Shakespeare’s Ridiculous King Lear Essay -- mocking nobility

Its surprising that Shakespeares King Lear is not treated as a comedy. His portrayal of a power hungry nobility only serves to mock the monarchical system. Both of Lears elder daughters deceive their own father in order to procure his wealth of land, and Edmund the bastard cannot stop killing and lying in order to climb up the royal succession. This backstabbing nature of the monarchy is exactly what makes it so ridiculous. Most importantly, Shakespeare depicts the tragic life of King Lear, an abdicated ruler. The play centers around Lears struggle to maintain his subjects respect and his daughters love, all of which he loses. With these examples, Shakespeare makes a shrewd chin wagging about the superfluousness of the ruling class, and the fate of Lear becomes a stand-in for Shakespeares attitude towards the nobility.Shakespeare wrote King Lear around 1606, which coincides with the reign of King James I, who ascended to the throne in 1603, win Elizabeth I. Although he was a suppo rter of the arts, James articulated his belief in an absolutist theory of monarchy and the divine right of kings, desiring to command not only spot obedience but also complete devotion (Bengtsson). Being that Elizabeth had previously established an equal relationship with the parliament, British government became uneasy. In addition, many Protestants, including Shakespeare himself, feared that religious persecution would start up once more as it had before Elizabeth. In fact, James passed the Popish Recusants Act, an act to cause persons existing Protestants to be naturalized or restored in blood to conform to Catholicism and take the oath of allegiance and supremacy to the Pope (Burton). From his actions, one can see how Eng... ... the neglect of the true purpose of government to lead the people. In this way, The Tragedy of King Lear becomes a criticism, illustrating Shakespeares attitudes towards the flawed ruling class of his time.Works CitedBengtsson, Frederick. Historical Con text for King Lear by William Shakespeare. Columbia College. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Jan. 2014. .Mary, faerie of Scots. BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 20 Jan. 2014. .Shakespeare, William, Barbara A. Mowat, and Paul Werstine. The Tragedy of King Lear. New York Washington Square, 1993. Print.Burton, Edwin, Edward DAlton, and Jarvis Kelley. Penal Laws. The CatholicEncyclopedia. Vol. 11. New York Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 21 Jan. 2014. .