevalent in Lear, who is often disgusted by tears and outbursts of human emotion.

Shakespeare’s treatment of the issue of control is also played out through the Gods within the play. Gloucester feels as if the Gods have all control and says in Act 4 Scene 1 that "As flies to wanton boys we are to the Gods. They kill us for their sport" This simile clearly outlines Gloucester's view on control and fate. He believes we are all controlled by the Gods who views as a flies killed for fun by destructive children. This is almost ironic within the context of King Lear as it is not the Gods who abuse Gloucester and Lear but their destructive child/children respectively. The noun 'sport' also is repeated again by Gloucester, yet with a very different meaning to "There was good sport at his making" whereupon he sounds like a 'wanton boy' himself. King Lear is set in a pre-Christian Britain, where various characters call upon the Gods.

Finally, Shakespeare’s illustrates the issue of control through the control women have over men. Goneril especially is seen as very powerful over men throughout the play.

We see this through her interactions with Albany, Oswald, Edmund and Lear. In Act 4 Scene 2, she verbally attacks Albany for commenting on Goneril and Regan’s treatment of Lear, whom Albany describes as “Tigers not daughters”. Goneril responds by calling him a "Milk-livered man that bear'st a cheek for blows and a head for wrongs" This line mirrors Goneril's remark about Albany's "milky gentleness" in Act 1, Scene 4 . Milk livered or lily livered calling someone a coward and this subverts the typical view that women are cowards, instead of men. 'Cheek for blows' may also suggest physical violence inflicted on Albany by Goneril. Martha Burns commented that "When women are tough and ballsy, and just as obsessed with power as men, they are called evil rather than formidable. Regan and Goneril are formidable.’This subversion of control would have been shocking to a Jacobean audience. However, prior to James I, Queen Elizabeth ruled and was a powerful leader.

To conclude, Shakespeare’s treatment of the issue of control takes on many forms. He shows the loss of control through Lear’s division of the kingdom with devastating consequences. He also demonstrates Lear’s control of weeping until the play’s conclusion, showing the one thing he has control over once his mental state is evaporating. Shakespeare also displays the control the Gods have on the characters within the play and their fluctuating faith in them. He also subverts medieval conventions through giving women control over men. King Lear shows the importance of having control over oneself and one’s mind and without control, life becomes imbalanced and leads to disarray.

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